Location & Practice Overview

Facility San Francisco VA Medical Center (main campus at 4150 Clement Street)
Practice Type Academic tertiary care medical center affiliated with UCSF
Department Emergency Medicine section within Medical Service
Care Setting Hospital Emergency Department with acute STEMI and stroke treatment capability
Service Area Serves Veterans across Northern California through the medical center and nine community-based outpatient clinics

Responsibilities

  • Deliver urgent and emergent clinical care to Veterans presenting to the Emergency Department
  • Teach and supervise UCSF medical students, residents, and other trainees during acute care evaluations
  • Supervise Nurse Practitioners working in the Emergency Department
  • Triage all transfer requests directed to the Emergency Department
  • Admit patients to specialty or medicine inpatient services as clinically appropriate
  • Maintain timely documentation, complete required training modules, and adhere to hospital bylaws and credentialing standards

Qualifications & Requirements

Candidates must meet core medical, licensing, and VA eligibility standards. Both Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine training pathways are accepted.

Education
MD, DO, or equivalent degree from an accredited institution
Board Certification
Board Certified or Board Eligible in Emergency Medicine or Internal Medicine
License
Valid U.S. medical license; California license or eligibility to obtain preferred for practice
Training
Completion of residency in Emergency Medicine or Internal Medicine
Additional Requirements
Eligible for VA appointment and joint UCSF faculty appointment; DEA registration or eligibility to obtain

Compensation & Benefits

Base salary range is set according to VA pay tables and experience. Federal benefits accompany permanent full-time appointment.

  • Base salary range of $290,000–$350,000 per year
  • Comprehensive federal health, dental, and vision insurance
  • Generous paid time off and federal holidays
  • CME allowance and professional development support
  • Retirement plan with employer matching and VA malpractice coverage
  • Student loan repayment programs available for eligible candidates

Schedule & Work Environment

Shift Structure Variable shifts based on department needs, including days, nights, weekends, and holidays
Employment Status Permanent full-time (1.0 FTE / 8/8ths)
Call Coverage Included within shift assignments (on- and off-tour)
Work Setting On-site Emergency Department only; no remote option
EMR VA CPRS with Epic integration

Patient Population & Clinical Setting

Physicians care exclusively for Veterans in a moderate-to-high acuity academic Emergency Department that functions as a major referral and teaching site.

Primary Population Veterans with medical, surgical, and psychiatric presentations
Annual Volume Approximately 20,000 Emergency Department visits
Acuity & Capability Acute care including STEMI and stroke treatment capability; 15 acute care beds and 8 fast-track rooms
Clinical Context Tertiary academic center with full specialty support and door-to-doctor times reported well below national averages

About San Francisco VA Health Care System

San Francisco VA Health Care System operates the San Francisco VA Medical Center, a 1a complexity tertiary facility with 111 operating beds and a 120-bed Community Living Center, plus nine community-based outpatient clinics serving Veterans in Northern California. It maintains a long-standing academic affiliation with the University of California, San Francisco, under which all physicians hold joint appointments. The system hosts the largest competitively funded research program in the VA and trains hundreds of UCSF residents, fellows, and students annually.

Organization Type Federal Veterans Health Administration medical center
Academic Affiliation University of California, San Francisco (joint physician appointments)
Beds & Capacity 111 operating beds plus 120-bed Community Living Center
Research Profile Largest competitively funded research program in the VA system
Service Footprint Main medical center and nine outpatient clinics across Northern California

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Internal Medicine-trained physicians apply, or is Emergency Medicine board certification required?
Both pathways are accepted. Board certification or eligibility in Emergency Medicine or Internal Medicine meets the requirement for this position.
Is prior VA experience required?
No. Prior VA experience is not required. Strong clinical skills and interest in caring for Veterans are essential.
What teaching responsibilities are included?
Physicians teach and supervise UCSF medical students, residents (including internal medicine, psychiatry, and podiatry), and other trainees rotating through the Emergency Department. Faculty hold joint UCSF appointments.
How is the academic appointment structured?
All department of medicine physicians at SFVAHCS receive a joint appointment at UCSF. The hiring process includes both VA credentialing and UCSF joint appointment review.
Are research or academic advancement opportunities available?
Yes. Faculty may participate in research, quality improvement, education leadership, and other academic activities through the UCSF affiliation and the medical center’s extensive research enterprise.

Emergency Department Staff Physician in San Francisco, CA

This full-time Emergency Department Staff Physician role at the San Francisco VA Medical Center combines direct Veteran care in a busy academic ED with substantial teaching responsibilities for UCSF trainees. The position sits within a tertiary referral center that maintains STEMI and stroke capability and operates under a long-standing joint appointment model with UCSF. Physicians manage variable shifts while contributing to resident education, transfer triage, and inpatient admissions. The role suits board-certified or board-eligible Emergency Medicine or Internal Medicine physicians seeking federal employment stability, academic engagement, and clinical work focused exclusively on the Veteran population in a high-resource Northern California setting.

Apply for This Position

Submit your application for Emergency Department Staff Physician at San Francisco VA Health Care System.

Continue to Official Application Direct submission to San Francisco VA Health Care System / UCSF