The Chief of Neurosurgery at VA St. Louis Health Care System provides leadership and oversight for the Neurosurgery Section within Surgical Service. Responsibilities include clinical care, surgical procedures, team-based leadership, teaching, and administrative duties. Recruitment/Relocation Incentive may be offered to a highly qualified individual. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be offered to highly qualified individuals. Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 50-55 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year and possible 5 day paid absence for CME) 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) Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory CME: Possible $1,000 per year reimbursement (must be full-time with board certification) Malpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting The Chief of Neurosurgery is a key leadership position within the VA St. Louis Health Care System, responsible for supervisory and programmatic oversight of the Neurosurgery Section. This role serves as the primary advisor to the Associate Chief of Staff for Surgical Service and collaborates with section staff, other service chiefs, and executive leadership to promote excellence in patient care and education. Major Duties and Responsibilities: Outpatient Care: Evaluate, diagnose, and treat Veterans with spinal, and peripheral nerve conditions. Collaborate with Advanced Practice Providers (APPs), nurses, and technicians to ensure efficient clinic operations and timely follow-up. Delegate tasks appropriately while maintaining oversight of all clinical care. Inpatient Care: Serve as attending neurosurgeon for hospitalized patients. Work closely with inpatient nursing staff, case managers, and technicians to manage daily care, post-operative recovery, and discharge planning. Operative Care: Perform complex spinal surgical procedures, including spinal reconstruction. Lead perioperative teams, including anesthesiologists, surgical nurses, APPs, and scrub technicians. Provide intraoperative teaching and model best practices in teamwork, sterile technique, and safety. Emergency Surgical Care: Respond promptly to urgent neurosurgical consults and emergent operative cases. Direct multidisciplinary emergency responses involving ER physicians, ICU staff, and nursing teams. On-Call duties: Participate equitably in the neurosurgical call schedule. Collaborate with inpatient and on-call surgical teams to triage and manage emergency consults. Community Care Coordination: Work with Care in the Community staff, APPs, and case managers to coordinate external referrals. Review and integrate external operative and imaging reports into VA care plans. Teaching and Education: Supervise and teach residents, APPs, and nursing staff. Conduct structured learning experiences and in-service training on neurosurgical principles and sterile techniques. Administrative Duties: Participate in Surgical Service meetings, peer review, and quality improvement activities. Collaborate with nursing leadership and OR managers to optimize workflows and patient outcomes. Ensure timely documentation in the Electronic Health Record. Research and Scholarly Activity (if applicable): Engage in research related to neurosurgical outcomes and encourage team participation in scholarly projects. Scope of Practice / Privileges Includes outpatient, inpatient, elective, and emergent neurosurgical care, with a focus on complex spine and functional neurosurgery. Provide oversight of care delivered by APPs, RNs, and technicians. Clinical privileges are subject to approval by the Professional Standards Board and Chief of Staff. Supervisory Controls Reports directly to the Associate Chief of Staff, Surgical Services. Provides direct clinical supervision to APPs and indirect oversight of nurses and surgical technicians. Performance is evaluated through clinical outcomes, peer reviews, and quality metrics. Work Schedule: Full-Time tour negotiable upon selection. U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: - your performance and conduct; - the needs and interests of the agency; - whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and - whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or other supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment. NOTE: A formal pay-setting process will be used to determine your salary. The salary may be at any point in the range listed for this vacancy. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position. Veterans' Preference Note: Preference eligible candidates and other Veterans will be given preference when qualification of candidates are approximately equal for Title 38 positions in VHA. When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.