Summary
The VA St. Louis Health Care System is recruiting for Full-time Gastroenterologist located within Specialty Care Service at our John Cochran Division providing comprehensive, efficient, compassionate, high-quality healthcare to all patients, functioning as a member of the inter-disciplinary team providing clinical care to the patients at VASTLHCS in inpatient setting
Responsibilities
The responsibilities include: Providing medical evaluation and directing overall management of patients in collaboration with other members of health care team. The Gastroenterology (GI) physician is responsible in providing comprehensive medical and selected specialty services for outpatients and inpatients. The physician will provide patient care to veterans in the areas of Gastroenterology in the form of consultative care. The Gastroenterologist will diagnose, treat, and manage patients with gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary diseases according to standard, usual, and acceptable methods and techniques. Provide services such as inpatient and outpatient consultation services related to GI and liver disease. The physician is responsible for overseeing the administration of conscious sedation. The Physician performs GI procedures including but not limited to EGD (gastroscopy), complex stricture dilation, EGD with percutaneous gastrostomy tube placement, colonoscopies, push enteroscopy. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) experience is preferrable, but not required. Gastroenterology on-call and weekend consultations and procedures will be shared with the other Staff Gastroenterologists. The GI Physician will work collaboratively with Physician Assistants and nurse coordinators. Supervision and education of Internal Medicine Residents and medical students from Washington University, School of Medicine, and St. Louis University, School of Medicine, is required. Functions/Scope - Participate in an effective clinical program with attention to patient outcome indicators. - Practice within the scope of assigned privileges. - Comply with the bylaws, rules and regulations of the facility and agency. - Meet medical staff criteria for initial appointment and reappointment, including ongoing CME. Administrative - Comply with prescribed record keeping practices in accordance with the rules, regulations and bylaws. - Comply with prescribed information security policy and procedures. - Interpersonal relationships - works effectively with patients, families, staff, coworkers and other health care professionals. - Participates in Medical Service educational activities and scheduled meetings. - Participates in research activities with regard to the subspecialty of Internal Medicine, as assigned. - Comply with assigned Peer Reviews and maintaining quality assurance standards. - Complete all assigned health record reviews, peer reviews, MAOs, etc., within the identified timeframes. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Available to highly qualified individual. Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply. Learn more. EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VISN15EDRP@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 50-55 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year and possible 5 day paid absence for CME) Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory CME: Possible $3,500 per year reimbursement (must be full-time with board certification) Malpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting Work Schedule: 7:30am - 4:00pm Monday - Friday with Rotating Tours, Rotating Days, and On-Call.
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: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Degree of doctor of medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from one of the schools approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs for the year in which the course of study was completed. 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. 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: (1) Those approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), b) OR [(2) Those approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA),OR (3) 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. 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. Proficiency in spoken and written English. Additional Requirement: Preferred Experience: Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: In Accordance with VA Directive and Handbook 5019. The Physical requirements of this position include the following tasks which may be performed intermittently: lifting of up to 10 lbs., sitting (4 hours), standing (2 hours), walking (2 hours), bending/stooping (1 hour), twisting (1/2 hour), simple grasping (4 hours), fine manipulation (6 hours), reaching above the shoulder (1/2 hour), and operating machinery (1/2 hour).
Requirements
U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). You may be required to serve a probationary period. Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
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 in (1) or (2) 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.] NOTE: The Under Secretary of Health or designee in the VHA Central Office may approve the appointment under authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405 of a physician graduate of a school of medicine not covered above if the candidate is to be assigned to a research, academic, or administrative position with no patient care responsibilities. The appointment will be made only in exceptional circumstances where the candidate's credentials clearly demonstrate high professional attainment or expertise in the specialty area.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new window Learn more about federal benefits.