Palliative Care Physician
Where
Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Philadelphia, PA, United States
Salary Range (Annual Salary)
$125,000 - $315,000
Description
The Palliative Care Team at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center is looking for a full time physician to join our team. This position specializes in providing comprehensive, holistic care to veterans experiencing serious illness across the continuum of care.
VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards.
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 $1,000 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
The duties of the Palliative Care physician include:
Managing medications to palliate symptoms related to serious illness such as pain, dyspnea, nausea, agitation, anxiety, and other symptoms.
Ensuring clear communication of medical information and options for care and treatments
Coordinating care across different care settings by facilitating communication among providers
Providing education and support
Facilitating advance care planning and conversations to ensure the care is aligned with the goals and preferences of Veterans.
Participating in interdisciplinary team meetings and contributing to care planning.- Documenting patient care activities and maintaining accurate medical records as per facility policy.
Precepting Palliative Care and Geriatrics fellows and participating in relevant activities of the fellowship programs.
Precepting and teaching Penn medical students who have chosen elective rotations on the Palliative Care service.
Providing direct supervision, education, monitoring, and feedback to trainees and other professional staff.
Performing on-call duties on a rotating basis for the Hospice and Palliative Care Unit in the CLC on nights, weekends, and holidays.
Ensuring adherence to medical center policies, bylaws, rules, and regulations.- Ensuring that performance objectives established by VACO, VISN, and the local facility are met.
Creating and participating in educational activities including continuing medical education programs.
Participating in Medical Center education/training programs including TMS.
Acting as the organization's medical representative in the community through committees including Veteran Community Partnerships
Maintaining a professional relationship with all staff and Veterans
At the CMJC VAMC, the Palliative Care physician may rotate as the Attending Physician primarily through the inpatient Palliative Care consult service and the outpatient clinic which includes in-person and telehealth Veteran encounters. Although the Hospice Clinical Director is the primary provider in the Hospice Unit of the CLC, there may also be clinical time on service in the Hospice Unit in the CLC as needed for coverage.
ESSENTIAL COMPETENCIES
Decision-Making: Ability to make sound clinical and ethical judgments under pressure
Compassion: Demonstrates sensitivity, understanding, and empathy
Cultural Competence: Commitment to providing culturally competent care and respecting diverse backgrounds and beliefs
Adaptability: Flexibility in adapting to changing clinical situations, work schedules, regulatory environments, and advances in hospice care- Technological Proficiency: Comfortable using electronic health records (EHR), telemedicine platforms, digital healthcare tools.
AGE, DEVELOPMENT AND CULTURAL NEEDS OF PATIENTS.
Provides care and/or services appropriate to the age of the patients being served, which is appropriate to the cognitive; emotional, and chronological maturation of the patient. Assesses data reflective of the patient's status and interprets the information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to their age- specific needs and to provide care needed as described in the services' policies and procedures.
Age Categories include:
Young Adulthood (18 - 39): Accepts adults' chosen lifestyle and assist with necessary adjustments relating to health. Employee recognizes the person's commitment and the function of competence in life and supports changes as necessary for health.
Middle Adulthood (40 - 64): Employee assists clients to plan for anticipated changes in life, to recognize the risk factors related to health, and to focus on strengths rather than weaknesses.
Late Maturity (65 - Death): Employee assists clients to keep physically and socially active, and to maintain peer group interactions. Employee provides necessary safety measures and assist client with self-care as required, and with maintaining as much independence as possible.
Work Schedule: M-F 8:00 am thru 4:30 pm
Conditions of employment
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.
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: Experience in Geriatrics and Palliative Care.
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.
Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items.
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.
Apply
Attn: Jenna Rosania
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: (215) 240-2763