VA employment

[iatrosB]

Does anyone know how common it is to see FP's working in VA clinics? In my limited experience, I've only seen IM docs, but I don't see any reason FP's couldn't do it. Anyone with any knowledge about this? Thanks.

Edit: By VA I mean at veteran's hospitals.

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[Doctor Grim]

Does anyone know how common it is to see FP's working in VA clinics? In my limited experience, I've only seen IM docs, but I don't see any reason FP's couldn't do it. Anyone with any knowledge about this? Thanks.

Edit: By VA I mean at veteran's hospitals.

There are plenty of FPs who work at the VA but mainly in the primary care clinic (outpatient), whether inside the medical center or at one of its satellite CBOCs (community based outpatient clinics).

They do have strict rules about inpatient care and you would have to be IM in order to do so.

Most VAs have affiliations with local medical schools so you could have an academic appointment as well.

 

[EdibleEgg]

"they do have strict rules about inpatient care and you would have to be IM in order to do so"

If you are working at a VA affiliated with a med school, this may be somewhat true, as most attending there would have clinical faculty appointment through internal medicine. However, there were two FP's on the VA inpatient staff at my med school, both had completed geriatric fellowships. I briefly worked as a hospitalist at a community VA (FM, no fellowship). The pay is not great, but lifestyle and benefits are great.

 

[iatrosB]

The pay is not great, but lifestyle and benefits are great.

Exactly, and since I'm National Guard, there's extra incentive to work at the VA.

It's usually outpatient only correct? M-F, 9-5? About 20-25 patients a day? Sound right?

 

[EdibleEgg]

Exactly, and since I'm National Guard, there's extra incentive to work at the VA.

It's usually outpatient only correct? M-F, 9-5? About 20-25 patients a day? Sound right?

Inpatient only, M-F, 9-4, with one long admit shift to 9 pm 1/7 and 1/7 weekend. No overnight call. Average census of 8-10. Five weeks of vacation.

You are about right for the outpatient jobs.

 

[Doctor Grim]

Inpatient only, M-F, 9-4, with one long admit shift to 9 pm 1/7 and 1/7 weekend. No overnight call. Average census of 8-10. Five weeks of vacation.

You are about right for the outpatient jobs.

When I rotated through one of the VA's CBOCs as a FM resident, we started at 9AM and we finished by 4PM. No walk-ins unless is something really urgent. Also Friday afternoon is for administrative purposes so no patient care. We didn't even have to do paps as we sent patients to women's health.

6 mo. of my fellowship training was at the VA main hospital-geriatric outpatient clinic and NH. The outpatient clinic was from 8:30A to 4P. 1 hour for each new patient and 30 min for each followups.

Pay could be competitive but depends on your grade but good benefits and great hours.

My fellowship was based out of dpt of medicine and even though I hold faculty position at the medical school within the dpt of medicine at this time, I'm unable to do inpatient bc of my FM background but I'm fully priviledged in the outpatient clinics and NH.