Qualifications

To qualify for this position, you must meet the basic requirements as well as any additional requirements (if applicable) listed in the job announcement. Applicants pending the completion of training or license requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Currently employed physician(s) in VA who met the requirements for appointment under the previous qualification standard at the time of their initial appointment are deemed to have met the basic requirements of the occupation.

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship: Be a Citizen of the United States
• (Noncitizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens)
• Education: Degree of Doctor of Medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine
• The degree must have been obtained from an institution whose accreditation was in place for the year in which the course of study was completed
• Approved schools are: Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted, OR Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation of the American Osteopathic Association for the year in which the degree was granted
• For foreign medical graduates not covered above, facility officials must verify with the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) that the applicant has met requirements for certification, and must obtain a copy of the ECFMG certificate, if claimed by the applicant
• [If the applicant does not claim an ECFMG certificate, facility officials must still confirm that the medical school meets (or met) ECFMG eligibility requirements for the year the candidate graduated
• Licensure and Registration: Physicians must possess a current, full and unrestricted license to practice medicine or surgery in a state, territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia
• The physician must maintain current registration in the state of licensure if this is a requirement for continuing active, current licensure
• Impaired Licensure
• A physician who has, or has ever had, any license(s) revoked, suspended, denied, restricted, limited, or issued/placed in a probationary status may be appointed only in accordance with the provisions of this [Handbook 5005 part II,] chapter 3, section B, [paragraphs 13 and 14]
• Waiver of Licensure
• Licensure requirements may be waived by the Under Secretary for Health or designee in the VHA Central Office for individuals in research, academic, or administrative assignments involving no direct patient care responsibilities in accordance with current regulations
• In addition, the facility director may waive this licensure requirement if the physician is to serve in a country other than the United States and the physician has licensure in that country
• (See [this Handbook 5005 part II,] chapter 3, section B, paragraph 14, on waiver of licensure provisions.) Residency Training: Physicians must have completed residency training, approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in an accredited core specialty training program leading to eligibility for board certification
• (NOTE: VA physicians involved in academic training programs may be required to be board certified for faculty status.) Approved residencies are: Those approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), OR Those approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), OR Other residencies (non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of five years of verified practice in the United States), which the local Medical Staff Executive Committee deems to have provided the applicant with appropriate professional training and believes has exposed the physician to an appropriate range of patient care experiences
• NOTE: Residents currently enrolled in ACGME/AOA accredited residency training programs and who would otherwise meet the basic requirements for appointment are eligible to be appointed as "Physician Resident Providers" (PRPs)
• PRPs must be fully licensed physicians (i.e., not a training license) and may only be appointed on an intermittent or fee-basis
• PRPs are not considered independent practitioners and will not be privileged
• rather, they are to have a "scope of practice" that allows them to perform certain restricted duties under supervision
• Additionally, surgery residents in gap years may also be appointed as PRPs
• English Language Proficiency: Physicians appointed to direct patient-care positions must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) and 7407(d)
• May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria)
• Physician Staff Requirements: None beyond the basic requirements
• The individual must qualify to perform duties as a physician, have completed an accredited residency and/or possess experience which has qualified the individual to perform general duties and some specialized functions and procedures without supervision
• Staff physicians may also include attendings who train physician residents assigned in facilities with residency training programs, and consultants who are capable of giving authoritative views and opinions on subjects in their field of medicine
• Preferred Experience: The James Haley VA is looking for a BOARD CERTIFIED transplant Hepatologist who has been practicing for at least 5 years in a liver transplant center and working up pre and post transplant patients as part of their transplant work
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity
• Potentially long periods of continued walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, and pushing
• Transferring patients and objects may be required
• May be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations or operative/invasive procedures
• May occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders
• Must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations and able to shift priorities based on patient needs
• Must complete annual Employee Health requirements, such as annual TB screening or testing, as a condition of employment
• Must be physically, emotionally and mentally competent and able to perform efficiently the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, without hazard to yourself or others.