Physical Medicine and Rehab - Physician at South Texas VA Healthcare System - Veterans Health Administration

The South Texas Veterans Health Care System (STVHCS) is seeking a skilled, compassionate, and motivated Physician to serve as the Outpatient Section Chief for the Spinal Cord Injury/Disorders (SCI/D) Service at the Audie Murphy VA Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. This is a full-time, leadership-focused clinical and administrative role supporting one of the nation’s largest and most respected VA healthcare systems.

Position Overview

The SCI/D Outpatient Section Chief provides both hands-on clinical care and high-level administrative leadership. The role supports four other physicians and a multidisciplinary clinical team providing care to approximately 600 Veterans living with spinal cord injuries or disorders.

Primary responsibilities include:

Administrative Duties: • Lead outpatient SCI/D physicians and assigned staff.
• Participate in staff meetings, committees, accreditation activities, and peer review.
• Ensure timely documentation, credentialing maintenance, mandatory training completion.
• Manage time and leave processes, clinic cancellations, and clinical coverage needs.
• Oversee productivity, access metrics, open encounters, and consult management.
• Collaborate with the Assistant Nurse Manager on efficient clinic operations.
• Support performance improvement and quality initiatives across the service.

Clinical Duties: • Maintain active privileges and clinical practice in the physician’s specialty.
• Deliver high-quality patient care including assessment, diagnosis, and management.
• Demonstrate strong clinical judgment using evidence-based medicine.
• Communicate effectively with Veterans, families, and interdisciplinary team members.
• Model professionalism, ethics, and a commitment to continuous growth.
• Provide off-tour inpatient/consult coverage on a rotational basis (nights, weekends, holidays).

Work Environment

• Outpatient practice based at Audie Murphy VA Hospital.
• Review SCI/D service consults for neuro-rehab appropriateness.
• Participate in facility-wide performance measures including access and utilization.
• Engage in accreditation, quality management, peer review, and hospital committees.
• Maintain licensure, board certification, and academic affiliate requirements.
• Work Schedule: Monday–Friday, 7:30am–4:00pm.

Team Structure: Four physicians, Assistant Nurse Manager, two RNs, one LVN, one CNA
• Full interdisciplinary support: physical therapy, occupational therapy, recreational therapy, pharmacy, social work

Patient Population: Approx. 600 Veterans with spinal cord injuries or neurologic disorders
• Highly rewarding care environment serving chronic and complex neuro-rehab needs

Professional Development: Strong VA-supported opportunities for training, education, QI projects, research involvement, and academic participation.

Qualifications

Basic/Preferred Qualifications: Board Certified or Board Eligible in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation or Neurology
• Experience in neurorehabilitation (inpatient or outpatient), specializing in SCI/D preferred
• Experience or interest in spinal cord medicine, pain, musculoskeletal medicine, or rehab subspecialties
• Minimum three years of supervisory or leadership experience

VA Employment Requirements: • U.S. Citizens strongly encouraged; non-citizens will be considered when qualified candidates are not available
• Unrestricted medical license from any U.S. state or territory
• Completion of residency training approved by the VA
• Successful background check and onboarding requirements

Compensation and Benefits

Competitive VA Total Rewards Package
• Salary Range (Tier 2): 240,000 to 335,000
• Recruitment/Relocation Incentive available
• Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) eligible
• Federal benefits package including comprehensive insurance options

Federal Retirement Benefits: • FERS – Federal Employees Retirement System:
A secure, government-backed pension paid for life, based on years of service and high-3 salary.

• Thrift Savings Plan (TSP):
The federal equivalent of a 401(k) with government matching.
The VA contributes up to 5% automatically when you do.

Together, FERS + TSP provide one of the strongest, most stable retirement packages available in the U.S.

Work-Life Balance: • 26 days of annual leave
• 13 days of sick leave
• 11 paid federal holidays
• Possible 5 days of paid absence for CME
• Predictable Monday–Friday schedule
• No RVUs or private-sector style productivity pressure

This is one of the best work-life balance environments in modern medicine.

Why San Antonio?

San Antonio offers an outstanding quality of life with a low cost of living and no state income tax. Highlights include:

• Beautiful, warm climate with year-round outdoor living
• Vibrant culture, food, music, and arts
• Excellent schools and family-friendly communities
• One of the nation’s fastest-growing medical ecosystems
• Easy travel, major airport, and central location in Texas
• Highly affordable housing and a strong local economy

Living in Texas means keeping more of your income—your VA salary stretches even further in a tax‑free state.

Interested Candidates

We welcome applications from mission-driven physicians committed to caring for America’s Veterans.