OMAHA VA MEDICAL CENTER
VA NEBRASKA-WESTERN IOWA HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
PAIN MANAGEMENT – WHOLE HEALTH CENTER
OMAHA, NEBRASKA

You are invited to consider serving as a clinical leader in our new Pain Clinic and Whole Health Center, providing comprehensive, multidisciplinary pain care, program development, and medical leadership. You will be part of Whole Health System of care with an emphasis on recognizing all components of health and well-being. Whole Health, also known as “Personalized, Proactive, Patient-driven Care,” is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and to live their life to the fullest.  

You should hold an unrestricted US license with no history of suspension nor revocation, be BE or BC in PM&R, Psychiatry, Neurology, Anesthesia, Internal or Family Medicine with training/experience in Pain Management and, be willing to focus on providing general pain management care and rehabbing patients rather than interventional pain management. 

In this role, you will work closely with a comprehensive team of specialists to provide care focused on activation and rehabilitation.  Your team will include two interventional pain physicians, addiction medicine specialist, physician assistant, pharmacist, pain psychologist, pain physical therapist, chiropractors, acupuncturists, massage therapists, dietician, and other allied healthcare staff.  Health coaches and certified yoga/tai chi instructors will assist the team with helping patients improve wellness and make long-term lifestyle changes.  

You will:

• Work closely with the team to provide safe and effective, multidisciplinary pain management and mitigate the risk for patients receiving chronic opioid therapy.
• Develop initiatives in collaboration with pan psychologist, pain physical therapist and Whole Health staff that engage patients in activity-based rehabilitation programs.
• Perform proactive medical record reviews of patients at risk of opioid-related side effects and provide recommendations to primary care providers to enhance the effectiveness and safety of pain care.
• Work with physician assistant and interventional pain physician to improve efficiency, continuity, and effectiveness of interventional pain care.
• Provide leadership on local and regional pain management committees, and remain abreast of developments in evidence-based pain treatment.
• Collaborate in maximizing the utilization of complementary and alternative therapies for the benefit of pain patients.  
• Assist in monitoring VA Pain Management and Whole Health quality assurance metrics, including the Opioid Safety Initiative, program outcome data, and other local data source measurements as needed to ensure strong clinical performance.

The Omaha VA Medical Center is an acute, 100-bed tertiary care facility, providing inpatient, medical, surgical and psychiatric care in addition to its ambulatory care services and, is also home to major clinical research programs. It also included 8 residential substance abuse beds.  Academic affiliations include University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine, along with allied health programs in Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work, Physician Assistant, Dietetics, Nurse Practitioner and, Creighton University Schools of Medicine, Pharmacy, Allied Health, Occupational Therapy Nursing. 

Ongoing research projects include studies in liver and pulmonary diseases, reproductive endocrinology, immunology, cancer, gastroenterology, endocrine and diabetes, orthopedics, dental prosthetics, mental health including substance abuse, airway inflammation, infectious disease, rheumatoid arthritis, orthopedic rehabilitation, surgical wound healing, anesthesiology, vascular disease and alcohol-related diseases.  Special programs include a Regional Audiology Center, Interactive Videoconferencing System, Sleep Lab, Substance Abuse Treatment Program, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) outpatient program and Bariatric Surgery Program. 

Omaha celebrates and treasures the past, while warmly embracing change and growth. The metro area that once brought you TV dinners and Reuben sandwiches now houses fancy seafood restaurants and hip vegan options (though you'll never have trouble finding a hearty steak). And while ranchers continue to raise cattle on the sprawling prairies surrounding the region, Omaha is attracting a number of budding new tech startups.  Affordability and a strong economy attract young professionals, while safety, a plethora of education options and family-friendly activities are appealing to those with kids. Omaha was ranked by US News as the 28^th best place to live in the country among 125 metro areas.  https://www.visitomaha.com 

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 and 13 days sick leave per year with unlimited carry over! Unused sick leave can be used to extend creditable service time at retirement! 
• 10 Paid federal holidays with pay
• Possible 5 Days paid Authorized Absence to attend CME

Insurance:

• Health Insurance: VA employees have an outstanding number of health, dental & vision insurance plans from which to choose (premiums are partially paid by VA)
• 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 and; 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-FRAE basic benefits (pension); and 3) Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) which is a 401K-type plan
• 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 2016, employees under the age of 50 may contribute up to $18,000, while those over age 50 are eligible to make catch-up contributions that allow them to defer up to $24,000. 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

For more information, Email your full CV to Don Rainwater, National Healthcare Recruitment Consultant at don.rainwater@va.gov. Your inquiry will be handled in confidence.