Summary

The VA Fargo Healthcare System is recruiting for (1) Physician - Pain Management Director. The Director of Pain Management will oversee daily program needs and operate under the direction of the Associate Chief of Staff (ACOS) for Primary Care (PC) - as the position will fall under the Primary Care ICC.

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
• Preferred Experience: 3 or more years of experience as a clinician
• 2 or more years of experience in clinical program development and oversight
• Experience in the PMOP Triad preferred
• Training in the Biopsychosocial Model for Pain Management and/or stepped Care Model for Pain Management preferred
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position
• Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

Duties

• The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers
• This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest
• As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care - you will operate in a model with three core elements - seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran
• This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community
• This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being
• The Director of Pain Management works closely with leadership across various ICC's - to coordinate pain related services and improve consistency across the system
• The director will provide support - guidance - and coordination of all pain services - including those not directly under the Director's purview
• Duties include - but are not limited to: Provides leadership for the Level 2 Pain Management Team (PMT) - which is mandated by the CARA Act to improve pain care across each VA Healthcare System
• This multidisciplinary team must consist of a pain provider - pain psychologist - pain physical therapist and an addiction medicine specialist - at a minimum - evaluating complex Veterans in pain - ensures that comprehensive multimodal pain care is delivered and that Opioid Use Disorder is appropriately managed when present
• Leadership is provided for the PMT - including Facility PMOP Coordinator - Pain Pharmacists - and Pain SW as well as future expansion of Level 2 PMT
• This oversight includes hiring and onboarding new staff - current clinical operations - staff educational needs - process improvement - and future clinic growth and development
• Leads an Interdisciplinary Pain Team (IPT) Clinic that combines expertise from various disciplines - with the goal of providing pain care to the most complex veterans utilizing a Biopsychosocial Model
• Provides oversite for e-consult clinics for Level 2 PMT to support providers across the facility in providing optimal pain management at Level 1
• Leads implementation of educational offerings and group classes for veterans centered on the Biopsychosocial Model for pain management - Pain Neuroscience Education - pain coping skills development - and the Whole Health Circle of Health
• The Director will play a pivotal role in the ongoing development and delivery of these and other innovative pain management approaches
• Actively supports and coordinates education and resources for pain care at Level 1 in Primary Care to improve the overall pain management system of care with an aim to fully implement the Stepped Care Model for Pain Management and appropriate utilization of local and V23 TelePain resources
• They facilitate ongoing education for Fargo staff to foster a comprehensive understanding of the biopsychosocial underpinnings of chronic pain and the ability to provide comprehensive pain care
• The Director of Pain Management serves as a subject matter expert and is consulted by staff across the system for their expertise related to pain management - veteran education - clinic utilization - patient access - etc
• Collaborates with pain specialists across various disciplines to improve access to pain care and decrease utilization of less efficacious unimodal pain care both inside and outside the VA HCS
• Collaborate with local/TelePain Referral Care Initiative (RCI) teams to improve Veteran pain care and ensure implementation of process improvement strategies 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 Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8:00am - 4:30pm
• Shifts may vary.