Staff Physician - Section Chief Neurosurgery

Summary The Chief of Neurosurgery at VA St. Louis Health Care System provides leadership and oversight for the Neurosurgery Section within Surgical Service. Responsibilities include clinical care, surgical procedures, team-based leadership, teaching, and administrative duties. Recruitment/Relocation Incentive may be offered to a highly qualified individual. Responsibilities VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be offered to highly qualified individuals. Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 50-55 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year and possible 5 day paid absence for CME) Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory CME: Possible $1,000 per year reimbursement (must be full-time with board certification) Malpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting The Chief of Neurosurgery is a key leadership position within the VA St. Louis Health Care System, responsible for supervisory and programmatic oversight of the Neurosurgery Section. This role serves as the primary advisor to the Associate Chief of Staff for Surgical Service and collaborates with section staff, other service chiefs, and executive leadership to promote excellence in patient care and education. Major Duties and Responsibilities: Outpatient Care: Evaluate, diagnose, and treat Veterans with spinal, and peripheral nerve conditions. Collaborate with Advanced Practice Providers (APPs), nurses, and technicians to ensure efficient clinic operations and timely follow-up. Delegate tasks appropriately while maintaining oversight of all clinical care. Inpatient Care: Serve as attending neurosurgeon for hospitalized patients. Work closely with inpatient nursing staff, case managers, and technicians to manage daily care, post-operative recovery, and discharge planning. Operative Care: Perform complex spinal surgical procedures, including spinal reconstruction. Lead perioperative teams, including anesthesiologists, surgical nurses, APPs, and scrub technicians. Provide intraoperative teaching and model best practices in teamwork, sterile technique, and safety. Emergency Surgical Care: Respond promptly to urgent neurosurgical consults and emergent operative cases. Direct multidisciplinary emergency responses involving ER physicians, ICU staff, and nursing teams. On-Call duties: Participate equitably in the neurosurgical call schedule. Collaborate with inpatient and on-call surgical teams to triage and manage emergency consults. Community Care Coordination: Work with Care in the Community staff, APPs, and case managers to coordinate external referrals. Review and integrate external operative and imaging reports into VA care plans. Teaching and Education: Supervise and teach residents, APPs, and nursing staff. Conduct structured learning experiences and in-service training on neurosurgical principles and sterile techniques. Administrative Duties: Participate in Surgical Service meetings, peer review, and quality improvement activities. Collaborate with nursing leadership and OR managers to optimize workflows and patient outcomes. Ensure timely documentation in the Electronic Health Record. Research and Scholarly Activity (if applicable): Engage in research related to neurosurgical outcomes and encourage team participation in scholarly projects. Scope of Practice / Privileges Includes outpatient, inpatient, elective, and emergent neurosurgical care, with a focus on complex spine and functional neurosurgery. Provide oversight of care delivered by APPs, RNs, and technicians. Clinical privileges are subject to approval by the Professional Standards Board and Chief of Staff. Supervisory Controls Reports directly to the Associate Chief of Staff, Surgical Services. Provides direct clinical supervision to APPs and indirect oversight of nurses and surgical technicians. Performance is evaluated through clinical outcomes, peer reviews, and quality metrics. Work Schedule: Full-Time tour negotiable upon selection. Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: - your performance and conduct; - the needs and interests of the agency; - whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and - whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Complete all application requirements detailed in the

Created: 2026-04-04