Offering to Expand VA Pain Services?

[SgtThunderfistMD]

I know even getting accepted/credentialed to start a VA job that is being recruited for can take a long long time. However, I noticed the city I am looking to practice pain management in has no VA hospital, but has a "VA Clinic" where they have ophtho/gyn/GI/derm/primary care, etc. Is there any chance I could reach out to the VA and ask if they would open a pain management office within that clinic to provide pain management to local vets? Closest real VA hospital is a couple hours away. Working at the VA has always appealed to me for several reasons, so that's why I'm asking even though it's a longshot. Thanks.

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[BobBarker]

You don’t need to work that closely with them. You can get patients from the VA via TriWest and Veterans Choice.

 

[SgtThunderfistMD]

You don’t need to work that closely with them. You can get patients from the VA via TriWest and Veterans Choice.

But what if I want to actually be a VA employee? Would not mind low-stress, "low"-pay lifestyle to be honest.

 

[BobBarker]

They won’t put a c arm in for you. They would not replace the RFA machine when I was a fellow.

 

[hyperalgesia]

I know even getting accepted/credentialed to start a VA job that is being recruited for can take a long long time. However, I noticed the city I am looking to practice pain management in has no VA hospital, but has a "VA Clinic" where they have ophtho/gyn/GI/derm/primary care, etc. Is there any chance I could reach out to the VA and ask if they would open a pain management office within that clinic to provide pain management to local vets? Closest real VA hospital is a couple hours away. Working at the VA has always appealed to me for several reasons, so that's why I'm asking even though it's a longshot. Thanks.

You would not be hired by the community based outpatient clinic (CBOC) but the parent VA Medical Center in the region. You would be supervised and come under the service line (department) of the main VA where their other pain docs are. If they have no other pain docs, they might choose to put you under surgery or anesthesia or PM&R or whatever.

It really comes down to need in that particular area. If there's a big need for pain at this desired CBOC, they would probably be delighted to hire you for that purpose, give you space and equipment. But typically, you are hired by the main hospital and deployed to where the need is.

 

[cowboydoc]

But what if I want to actually be a VA employee? Would not mind low-stress, "low"-pay lifestyle to be honest.

This is worth looking in to if that is your aim. Dr. Barker is probably right, but there is significant variation among VA systems. If that particular VA will play ball, you may have a nice set up, somewhat sheltered from the bureaucracy in a satellite CBOC.

 

[SgtThunderfistMD]

This is worth looking in to if that is your aim. Dr. Barker is probably right, but there is significant variation among VA systems. If that particular VA will play ball, you may have a nice set up, somewhat sheltered from the bureaucracy in a satellite CBOC.

Does anyone have any idea how to even look into this? Call the pre-existing clinic (without pain management) in this city and ask who their parent VA medical center is? Then call the pain department at that parent center?