Physician - Psychiatrist

Summary

This is an on site position, remote options not available

Sign-on Bonus: Eligible for highly qualified candidates working on-site at our facilities.

Education Debt Reduction Program: Learn more. student loan payment reimbursement program of up to $200,000 at $40,000 per year and up to 5 years.

We are recruiting for full-time, board eligible/board certified psychiatrists who are value-driven, recovery-oriented, and possess energy, compassion, and a pursuit of excellence to join our team!

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Duties

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VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards.

• Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized
• Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases
• Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm
• Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Authorized Learn more.
  • This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply. Contact View email address on click.appcast.io, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance.
• Paid Time Off: 50-55 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year and possible 5 day paid absence for CME)
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) 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
• Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting

The VA Northern California Health Care System (NCHCS) is currently recruiting for full-time, board eligible/board certified psychiatrists who are value-driven, recovery-oriented, and possess energy, compassion, and a pursuit of excellence to join either our Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary ( BHIP ) team at locations across northern California.

Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary ( BHIP) Psychiatrist

You will conduct review of medical history, physical exams and mental status exams; complete assessments and formulate diagnoses; develop treatment plans; and order labs and/or radiological assessments for a wide variety of mental disorders, through a multidisciplinary team approach. The BHIP Psychiatrist is responsible for the medication management of patients as indicated in the treatment plan as well as facilitation of medication support groups, evaluating and providing medical clearance for patients presenting to the clinic who may need psychiatric hospitalization, and assessment and intervention for patients presenting in crisis.

On-Call: Weeknight and weekend telephone and on-site/virtual on-call duties for the Behavioral Health Intensive Care Unit (BHICU) at the Sacramento VA Medical. On-call rotations last one week, can be conducted from home, and are usually Friday-Thursdays, including weekends and holidays. The rotations may include discussion of potential admissions to the inpatient psychiatric unit, evaluating patients requiring seclusion and restraint, evaluating emergent psychiatric consults on the medical/surgical, and rounding on the inpatient psychiatric unit during weekends and holidays. Psychiatrists generally are on-call three to five times per year.

Whether you're interested in academics, research, or a better work/life balance, you'll find the VA has a lot to offer, including the unmatched satisfaction you'll get from caring for those who have served our country.

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until September 30th, 2026 . The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be August 24th, 2026 , with subsequent cut-off dates every 5 days. Eligible applications received after that date will be accepted on an ongoing basis and qualified candidates will be considered as vacancies become available.

Contract Buy Out Program: ONLY available at the location in Redding, CA (Redding Outpatient Clinic) . This is a rural serving facility and if selected for this location, you may be eligible for the Physician / Provider Contract Buy Out Program (CBOP), which authorizes VHA to buy out service contracts (Locum agreements, loan repayments, sign-on bonus contracts, Physician-owned practices) in exchange for employment at certain rural or highly rural facilities for a period of obligated service (minimum 4 years). For additional information and eligibility requirements, contact the VHA Contract Buy Out Program Manager at View email address on click.appcast.io

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Complete TB Testing and Immunization evaluations.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, you must meet the basic requirements as well as any additional requirements (if applicable) listed in the job announcement. Applicants pending the completion of training or license requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Currently employed physician(s) in VA who met the requirements for appointment under the previous qualification standard at the time of their initial appointment are deemed to have met the basic requirements of the occupation.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Degree of doctor of medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in allopathic medicine or osteopathic 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.
• 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 residency training, approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in an accredited core specialty training program leading to eligibility for board certification. ( NOTE : VA physicians involved in academic training programs may be required to be board certified for faculty status.) Approved residencies are:
  • (1) Those approved by the accrediting bodies for graduate medical education, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or American Osteopathic Association (AOA), in the list published for the year the residency, or fellowship if applicable, was completed; OR
  • (2) One year of post medical school training (internship, first year of residency, or transitional year residency) approved by ACGME or AOA followed by two years of post-training independent practice (performing under a full and unrestricted license) in the United States; OR
  • (3) Non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of three years of verified independent practice in the United States (performing under a full and unrestricted license) performing duties related to the position they are applying for (United States fellowships would be creditable towards this requirement), which the local Medical Staff Executive Committee deems to have provided the applicant with appropriate professional training and believes has exposed the Physician to an appropriate range of patient care experiences.
  • Exceptions:
    
    
    • Residents currently enrolled in ACGME/AOA accredited residency training programs and who would otherwise meet the basic requirements for appointment are eligible to be appointed as "Physician Resident Providers" (PRPs). PRPs must be fully licensed physicians (i.e., not a training license) and may only be appointed on an intermittent basis. PRPs are not considered independent practitioners and will not be privileged; rather, they are to have a "scope of practice" that allows them to perform certain restricted duties under supervision. Additionally, surgery residents in gap years may also be appointed as PRPs.
    • In rare and unusual circumstances, the Facility Director can submit a memo to the VISN Director through the VISN Chief Medical Officer, who may approve requests for reasonable exceptions to the residency training requirement for Physicians whose composite record of experience, accomplishments, performance, and qualifications warrant such action.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.

Preferred Experience:

Board eligible or Board Certified psychiatrist

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

Pre-placement Examination: Complete TB Testing and Immunization evaluations. See VA Directive/Handbook 5019

Education

Degree of Doctor of Medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from an institution whose accreditation was in place for the year in which the course of study was completed. Approved schools are:

1. Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted.
2. Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) for the year in which the degree was granted.
3. For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, confirmation must be made that the medical school meets (or met) Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) eligibility requirement for year graduated.

NOTE: The Under Secretary of Health or designee in the VHA Central Office may approve the appointment under authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405 of a physician graduate of a school of medicine not covered above if the candidate is to be assigned to a research, academic, or administrative position with no patient care responsibilities. The appointment will be made only in exceptional circumstances where the candidate's credentials clearly demonstrate high professional attainment or expertise in the specialty area.

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.