Federal

Podiatrist-Pulmonary Section Chief

Veterans Health Administration ยท Department of Veterans Affairs
๐Ÿ“ San Antonio, Texas VM-15 $315,000 - $351,000/yr
Posted: Oct 6, 2025 Deadline: Oct 5, 2026 (Closes in 232 days days left)

About This Position

The Medicine Service Mission is to lead satisfied staff dedicated to providing high quality patient centered care here at STVHCS, a great tertiary training and research Veteran's Hospital. The Pulmonary Section Chief is a management position that supports this mission through administrative leadership, direct and/or virtual patient care and oversight of their Section's educational and research activities.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Podiatrist Basic Requirements Education: Degree as a doctor of podiatric medicine, or its equivalent, from a school of podiatric medicine approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Approved schools are United States schools of podiatric medicine approved by the Council on Podiatry Education of the American Podiatry Association in the year in which the degree was granted. ~AND~ Residency Training: Completed, or currently completing, residency training, or its equivalent, approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in an accredited core specialty training program leading to eligibility for board certification. VA Podiatrists involved in academic training programs may be required to be board certified for faculty status. Approved residencies are: (1) Those approved by the accrediting bodies for graduate medical education, the Council on Podiatric Medical Education, in the list published for the year the residency was completed, or (2) Other residencies and training experiences, or their equivalents, which the local Professional Standards Board determines to have provided an applicant with appropriate professional training. ~AND~ Licensure or Registration: Currently hold, or will hold, a full and unrestricted license to practice Podiatry in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States or in the District of Columbia. English Language Proficiency: Proficiency in spoken and written English. Additional Requirement: Board Certification: Board certify/Eligible for Pulmonary/Critical Care Preferred Experience: -5 years of experience in practicing Pulmonary/Critical Care -At least 2 years GME/UME program leadership and or supervision experience -Prior experience in hospital quality care and patient safety initiatives -At least 2 years of non-academic supervisory experience such as section or division chief, or deputy chief at VA or equivalent -Significant track record of academic scholarship and or research Grade Determinations: Service Chief, Section Chief or Line Manager: A service chief or line manager podiatrist must demonstrate the following:1. Outstanding professional ability in the practice of medicine or a medical specialty; and2. Ability to guide the development and implementation of programs, within their respective domain. These programs would include, but are not limited to, medical practice, professional standards, personnel issues, and quality and performance improvement. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: The position requires light lifting and carrying (under 15 pounds), use of fingers, walking (4 hours), standing (4 hours), near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, both eyes required, ability to distinguish basic colors, ability to distinguish shades of colors.

Major Duties

In addition to observance of Federal national and local regulatory, policy, and accreditation requirements governing this Health Care System, this position encompasses the following examples of responsibilities overseen by the Pulmonary Section Chief. Section Chiefs require appropriate time mapping to ensure they have the time required to successfully manage and delegate the following duties. Administrative Duties Leadership responsibilities: organizing staff meetings, communication both down to staff and up to leadership, to include heads up (for acute patient bad outcomes) and issue briefs, acting as Service Chief when the Service Chief and Deputy Service Chief are both on leave. HR Management: hiring requirements including recruitments with University, updates on Functional Statements & Position Descriptions, co-management of 6 part folder, pay panel preparation. Staff Management: routine ratings of all staff, including yearly proficiency reports on all faculty and yearly title 38 mid-year review, OPPEs (2x a year), FPPEs as requested by PSB, promotions, disciplinary actions & grievances, training requirements (and TMS capability), employee health requirements, Peer Reviews (purple folders). Time/Leave Management: Tour of Duties, VATAS approvals of leave, time card certification, approvals of clinic cancellations. Business Planning: work with Med Svc office on DSS mapping, FTE needs, capacity analysis, workloads, resource needs (equipment, IT, supplies, space, etc) Clinical Management including indirect patient care: open encounter & open consult management, CPRS documentation requirements, oversight of clinic scheduling & access, ensuring staff productivity, oversight of relevant performance measures, and development of the new focus on the Medical Home and Patient Centric Care, Utilization, Quality, and Patient Safety oversight, process improvement (system redesign). Clinical Duties: The Pulmonary Section Chief is expected to remain privileged and practicing in their specialty field. Patient Care: Practitioners are expected to provide patient care, either face-to-face or virtual, that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the promotion of health, prevention of illness, treatment of disease, and care at the end of life. Medical/Clinical Knowledge: Practitioners are expected to demonstrate knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical and social sciences, and the application of their knowledge to patient care and the education of others. Clinical Judgment: To ensure practice-based learning and improvement, practitioners are expected to be able to use scientific evidence and methods to investigate, evaluate, and improve patient care. Interpersonal & Communication Skills: Practitioners are expected to demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that enable them to establish and maintain professional relationships with patients, families, and other members of the health care team. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. Work Schedule: Full-time; Monday-Friday; 7:30am-4:00pm Telework: Available; Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation Incentives: A relocation incentive is authorized for highly qualified individuals. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized This is an open continuous announcement and will remain open until the closing date or until the position is filled. Eligible applications received will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until the position is filled.

Conditions of Employment

All qualified candidates encouraged to apply. Open to U.S. Citizens but non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens. 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). 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). You may be required to serve a probationary period. Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

How You Will Be Evaluated

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment. NOTE: A formal pay-setting process will be used to determine your salary. The salary may be at any point in the range listed for this vacancy. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

Additional Information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

How to Apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 10/05/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12810453. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes: Resume SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field. Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field. The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc. Cover Letter License Other (1) Other (2) Other (3) Performance Appraisal Professional Certification Resume Separation Notice (RIF) SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Transcript Veterans' Preference Note: Preference eligible candidates and other Veterans will be given preference when qualification of candidates are approximately equal for Title 38 positions in VHA. When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the salary for the Podiatrist-Pulmonary Section Chief position at Veterans Health Administration?
The salary range for this position is $315,000 - $351,000/yr. This is a VM-15 position on the General Schedule pay scale. Actual pay may vary based on locality adjustments.
Where is the Podiatrist-Pulmonary Section Chief job located?
This position is located in San Antonio, Texas. This is an on-site position.
What qualifications do I need?
Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Podiatrist Basic Requirements Education: Degree as a doctor of podiatric medicine, or its equivalent, from a school of podiatric medicine approved by the Secretary ...
How do I apply for this position?
Apply through USAJobs.gov by clicking the 'Apply on USAJobs' button. You'll need a USAJobs account, a federal-style resume, and supporting documents. The deadline is Oct 5, 2026.
Is a security clearance required?
No security clearance is required for this position.
What does VM-15 mean?
VM-15 refers to the General Schedule grade level. Higher grades require more experience and offer higher pay. Visit our GS Pay Scale page for full salary tables by grade and locality.
What benefits do federal employees receive?
Federal employees receive comprehensive benefits including health insurance (FEHB), retirement through FERS, Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) with government matching, paid annual and sick leave, paid parental leave, life insurance, and student loan repayment programs.