Physician – Occupational Health Section Chief

Job Description

Join our Team at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Palo Alto, CA as a Physician – Occupational Health Section Chief - Palo Alto!

The Occupational Health Section Chief, Medical Service is responsible for establishing and maintaining high standards of excellence in all areas. Performs data collection and analysis to determine Employee health needs and expectations for the Occupational Health and Employee wellness program. Based on this information, he/she develops, implements, and evaluates activities for effectiveness. Clinical Management including indirect patient care: open encounters and open consult maintenance, documentation requirements, monitoring of clinic management. Maintains involvement in matters concerning clinic productivity, relevant performance measures, Quality and Patient Safety oversight, and process improvements. Coordinates Tuberculosis screening on prospective employees and volunteers and ongoing screening according to risk assessments. Completes OPPE and proficiency assessments semi-annually. Oversees pre-employment screening processes partnering with HR for timely access and processing. Performs Respirator Medical Evaluation via Questionnaire review. Assess immune status and administers vaccination in accordance with CDC guidelines and facility policy. Collaborates with Infection Control to control exposures to diseases. Coordinates influenza vaccine program for Veterans, Employees and Volunteers. Member of Facility Flu Planning Committee. Oversees Police annual physicals to be sure in compliance and national and local guidelines. Evaluates and coordinates occupational exposure cases; including assessment, treatment and follow up; Maintains database of all BBP exposures; aligns data with the OSHA log. Oversees needlestick policies.

Despite the incumbent's extensive administrative responsibilities, he/she maintains a clinical workload, with the time allocation in coordination with the Medical Service Chief. The incumbent is expected to remain privileged and practicing in their specialty field. The exact privileges and procedures for a provider will be approved by the Professional Standards Board.

Benefits and Features

• Expected Salary range from $288K to 320K (negotiable based on candidate's qualifications, credentials and experience).

• Work Schedule: Full-time. Schedule will be determined by supervisor.
• 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.

We encourage you to consider VA employment in Palo Alto, CA. We offer both a mission you can put your heart into and a home for fun, new experiences. Join a team that values a healthy home/work life balance and be rewarded by your role in keeping the promise to those who served.

The Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System is a large and complex facility with inpatient, outpatient, residential and homeless services. Located in Palo Alto, CA, the heart of Silicon Valley, with beautiful weather, great food, a large multicultural population and a multitude of outdoor activities. Palo Alto is 30 miles from San Francisco, the beach and the mountains.

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 2020, employees under the age of 50 may contribute up to $19,500, while those over age 50 are eligible to make catch-up contributions that allow them to defer up to $25,500.
• 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