Seeking Service Chief of Geriatrics and Palliative Care for an Excellent VA Leadership Opportunity in Portland, Oregon

The Portland VA Medical Center in Portland OR is currently seeking a dynamic and proven leader to join our team as the Service Chief of Geriatrics & Palliative Care within the Rehabilitation and Long-Term Care Division. The Service Chief must be board certified to practice medicine through the American Board of Internal Medicine, or the American Board of Family Practice and also have board certification in Geriatrics or Hospice/Palliative Care Medicine.  The Chief must have a minimum of five years of administrative and leadership experience in operations, planning, and supervising Geriatrics and/or Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine program(s) in a tertiary care environment.

The candidate must also have demonstrated expertise in or appreciation of the academic missions of education and scholarship; credentials warranting academic appointment as an Associate or Full Professor in the School of Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University are highly desirable yet not required.

VAPORHCS is a major teaching site and research site closely affiliated with Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). VAPORHCS hosts about 2,000 health professional learners annually and ranks in the top 10 nationwide among VAs in research grant support, with over 170 investigators in basic science, clinical, and health services research and over 1000 active protocols.  The Geriatrics and Palliative Care Division is responsible for teaching medical students, residents, and fellows in 2 fellowship programs.

The Service Chief, Geriatrics & Palliative Care is responsible for leading and managing the VAPORHCS Geriatrics & Palliative Care Section. These responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Administrative Duties (but not limited to):

• Responsible for the management of all clinical, teaching, research, and administrative activities of the staff members assigned to the service
• Design, integrate, implement, and evaluate clinical and administrative activities surrounding models of care for inpatient and outpatient services in the Geriatrics and Palliative Care service
• Support RLTC efforts on productivity optimization, workload capture, sustainable staffing, and quality improvement
• Work with VAPORHCS stakeholders and affiliates to promote education and research
• Contribute to RLTC leadership administrative activities including performance pay plan development, peer reviews, professional performance evaluations, committee participation, and privileging
• Perform higher-level management functions for VAPORHCS and VISN 20 through participation in strategic planning and oversight boards, councils, and committees
• Manage Geriatrics and Palliative Care staff with responsibility for performance evaluation, addressing performance and conduct issues and following VA regulations
• Take responsibility for recruitment and orientation of Geriatrics and Palliative Care clinicians

Clinical:
The Service Chief will provide face to face and/or virtual patient care in one or more of the Geriatrics and Palliative Care Service. Patient care activities include but are not limited to:

• Conducting appropriate histories and physical exams
• Providing ongoing management of patients within the scope of specialty
• Developing treatment plans and initiating consults and referrals when appropriate
• Consultation to other providers about clinical issues with their patients
• Providing timely documentation and encounter completion
• Taking night and weekend call (rotation)

Research/Education:

• Teach and supervise trainees, as appropriate
• Participate in approved research projects, as appropriate

The Geriatrics & Palliative Care Chief has specific supervisory responsibility for licensed independent practitioners in the section, and reports up and is accountable to the RLTC Division. The incumbent is expected to demonstrate a commitment to ongoing clinical competence through continued performance of direct patient care in their specialty.

We are seeking a Service Chief with a strong clinical, administrative, and academic background who will provide oversight of day-to-day operations, be clinically active, and collaborate in developing education and research with our academic partner. The incumbent is expected to demonstrate the ability to coordinate a broad continuum of programs and demonstrate abilities to work well within a senior management team.

The ideal candidate must be strongly motivated to promote continuing research activities and education for staff, inter-professional training, and be committed to professional enrichment, merit promotion, equal employment opportunity, and positive labor relations. An OHSU academic appointment will be commensurate with experience.

Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday-Friday, (Will be required to work evenings or weekends as a 24/7 Full-Time Physician).

• Must be U.S. Citizen
• Current, full and unrestricted license to practice medicine or surgery in the U.S.
• Board Certification in Internal Medicine or Family Medicine as well as in Geriatrics or Hospice/Palliative Care Medicine.
• Telephone call in rotation with other providers in the CLC.

Community Information

Portland, Oregon is a great city with distinct and interesting neighborhoods, full of good restaurants and bars, coffee shops on every corner, locally made beer pubs, and hundreds of food carts where you can try out food from around the world. Portland is a safe, very clean and beautiful city. You can feel safe in Portland downtown and neighborhoods night and day. Portlanders are friendly and helpful. Even though Portland has 2.2 million people living in it--and has all the benefits and amenities of a big city--it has a friendly, small-town feel. Portland has one of the best bus and city-train systems in America. Portland is also the most bicycle friendly city in America. You do not need a car to enjoy living in and exploring Portland! Portland is often called the "beer-capital of the world", with more varieties and brands of beer made in local breweries than anywhere else--and with over a dozen of beer festivals held in the city every year! Oregon is also becoming more known for wine, with over a hundred wineries in and near Portland, where you can sample all kinds of wine--pinot noir and pinot gris wines are an Oregon specialty. Oregon is a place of natural beauty & exciting adventures. It is the state with the most diverse climate in all the United States. Oregon has cool rainforests and hot deserts, ocean beaches and snow-covered mountains. View more details at Portland - Official City Guide & City of Portland

Benefits and Features

The position offers a competitive salary based on education, training and experience and includes a full benefit package, student debt repayment, an annual CME stipend all designed to support a high-quality professional practice and favorable work-life-family balance. VA does this by offering: Paid Time Off in the form of 26 Days paid annual leave, 13 Days paid sick leave per year, 11 Federal holidays with pay, and 5-Day paid absence to attend approved CME courses. Insurance to include Health-Dental-Vision care insurance programs to choose from with premiums partially paid by VA; Flexible Spending Accounts; Term life insurance, family, and additional coverage options are available with the cost shared by the Federal Government; and Long-term care insurance available as an option. Federal Retirement Plan thru the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) - A three-tiered retirement plan composed of 1) Social Security benefits; 2) FERS-FRAE basic benefits (pension); and 3) Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) which is a 401K-type plan, with up to five percent government matching contributions.  

To Explore This Physician Opportunity Further

Please forward copy of your Cover Letter and Curriculum Vitae to Henry "Hank" Laguatan, VA National Healthcare Recruitment Consultant @ Henry.Laguatan@va.gov or call (206) 459-7927.

Our outpatient clinic provides primary care and specialty health services, including Mental Health services, Blood Draw services, endocrinology (hormone treatment), and more. Below, you’ll find our address and hours, parking and transportation information, and the other health services we offer at our Portland VA Clinic.

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

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In Portland, Maine you’ll find a metro hub with cobblestone streets, nationally lauded eats, and a scenic working waterfront in the heart of the Old Port. Go from the middle of the action to the middle of just about anywhere with neighborhoods + nearby towns boasting beaches, arts + culture, shops/boutiques, lighthouses, outdoor adventures, and world-class accommodations.

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