Unintentional Irony Watch: Veterans Affairs Seeks “Executive Director for Ethics in Health Care”

My colleague Peter Suderman has well documented
the manifold ethical lapses of Veterans Affairs Department
bureaucrats in their treatment (or lack thereof) of the men and
women who have served in our nation’s armed forces. As it happens
Veterans Affairs is looking to hire someone to provide guidance to
the agency on ethical issues. The duties of the new head of the
National Center for Ethics in Health Care at the Department of
Veterans Affairs as outlined in the job
posting include:  

The incumbent of this position establishes, measures, and
continuously improves ethical healthcare practices throughout VA’s
healthcare system so that patients, families and staff will
experience VA as a highly ethical organization.

The new executive director also…

…proactively identifies and manages controversial healthcare
ethics issues; provides practical advice to the Under Secretary for
Health and other VA leaders and staff; guides, mentors, and
supports a diverse staff of 29 that includes clinicians, ethicists,
and social workers at 3 office sites; efficiently
administers a $5+ million budget;…establishes standards for
ethics programs in each of VA’s 150+ healthcare facilities;
provides expert guidance to several thousand field-based ethics
program staff….

Interested candidates have until June 23 to apply. Good
luck!

See Peter Suderman’s superb article, “The
VA Health System Is a Tragic Warning Against Government-Run Health
Care.”