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The V.A. By the Numbers

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by the numbers rmThe US Dept. of Veterans Affairs employs over 14,000 physicians. While there are no specific data on how many of these doctors are emergency physicians, there seems to be a critical shortage.

The US Dept. of Veterans Affairs employs over 14,000 physicians. While there are no specific data on how many of these doctors are emergency physicians, there seems to be a critical shortage.

by the numbers w288In October, 2014, a VA hospital in Fayetteville, North Carolina closed its emergency department and substituted a 12-hour urgent care clinic due to a lack of available EM specialists.

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For a job seeking EP, the VA offers a few unique benefits. The VA locum tenens program allows a physician with a license in any US state to work at any US VA location. Full-time benefits (as listed on the VA website) include 26 days paid vacation, 13 days of sick leave, 10 paid holidays and excellent health care benefits. Malpractice coverage is provided by the federal government but issues are typically resolved internally.

On the flip side, the VA’s 40-hour work week can be a tough pill for emergency physicians to swallow, considering day, afternoon, and midnight shifts, often in busy EDs. Plus, generous ‘vacations’ and ‘days off’ might not be approved for the timeframe requested (but would be accrued) if the ED is chronically understaffed. Benefits only apply to full-time physicians, unlike the flexible “75% time with full benefits” that many universities provide.

Slowly but surely the VA’s emergency departments are growing and maturing. A quick look at websites of specific VA hospitals with EDs, we found more EM certified physicians than anticipated. A critical mass of residency-trained EPS can be a force of change helping the VA system provide top-notch emergency care for patients, and a satisfying work environment for EPs. One suggeston for making faster progress: Emergency physicians in the VA could band together and establish an ACEP section dedicated to improving VA emergency departments.

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Judith Tintinalli, MD, MS
is the Editor-in-Chief of Emergency Physicians Monthly

Part of the Rethinking the VA series
Other articles in series: 
Surprised by the VA: For One EP, a Career Switch Meant a Welcome Change of Pace
The New V.A. System: Two EPs Shed Light On Advances in V.A. Emergency Medicine

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