Position Overview

Understanding the Role

San Luis Valley Health is recruiting a General Surgeon to join an established, stable surgical team serving a broad rural patient base across southern Colorado. This is a broad-spectrum general surgery practice with strong endoscopy demand, a manageable call burden, and an administration focused on physician autonomy and long-term retention. The current need is immediate, driven by an open position since October and continued growth in surgical demand.

You would join two general surgeons who came to SLV Health directly out of residency and have practiced here for roughly nine years, a tenure that speaks to the working environment and the support around the team.

Practice Snapshot

Why This Position Exists

The practice has been recruiting since a surgeon departed in October, and surgical demand has continued to grow. The two current surgeons want a colleague who can carry a full share of clinic, OR, and call so the team stays strong and call stays light.

• New colleague to restore the team to full strength
• Continued growth in surgical and endoscopy demand
• Reduced call structure starting July 1, roughly 8 days per month

Patient Population and Community Need

The Valley relies on SLV Health for surgical care that would otherwise require travel to Colorado Springs, more than two hours away. Patients are overwhelmingly adult, appreciative, and dependent on local access to care.

• Primarily adult population, with pediatric volume under 5%
• Strong endoscopy need, as the region has no resident GI specialists
• A patient base that values local surgical care and the surgeons who provide it

What the Practice Is and Is Not

This is a bread-and-butter general surgery practice with significant endoscopy. It is not a subspecialty or high-acuity oncology practice.

• Core procedures include hernias, gallbladders, colon, breast, and anorectal cases
• Endoscopy is roughly half of the practice; comfort with scopes is essential
• No vascular or bariatric surgery requirements
• Larger oncologic procedures are referred to Colorado Springs

Qualifications

• Board certified or board eligible in General Surgery
• Comfortable practicing independently in a rural setting
• Comfortable with a high volume of endoscopy, or willing to ramp up
• Trained primarily in open and laparoscopic technique
• Colorado medical license, or eligibility to obtain one

Schedule and Structure

• Typically a four-day clinical work week
• Clinic days 8:00 am to 5:00 pm with a one-hour lunch
• Designated scope days separate from clinic and OR days
• Call reduced to approximately 8 days per month starting July 1
• Open to full-time or reduced FTE; 0.5 FTE minimum considered

Leadership

SLV Health actively seeks physician input at the organizational level. Current surgeons hold roles including trauma medical director, a hospital board seat, and medical executive committee membership, and similar opportunities are open to incoming surgeons who want them.

Robotics

Robotic surgery is not currently available at SLV Health. The organization is exploring it, though any investment would be several years out. A candidate who wants robotics as a near-term certainty should weigh that, while a candidate comfortable with open and laparoscopic technique will find a strong fit today.