Emergency medicine physicians: VA needs your help

When Veterans’ lives hang in the balance, emergency medicine physicians are on the frontlines. If you’re a physician or physician-in-training looking for an exciting opportunity providing life-saving care, consider a career serving Veterans at VA.

You’ll join a tight-knit team of highly qualified, driven emergency medicine professionals working to improve treatment for acutely ill patients with complex medical problems.

“Our physicians love our schedule predictability, loan repayment options and work satisfaction that occurs when caring for Veterans,” said recruiter Hillary Garcia. “Throughout the pandemic, VHA has added staff in support of emergency medicine – providing stable practice opportunities when private sector employers struggled.”

Make connections

In contrast to the private sector, you’ll be able to slow down and connect with this unique patient population of men and women ages 18 and up. You’ll have time to talk with Veterans and their families to get the medical history you need to make an accurate, thorough diagnosis.

“Clinically, I’m able to provide care for my patients that I wasn’t able to do in the private sector. Accessing specialty clinics, arranging follow-up and coordinating with other clinics is much simpler with VA,” said Dr. Michael Ward, MD, a physician in the emergency department at the Tennessee Valley Healthcare System’s Nashville campus.

Veterans share a special camaraderie with one another – a bond that often includes the medical professionals who care for them.

“The Veteran population is amazing. The reward of seeing and helping this group of patients during various stages of their life and illness is profound,” said Dr. Glennon Park, MD, section chief of the emergency department at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System.

Take your career to new heights

There are many current vacancies for emergency medicine physicians across VA. If you aren’t ready for a full-time commitment, we’re also hiring for fee basis, part-time and intermittent positions.

“Get a feel for our emergency departments and explore full-time openings when they arise,” Garcia suggested.

Our 170 medical centers allow you to work anywhere in the U.S. with one active, unrestricted license. Located across the nation in big cities and small towns, there is a VA hospital that is a perfect fit for you.

These state-of-the-art facilities have on-site laboratories, satellite blood banks, 24-hour CT capabilities, ultrasound and nuclear imaging, and more.

We’ll help you take your career in any direction you choose. You can do it all at VA, whether you’re interested in research, leadership, or teaching and mentoring.

Ward has had the chance to study emergency department transfers and how telehealth can play a role in acute mental health emergencies. He’s applied for funding he wouldn’t have considered in the private sector and conducted grant reviews.

“I have learned a tremendous amount about VA and how to strengthen my own research program by doing so,” he said.

Generous benefits

Since you provide the best health care, we want to provide you with the best benefits. In addition to competitive pay and regular increases, you’ll receive:

• Generous paid time off.
• Health, dental, vision and life insurance.
• Continuing medical education.
• Excellent retirement benefits.

“Rising pay ranges approved by Congress in recent years has allowed VHA to compete with the private sector in compensation offers,” adds Garcia. “VHA emergency medicine physicians typically make an aggressive salary, are offered loan repayment up to 200K over five years and some even have a sign-on bonus per location.”

We offer one of the most comprehensive education support programs in the nation. We can help you repay student debt, train you for leadership positions and reimburse you for tuition.

Dr. Stephen Gau, MD, an emergency medicine physician at the Loma Linda Healthcare System, took advantage of our Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) to help pay off his medical school debt more quickly.

“At VA, you are a well-trained, valuable member of the health care landscape and serve as a safety net for Veterans. Moreover, the value of the benefits (especially if you have student loans), the decreased stress, the medical-legal protection and the vacation time are all substantial,” Gau said.

Work at VA

Develop your emergency medicine career as you provide high-quality care for Veterans. Choose a VA career as a physician today.

• SEARCH for emergency medicine careers at VA.
• REACH an emergency medicine recruiter at VACOEMEDICINE@va.gov.
• DOWNLOAD our emergency medicine brochure (PDF).
• EXPLORE the benefits of a VA career.