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St. Louis, MO Veterans Affairs Medical Center - Veterans Health Administration

Internal Medicine - Physician at St. Louis, MO Veterans Affairs Medical Center - Veterans Health Administration

St. Louis, MO Veterans Affairs Medical Center - Veterans Health Administration St. Louis, MO

Job Description

VA St. Louis Health Care System is recruiting for full-time, board certified or board eligible, Internal Medicine or Family Practice physicians to join our Primary Care faculty.    The Physician will evaluate, diagnose, treat and provide consultation to ambulatory adults outpatients at one of the St. Louis VA Medical Center's Primary Care Clinics.

Duties for Primary Care faculty include providing direct patient care in an outpatient setting. There are also opportunities to engage in population health management and quality improvement projects. Prior training or clinical experience is preferred.

Pay:  Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases.
Paid Time Off:  26 days paid annual leave (carryover up to 86 days), 13 days paid annual sick leave (unlimited carryover), 11 paid Federal holidays per year.
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).
Incentives:  Possible signing bonus and student loan repayment up to $200K for eligible debt.
Licensure:  1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory and you can practice anywhere in VHA.
CME:  Possible $1,000 per year stipend + possible 1 week paid authorized absence to attend.
Malpractice:  Free liability protection with tail coverage provided.
Contract:  No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting and no restrictive covenants.

Typical mid-level pay: $236k for General Internal Medicine Physicians nationally

National salary averages
Expected mid-level
$236k
Entry
Mid
Senior
Expected

Employer-favored market

Competitive market. Focus on fit and differentiation over compensation.

Hiring leverage
Employer-favored
Wage leverage
Limited
Mobility
Low mobility

Who this leverage applies to

Stronger for: Credentialed candidates
Weaker for: Entry-level candidates, Career switchers, Self-taught practitioners

Where to negotiate

Base salary
Sign-on bonus
Title / level
Remote flexibility
Scope & responsibility
Start date / PTO

Likely Possible Unlikely

Watch out for

Limited mobility: Few adjacent roles—switching employers is harder.

Focus on demonstrating unique fit and value.

Does this path compound?

Job Growth →
High churn
Growth, flat pay
🚀 Compound
Growth + pay upside
⚠️ Plateau
Limited growth
Specialize
Experts earn more
Pay Upside →
Stable but flat

Steady work, but limited growth in both jobs and pay.

+3%
10yr growth
Typical: Doctoral or professional degree

Openings come from turnover, not new growth. Differentiate to advance.

Labor data: BLS 2024