Neurological Surgery - Physician

The VA St. Louis Healthcare System is recruiting full-time and/or part-time board certified or board eligible neurosurgeons. We seek candidates with experience, who desire a challenge, and wish to utilize their skills to build a program. The current group specializes in general neurosurgical cases with an emphasis on spine. Some expertise is required in complex degenerative cervical and lumbar spine. Successful candidates will help to build the program by expanding and broadening the service into one that performs cranial neurosurgical procedures, and increases the complexity of spinal procedures.

Additional Information:

• Required certifications: Must be Board Eligible or Certified in Neurosurgery
• Academic affiliations: Washington University and Saint Louis University Schools of Medicine
• Routine procedures: General Neurosurgical cases with an emphasis on spine
• Preferred qualifications: Endovascular therapy for intracranial aneurysms, administrative experience, complex spine training, willingness to lead plan to institute cranial neurosurgical procedures (Medical Center is implementing business plan to establish neurosurgical cranial surgery program)
• Student Loan Repayment: Consideration for Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP)
• Incentives: Travel and relocation incentive may be authorized
• Department staffing: 2 Neurosurgery FTEE, NP and admin support. There are 50 staff surgeons in nine different specialties in Surgical Service
• Call Schedule: 1 in 2 will share 50% of call with contract providers or eventual FTEE
• Office Hours: 7:30 am - 4:00 pm, M-F
• Equipment: New neurosurgery intraoperative microscope, instrumentation, etc.
• # Clinic patients/consultations per day: Typically day clinics of 7-8 pts per day
• # Surgeries per week: 3-5 p/week

Whether you're interested in academics, research, or a better work/life balance, you'll find the VA has a lot to offer, including the unmatched satisfaction you'll get from caring for those who have served our country. In addition to competitive pay and liability protection, the VA also offers a robust benefits plan that includes:
Paid Time Off:

• 26 Days paid annual (vacation/personal) leave - you can carry over up to 86 days into a new year
• 13 Days paid sick leave each year with no limit on accumulation - unused sick leave can be used to extend creditable service time at retirement!
• 10 Federal holidays per year with pay
• 5 Days paid absence to attend approved CME courses (subject to budget availability)

Insurance:

• Health Insurance: VA employees have an outstanding number of health insurance plans from which to choose (premiums are partially paid by VA)
• Dental & Vision: Our insurance options also include exceptional vision and dental plans (premiums are partially paid by VA)
• VA employees have the option to use Flexible Spending Accounts, which allow you to use tax-free dollars to pay for medical, dental, and vision care expenses that are not reimbursed by your health insurance plan
• Term life insurance, family, and additional coverage options are available with the cost shared by the Federal Government.
• Long-term care insurance is available as an option

Federal Retirement Plan:

• VA employees are covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). FERS is a three-tiered retirement plan composed of 1) Social Security benefits; 2) FERS-RAE basic benefits (pension); and 3) Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) which is a 401K-type plan
• How is the pension funded? VA employees hired after January 1, 2014 automatically contribute 4.4% of their salary each pay period and the VA contributes 8.3% of the employee's salary each pay period for a total annual contribution percentage equal to 12.7% of the employee's salary
• Similar to the 401(k) savings plans widely available in the private sector, the TSP allows employees to tax defer a portion of their income each year, subject to the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service. For calendar year 2014, employees under the age of 50 may contribute up to $17,500, while those over age 50 are eligible to make catch-up contributions that allow them to defer up to $23,000
• The Federal Government also provides an automatic basic contribution (1% of salary) and up to 4% of salary in matching contributions, depending on the amount of the employee contribution
• For retired military personnel, these benefits are in addition to full monthly retirement pay or pension
• In addition to FERS, VA provides health care insurance coverage for retired personnel
• Disability Retirement
• Employees are vested in a federal pension after only 5 years' service