Physician / Gastroenterologist / Southern Illinois

The Marion VA Medical Center is currently seeking a full-time board certified/board eligible Gastroenterologist. Incumbent duties will include performing diagnostic and therapeutic upper and lower endoscopy procedures, including stent replacement, PEGs, esophageal dilation; and diagnosing, treating and managing patients with liver disease, Hepatitis C, and liver transplants according to standard, usual and acceptable or customary methods and techniques in the outpatient and inpatient settings. ERCP skill is preferred but not mandatory for this position. Gastroenterology on-call responsibilities will be shared with the other Gastroenterologist(s) on staff. The physician will report to the Chief of Medicine or his designate. Specialists and other primary care physicians are available for consultation. The physician shall be expected to cooperate with and participate in medical duties or functions related to quality of care and peer review and improvement and with other performance improvement activities at the direction of the Chief of Medicine.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Recruitment Incentive may be available to highly qualified candidates!
Location: Marion, IL VA Medical Center
# of beds: 55 including ICU
Avg. census: 35 (ward closed for renovation)
Complexity Level: 2 (no trauma) with level 4 ICU and 24/7 ER and anesthesia coverage
# ICU (and PCU) beds: 8
# Surgical Suites: 3 OR and 1 Endoscopy
# Endoscopies per week: 15 - 20
Patient/Case expectations: 125 consults per month. IP and OP responsibilities. Should be a 50/50 or 60/40 clinic to procedures ratio
Routine procedures: Endoscopy (upper and lower), paracentesis, ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography Optional)
Number of provider staff in the department: 3 full time GI doc on board (2 at Marion and 1 full time GI doc at the Evansville, IN CBOC - new clinic opening in 1 Dec/Jan 12 time frame). There is also so a PA in the GI clinic
Call Schedule: Will rotate call with other GI physician. Need to be available by phone most of the timerarely called worst case 1x or 2x per week. 90% of the time, phone consultation is sufficient. Likely 1-2 weeks per month of call (rarely called in)
Office Hours: 8 4:30, M-F
Support staff: In the clinic, a mid-level, RN, LPN and clerk. OR/Endo has its own staff

Whether youre interested in academics, research, or a better work/life balance, youll find the VA has a lot to offer, including the unmatched satisfaction youll get from caring for those who have served our country. In addition to competitive pay and liability protection, the VA also offers a robust benefits plan that includes:

Paid Time Off:
26 Days paid annual (vacation/personal) leave you can carry over up to 86 days into a new year
13 Days paid sick leave each year with no limit on accumulation unused sick leave can be used to extend creditable service time at retirement!
10 Federal holidays per year with pay
5 Days paid absence to attend approved CME courses (subject to budget availability)

Insurance:
Health Insurance: VA employees have an outstanding number of health insurance plans from which to choose (premiums are partially paid by VA)
Dental & Vision: Our insurance options also include exceptional vision and dental plans (premiums are partially paid by VA)
VA employees have the option to use Flexible Spending Accounts, which allow you to use tax-free dollars to pay for medical, dental, and vision care expenses that are not reimbursed by your health insurance plan
Term life insurance, family, and additional coverage options are available with the cost shared by the Federal Government.
Long-term care insurance is available as an option

Federal Retirement Plan:
VA employees are covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). FERS is a three-tiered retirement plan composed of 1) Social Security benefits; 2) FERS-RAE basic benefits (pension); and 3) Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) which is a 401K-type plan
How is the pension funded? VA employees automatically contribute 4.4% of their salary each pay period and the VA contributes 8.3% of the employees salary each pay period for a total annual contribution percentage equal to 12.7% of the employees salary
Similar to the 401(k) savings plans widely available in the private sector, the TSP allows employees to tax defer a portion of their income each year, subject to the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service. For calendar year 2013, employees under the age of 50 may contribute up to $17,500, while those over age 50 are eligible to make catch-up contributions that allow them to defer up to $23,000.
The Federal Government also provides an automatic basic contribution (1% of salary) and up to 4% of salary in matching contributions, depending on the amount of the employee contribution
For retired military personnel, these benefits are in addition to full monthly retirement pay or pension
In addition to FERS, VA provides health care insurance coverage for retired personnel
Disability Retirement
Employees are vested in a federal pension after only 5 years service