Cardiologist Section Chief needed to work in Affordable Upstate NY

The Syracuse VA is seeking a full time Cardiologist to lead our Cardiology Department. 

Syracuse is a medium sized city located in beautiful Central NY. Easy commute to the hospital, affordable housing, country living and great schools can make this a great career move. 

Working for the Department of Veterans Affairs 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: Full time, Monday-Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm or as determined by the service.

A Chief Cardiologist's duties and responsibilities at the Syracuse VA Medical Center:

1. Provide general Cardiology services in keeping with good clinical practice and standards of the Cardiology Section and Medicine Service at the Syracuse Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center and SUNY Upstate Medical University.
2. Close supervision, education and coordination of Cardiology fellows, medical residents and medical students when in rotation on your service.
3. Close collaboration with our University Affiliate to promote our missions of education, research, and development of our fellows in training to use evidenced based medical care.
4. Collaboration with the physician extenders and nursing care providers in the Cardiology Section.
5. Be a resource for Primary Care providers to assist in the timely care of patients and appropriate referral to Cardiology.
6. Provide expertise in multispecialty and patient care related discussions.
7. As the Chief physician in Cardiology, you will be encouraged to participate in the development or on-going research, quality improvement and teaching as it relates to your professional interests.
8. Provide inpatient and outpatient Cardiology consultation services and any necessary education required to all provider staff as needed.
9. Provide outpatient care and perform clinical procedures as necessary within the Cardiology Section.
10. Function as an active member of the Cardiology Department of the Syracuse Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
11. As Chief of Cardiology, will supervise other Cardiologists and the APP's in the Cardiology department.
12. Obtain and Maintain Cardiology board certification and training.
13. You will be expected to serve on Peer review and actively participate in other committees as requested by the Medical Center Director, Chief of Staff, Chief of Medicine and/or Chief of Cardiology sections.
14. You will be expected to be in compliance with the Medical Staff bylaws and will complete all medical records timely through CPRS (Computerized Patient Record System) in accordance with VA Policies and Regulations.
15. All Chief physicians are expected to participate in ongoing process improvements within their specific areas of expertise thereby promoting quality, efficiency, patient safety and timely access to care for our veteran patients.
16. All physicians are asked to become involved in teaching internal medicine residents and undergraduate medical students within their areas of expertise.
17. All physicians are actively engaged in completing quarterly chart reviews and other quality assurance work within the department.
18. Will ensure timely record completion for all patients as outlined in the Department of Medicine.
19. All physicians are expected to attend quarterly General Medical Staff meetings and monthly Medicine department staff meetings when they are on duty.
20. You will also be expected to promote a cooperative and collegial environment within your area.
21. You may be asked to have direct oversight of care rendered by an advanced practice provider (APP) within your area.
22. You will be expected to collaborate with nursing, pharmacy, and all other ancillary personnel throughout the facility.

About the Syracuse VA Medical Center The Syracuse VA Medical Center, part of VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York opened its doors on June 14, 1953. The Medical Center utilizes state-of-the-art technology to provide a full range of patient care services, education and research. The 106-bed general medical and surgical facility provides comprehensive:

• Primary Care
• Mental Health
• Tertiary care
• Long-term care
• Physical Medicine
• Rehabilitation
• Neurology
• Oncology
• Dentistry
• Geriatrics

The Syracuse VA Medical Center also operates a Community Care Center that provides a community day program, mental health intensive case management program, homeless veteran program, and vocational services.

The Department of Veterans Affairs named the Syracuse VA Medical Center as a Center of Excellence for its Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom and Polytrauma programs. The Syracuse facility is also the principal referral center for neurosurgery and urological renal stone treatment, serving all of upstate New York and northern Pennsylvania veterans.

Syracuse VA provides primary and behavioral health care in a 13-county area of Central New York through eight community based outpatient clinics in Auburn, Binghampton, Carthage, Cortland, Ithaca, Massena, Oswego, and Rome.

The Syracuse VA Medical Center has an active affiliation with the State University of New York Upstate Medical University where over 650 of their students, residents, interns, and fellows receive training at the Medical Center each year. The Syracuse VA has eight affiliated nursing education programs and a physician assistant externship with LeMoyne College and a long-standing educational partnership with Syracuse University for field experience for audiology, speech pathology and social work students.

There is a $2.5 million research and development program that includes 95 studies on a variety of topics. The research program is fully accredited by the National Commission of Quality Assurance.

Syracuse recently completed a six-floor addition that houses a new spinal cord injury/disease center with a therapeutic pool, expanded outpatient services, dialysis program, and six new operating rooms. The Medical Center continues renovations for an expanded parking garage and recently completed construction on a new MRI suite, heart catheterization suite and a state-of-the-art emergency department. Information about the Syracuse area can be found at the Chamber of Commerce.

Paid Time Off:

• 26 Days paid annual (vacation/personal) leave
• 13 Days paid sick leave each year with no limit on accumulation
• 11 Federal holidays with pay annually
• 5 Days paid absence to attend approved CME courses

Insurance:

• Health Insurance: VA employees have an outstanding number of health insurance plans from which to choose (premiums are partially paid by VA) Lifetime Healthcare Insurance options available
• 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 12.2% of the employee’s salary each pay period for a total annual contribution percentage equal to 16.6% of the employee’s 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 2025, employees under the age of 50 may contribute up to $23,500, while those over age 50 are eligible to make catch-up contributions that allow them to defer up to $31,000.
• 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