Pain Management Physician

Quick Facts

• Board-certified or board-eligible pain management physician
• Provides onsite and virtual care across multiple VA facilities and community-based outpatient clinics
• Manages chronic non-cancer pain, post-surgical pain, neuropathic pain, and complex regional pain syndromes

Description

This role joins an interdisciplinary Pain Management Team to provide comprehensive evaluation, diagnosis, and longitudinal management for Veterans with chronic and complex pain conditions. Responsibilities include medication management (including opioid risk mitigation and opioid tapers per VA/DOD guidance), consultative care via e-consult and telehealth, and interventional procedures performed with appropriate safety standards. The physician also coordinates care across specialties and educates and supervises trainees.

Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive pain evaluations, diagnosis, and ongoing management
• Differentiate musculoskeletal, neuropathic, and centralized pain drivers; interpret imaging to identify pain generators
• Deliver biopsychosocial care integrating pharmacologic, procedural, behavioral, rehabilitation, and Whole Health/complementary and integrative modalities
• Provide consultative services via e-consult, SCAN-ECHO, telehealth, and clinical video telehealth
• Manage chronic pain medications, including polypharmacy reduction, opioid risk stratification, and non-opioid analgesics and adjuvants; manage opioid therapy per VA/DOD long-term opioid therapy guidance
• Coordinate care with the Pain Management Team and other services; participate in interdisciplinary case conferences, huddles, and complex case reviews
• Perform credentialed pain procedures (e.g., trigger point and peripheral joint injections, epidural and spinal blocks, diagnostic/therapeutic nerve blocks, neuroablative radiofrequency modalities, and neurostimulator electrode implantation)
• Obtain informed consent and follow procedural safety standards (universal protocol/time-out) and radiation safety (ALARA); manage procedural complications and sedation/anesthesia coordination per policy
• Respond to inpatient pain consultation requests and provide opioid-sparing and interventional recommendations with discharge follow-up
• Meet documentation and timeliness standards in CPRS; complete orders and consults; maintain compliance with VHA clinical performance measures, licensure, DEA registration, and required VA training
• Support integrative pain service operations and link clinical improvements to operational efficiency
• Participate on institutional/regional pain committees and support continuous service improvement aligned with clinical practice guidelines and the VHA Pain Directive
• Teach and supervise residents, fellows, and students; deliver didactic teaching, case conferences, and journal clubs; educate clinicians and Veterans/families on pain assessment, opioid safety, and non-pharmacologic care (research encouraged as time and approvals allow)

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship (or non-citizen appointment only if citizens cannot be recruited under VA policy)
• MD or DO degree from a VA-approved institution
• Current full and unrestricted medical license in a U.S. state/territory or DC
• Completed VA-approved accredited residency training leading to eligibility for board certification (with limited exceptions as described)
• Proficiency in written and spoken English
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Complete VA onboarding and pre-employment requirements, including a pre-employment physical evaluation
• Selective Service registration (for eligible males born after 12/31/1959)
• Undergo urinalysis/drug screening if selected for a testing-designated position
• Participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program for VA Health Care Personnel

Benefits

• Comprehensive federal total rewards package
• Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, and regular salary increases
• 50–55 days of paid time off per year
• Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% VA contributions
• Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care insurance options
• Possible $1,000/year CME reimbursement (with full-time status and board certification)
• Free malpractice liability protection with tail coverage
• No physician employment contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting
• Full-time M–F schedule (7:30 am–4:00 pm)
• Recruitment/relocation incentives may be authorized; Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) up to $200,000 if eligible and applied for within required timeframe