Physician - Chemical Pathology

Role Description:

The VA Eastern Colorado Healthcare System is seeking a Section Chief Physician for the Chemistry and Toxicology, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service (P&LMS) at the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center in Aurora, Colorado. Incumbent may travel between area campuses (25% or less) to perform duties and supervision, but the actual duty station will be at the Rocky Mountain Regional VAMC in Aurora, Colorado. Be a part of the team who brings innovative, leading-edge care to America’s Veterans. 

The opportunity includes but is not limited to:

• Selects the analytical methods and instruments used for testing within the area of responsibilities, currently including automated and manual chemistry, immunochemistry, electrophoresis, blood gases, automated urinalysis, urine microscopy, Hgb A1c testing, vitamin D analysis by LC - tandem mass spectrometry, urine drugs of abuse screening by immunoassay and urine drugs of abuse confirmation by LC- tandem mass spectrometry. Additional sections under the medical directorship of the Section Chief, Chemistry, Toxicology are Point of Care testing (POCT), phlebotomy, accessioning and send-out (fee basis) testing.
• Responsible for quality control, quality assurance and proficiency testing in his sections. The Section Chief develops corrective action as needed, based on the findings of these activities.
• Serves as the Course Director for the Chemistry rotation for pathology residents at Denver VA. In this role, he/she develops and presents Clinical Chemistry lectures to residents on his rotation and supervises residents while on the service.
• Contributes to the operation of effective and safe laboratories that are in compliance with standards established by the College of American Pathology (CAP), the Joint Commission (TJC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), VACO, and the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB)

Basic Requirements:

• MD, or DO degree from a fully accredited medical or osteopathic school of medicine. The degree must have been obtained from one of the schools approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs for the year in which the course of study was completed.
• Must be board certified in Clinical Pathology. Preferred experience/certification in Chemistry and Toxicology.
• Current, full and unrestricted license to practice medicine or surgery in a state, territory, or commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia
• Residency Training: Physicians must have completed approved US residency training
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

Position Highlights:

• Sign-on Bonus is authorized for highly qualified candidates
• Paid Time Off: 50-55 days of paid time off per year (26 annual leave, 13 sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays, and possible 5 day paid absence for CME)
• Excellent Federal Benefits:
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5-year vest) 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
• No Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting
• Work Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 4:30pm (on call schedule by rotation)

Compensation: Competitive salary, sign-on incentive potential, annual bonus range. Base salary range $265k - $400k plus up to $15k annual bonus.

About the Aurora, Colorado VA Medical Center:

The VA Eastern Colorado Healthcare System is dedicated to improving the lives of Veterans and their families every day. We provide healthcare services at 12 locations in eastern Colorado and western Kansas: Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center (hospital) in Aurora, Colorado, and 11 community-based outpatient clinics. We also have a Community Referral and Resource Center, a 40-bed community living center (nursing home), and a 40-bed residential rehabilitation facility for homeless Veterans.

Fast facts

• In 2025, we had 3,476 full-time employees, including 335 physicians and 1,014 registered nurses.
• Our 2024 medical care budget was $1,360,691,430.
• In 2025, we had 904,478 outpatient visits and 3,960 total admissions.
• Our medical center has 227 beds distributed among internal medicine, surgery, rehabilitative medicine, and other services. That number also includes a 20-bed spinal cord injury and disorders unit and a 40-bed community living center (nursing home).
• We funded 478 research projects with a budget of more than $25 million in 2024.

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