Physician - Rheumatology
Quick facts
- Pay
- $420,000 floor for the first two years, plus potential wRVU earnings and a $200,000 retention incentive
- Type
- Full-time
- Location
- Bemidji
- Background
- MD / physician
- Industry
- Health and Care — 3142 open jobs
- Visa in listing
- H-1B
- Apply
- Free to apply — never pay anyone for a job offer or visa sponsorship
Job description
Sanford Health, the largest rural health system in the United States, is dedicated to transforming the health care experience and providing access to world-class health care in America’s heartland.
Visas Accepted
H1B or J1
Specialty
Rheumatology
Practice Details
- Join a group of one rheumatologist and an experienced PA
- No call
- Opportunity to read DEXA scans
- Orthopedic Center, Infusion Center, and Pain Clinic
- Injections
- PT/OT Services
- Service population: 142,505
- Large referral base from primary care
- 118 bed hospital, 14 bed ICU
- Level III trauma center
Community Description
Surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty, the Bemidji community graces the shore of Lake Bemidji, one of more than 400 lakes in the region. Named a “top town” by Outdoor Magazine, Bemidji is a four-season destination. Bemidji is a center for retail, education, medicine and government with a
cost of living 17% below the national average.
Job Description
Rheumatology Core Privileges include the ability to perform history and physical examination, admit (if applicable to the setting), provide consultative services, evaluate, diagnose, treat, and provide consultation to patients of all ages with diseases of the joints, muscles, bones, and tendons.
Qualifications
M.D. or D.O. degree.
Experience can be demonstrated in one of the following ways and should be reflective of the privileges being requested: An applicant who has just completed a fellowship shall provide his/her fellowship log. OR An applicant who is not applying directly out of a fellowship shall provide a quality profile from hospital(s) where he/she currently has privileges showing his/her clinical activity for the last 12 months, including numbers of procedures performed morbidity, mortality, infection rates, and other complications. The applicant must be able to demonstrate active involvement of inpatient services to be at least 50 patients in the last 12 months. OR If a quality profile is not available from the hospital(s) where the applicant currently has privileges, documentation of the applicant’s clinic activity for the last 12 months is required. The applicant must be able to demonstrate active involvement in the care of 50 patients in clinical practice in the last 12 months. More education and experience may be required the more advanced the practice becomes.
Successful completion of an Internal Medicine or Pediatric residency program, followed by the completion of a fellowship in Rheumatology accredited by the ACGME, the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) or the Royal College of Physician and Surgeons of Canada. Training at residency and fellowship programs accredited by organizations other than the above, may be considered via the waiver of eligibility process as defined in the Credentialing Policy. Certification in the primary area of practice by the appropriate specialty/ subspecialty board of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, as applicable. Those applicants who are not board certified at the time of application but who have completed their fellowship training within the last five years shall be eligible, however must achieve board certification within five years from the date of completion of their fellowship training unless the appropriate governing Board waives such requirement. (Refer to each entity’s policy for grandfather exceptions)
Compensation
- Compensation floor of $420,000 for the first two years of the employment contract, plus
estimated potential to exceed compensation floor from personally performed wRVUs. - In addition, a $200,000 retention incentive to be paid if you remain a 1.0 FTE for 4 years (this will
be subject to a contractual agreement specifying all details)
Recruiter Information
Celia Beck, Senior Physician Recruiter Phone: +1 (218) 333-5056 or Email: celia.beck@sanfordhealth.org
Sanford is an EEO/AA Employer M/F/Disability/Vet. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request an accommodation for help with your online application, please call 1-877-673-0854 or send an email to talent@sanfordhealth.org.
Visa sponsorship record
No public sponsorship records foundWe didn't find H-1B, H-1B1, E-3 or green card (PERM) filings under the name 20010 Sanford Clinic in the Department of Labor and USCIS data. That doesn't mean the job can't be sponsored — the company may file under a different legal name, be new to sponsorship, or sponsor a visa that isn't in these datasets (for example H-2B or J-1).
Tip: ask the recruiter early, in writing, which visa they sponsor and whether they cover the legal and filing fees.
Which visas can work for this job
Occupation: Physicians, All Other (SOC 29-1229).
- Mentioned in the listing
H-1B
- H-1B cap-exempt employer
Regular cap-subject employer — a new H-1B needs to win the lottery in March (unless you already hold cap-counted H-1B status).
- TN (citizens of Canada and Mexico)
This kind of role may fit the USMCA profession “Physician (teaching or research only)” — it depends on the actual duties. No lottery, no cap; you need the matching degree or license.
- E-3 (Australia) and H-1B1 (Chile, Singapore)
Same degree requirement as H-1B, but no lottery and a separate quota that is rarely filled.
- O-1 (extraordinary ability)
For candidates with awards, publications, press, a high salary or critical roles at distinguished organizations. No cap, no lottery; the employer files a petition.
Salary vs prevailing wage
Level IV (fully competent)Physicians, All Other · United States (national median of areas). Annual prevailing wages set by the Department of Labor (OFLC).
| Level | Prevailing wage | H-1B lottery odds* |
|---|---|---|
| Level I | $87,172 | ~15% |
| Level II | $169,416 | ~31% |
| Level III | $249,538 | ~46% |
| Level IV | $324,906 | ~61% |
This job pays $420,000 a year — that's Level IV (fully competent). In the wage-weighted H-1B lottery a Level IV registration gets 4 entries; estimated selection chance about 61% — better than average.
* Odds are DHS projections for the FY2027 wage-weighted lottery (actual results vary by year and employer). Since the FY2027 cap season the H-1B lottery is weighted by wage level: Level I = 1 entry, II = 2, III = 3, IV = 4. The level is set by the offered wage against the prevailing wage for the occupation and worksite. Separately, a $100,000 fee for new H-1B petitions for workers outside the US was announced in 2025; as of September 2026 a federal court ruling keeps it unenforceable while appeals continue — check the current status.
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor OFLC disclosure data (H-1B/H-1B1/E-3 LCA, PERM), OFLC prevailing wage data, USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub, E-Verify participating employers. Data loaded: LCA FY2024–FY2026, PERM, USCIS Data Hub, OFLC wages; updated 2026-10-03. Employers are matched by name, so records of companies with similar names can occasionally be mixed up. This is general information, not legal advice — talk to an immigration attorney about your case.