The Physician (Rheumatology) may be required to perform duties that are assigned as the Section Chief of Rheumatology.  Duties include but are not limited to :

• Engaged in direct patient contact or performs tasks defined by statute or recognized custom of medical practice within the bounds of state law as defined by the board of professional licensure.
 
• Candidate will, as defined by the American Board of internal Medicine and the Subspecialty Board of Rheumatology, admit, evaluate, diagnosis, provide treatment or consultative services to patients who present with rheumatic diseases.
 
• Candidate may also perform specialty procedures as delineated in their clinical privileges.
 
• The Candidate will take part in continuing medical education (as defined by Licensure), and quality assurance activities.
 
• The Rheumatologist performs patient consultation in the hospital setting and the outpatient setting via face-to-face clinics, telephone clinics and video clinics.

Facility Information:

The Birmingham VA Medical Center (BVAMC) is a 313-bed acute tertiary care facility located in the historic Southside district of the city. The facility provides acute tertiary medical and surgical care to Veterans of Alabama and surrounding states. The medical center serves as a referral center for this population area with 139 operating beds currently. Recent construction provides state-of-the-art facilities and equipment in all clinical programs. Care is provided in practically all medical and surgical specialties and subspecialties. Most staff physicians have joint appointments with VA and its primary affiliation, University of Alabama at Birmingham. The BVAMC operates nine Community Based Outpatient Clinics in North Alabama.

Affiliations

• University of Alabama at Birmingham
• Samford University
• Tuskegee University
• University of Alabama
• University of South Alabama
• Auburn University
• Vanderbilt University
• Florida State University

Authorized Beds

• 313 Authorized

Type of Facility

• Tertiary Care

Special Programs

• Palliative Care
• Open Heart Surgery
• Cardiac Catheterization
• Hemodialysis
• Neurosurgery
• Chemotherapy
• Nuclear Medicine
• Mental Health Clinic
• Home Based Primary Care
• Southeastern Blind Rehabilitation Center
• Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC)
• Research and Development

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