This is a full-time VA Pulmonary Section Chief role with both clinical and significant administrative/leadership responsibilities, including HR management, staff oversight, and business planning. Compensation includes a competitive salary with performance bonuses, recruitment/relocation incentive, and EDRP student loan repayment up to $200,000.
$550,000 SalaryDr market context available for comparison
$200,000 loan repayment support
Monday–Friday, 7:30am–4:00pm
11 weeks PTO or vacation disclosed
VA Medical Center (Veterans Health Administration) · Federal/VA Health Care System · Both inpatient and outpatient implied; face-to-face OR virtual patient care; outpatient clinic management explicitly mentioned
AI-structured from the official posting·View original
Posted pay vs real comps
$545k$550k$553k
Physician-reported range Reported median
Physician-reported range shown; the employer did not post pay for this role.
Compensation
Type
SalaryDr Market Context
Market context
$545,000 – $552,500
Structure
hybrid
Loan repayment
$200,000
PTO
11 weeks
$545k$550k$553k
Physician-reported range Reported median
This is SalaryDr Market Context computed from 8 verified physician submissions (state cohort). It is not the employer's posted pay. The employer did not disclose pay.
VA Medical Center (Veterans Health Administration)
Facility type
Federal/VA Health Care System
Patient population
Veterans
Community snapshot
Peer median
$550k
8 reports · Texas
Active supply
1
1 in San Antonio, Texas
Transparent pay
0/1
state roles with reviewed pay
Work-life
VA Medical Center (Veterans Health Administration)
Cost of living
97
below U.S. avg (100) · BEA Regional Price Parities
Schools
-0.5
grade levels vs U.S. avg · NAEP 2024
8 SalaryDr Pulmonology reports in Texas show a $550,000 median.
1 active Pulmonology roles in Texas, including 1 in San Antonio, Texas; 0 include reviewed transparent pay.
Physicians in this comparison cohort report 4.8/5 average job satisfaction.
Questions to ask the employer
How is the $200,000 loan repayment structured — forgiven over time, contingent on service years, or paid up front?
What is the call schedule, and is call compensated separately or built into the base?
Generated from this posting's disclosed facts and the SalaryDr comparison — bring them to the first recruiter call.
Work Design
Schedule
Monday–Friday, 7:30am–4:00pm
Shift type
Days
Inpatient / outpatient
Both inpatient and outpatient implied; face-to-face or virtual patient care; outpatient clinic management explicitly mentioned
Coverage model
Section Chief expected to remain privileged and practicing in specialty; also covers as acting Service Chief when Service Chief and Deputy are on leave
Admin burden
High — Section Chief role includes leadership, HR management, staff ratings/proficiency reports, OPPEs/FPPEs, time/leave management, business planning, open encounter and consult management, scheduling oversight, and performance measure oversight
This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.
In addition to observance of Federal national and local regulatory, policy, and accreditation requirements governing this Health Care System, this position encompasses the following examples of responsibilities overseen by the Pulmonary Section Chief. Section Chiefs require appropriate time mapping to ensure they have the time required to successfully manage and delegate the following duties. Administrative Duties Leadership responsibilities: organizing staff meetings, communication both down to staff and up to leadership, to include heads up (for acute patient bad outcomes) and issue briefs, acting as Service Chief when the Service Chief and Deputy Service Chief are both on leave. HR Management: hiring requirements including recruitments with University, updates on Functional Statements & Position Descriptions, co-management of 6 part folder, pay panel preparation. Staff Management: routine ratings of all staff, including yearly proficiency reports on all faculty and yearly title 38 mid-year review, OPPEs (2x a year), FPPEs as requested by PSB, promotions, disciplinary actions & grievances, training requirements (and TMS capability), employee health requirements, Peer Reviews (purple folders). Time/Leave Management: Tour of Duties, VATAS approvals of leave, time card certification, approvals of clinic cancellations. Business Planning: work with Med Svc office on DSS mapping, FTE needs, capacity analysis, workloads, resource needs (equipment, IT, supplies, space, etc) Clinical Management including indirect patient care: open encounter & open consult management, CPRS documentation requirements, oversight of clinic scheduling & access, ensuring staff productivity, oversight of relevant performance measures, and development of the new focus on the Medical Home and Patient Centric Care, Utilization, Quality, and Patient Safety oversight, process improvement (system redesign). Clinical Duties: The Pulmonary Section Chief is expected to remain privileged and practicing in their specialty field. Patient Care: Practitioners are expected to provide patient care, either face-to-face or virtual, that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the promotion of health, prevention of illness, treatment of disease, and care at the end of life. Medical/Clinical Knowledge: Practitioners are expected to demonstrate knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical and social sciences, and the application of their knowledge to patient care and the education of others. Clinical Judgment: To ensure practice-based learning and improvement, practitioners are expected to be able to use scientific evidence and methods to investigate, evaluate, and improve patient care. Interpersonal & Communication Skills: Practitioners are expected to demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that enable them to establish and maintain professional relationships with patients, families, and other members of the health care team. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Recruitment/Relocation Incentive: A recruitment/relocation incentive is authorized for highly qualified individuals. Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Learn more. EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance 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 Work Schedule: Full-time; Monday-Friday; 7:30am-4:00pm Telework: Available; Ad-hoc Salary also based on years out of fellowship This is an open continuous announcement and will remain open until the closing date or until the position is filled. Eligible applications received will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until the position is filled.
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. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). You may be required to serve a probationary period. 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.
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