Physician (Staff Psychiatrist)

Job Title

Psychiatrist for West Los Angeles Substance Use Disorders Clinic

Job Description

Core responsibilities include providing comprehensive psychiatric assessment and treatment to patients in the West Los Angeles Substance Use Disorders (SUD) Clinic, which is a comprehensive outpatient clinic that provides pharmacotherapy and behavioral services to Veterans with substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health disorders. Incumbent must be skilled in general outpatient psychiatry & addiction psychiatry, including diagnostic evaluations, pharmacotherapy & psychotherapy. He/she should be competent in the management of individuals with a broad range of conditions, including but not limited to substance use disorders, mood, anxiety and psychotic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and psychiatric disorders in the aging Veteran population. The incumbent will serve as a collaborative member of a multidisciplinary mental health team. Incumbent is encouraged to be involved in psychiatry resident and addiction psychiatry fellow education. He/she may act as formal collaborating physician for health care professionals such as RNs and clinical pharmacologists. The incumbent may also be called upon to assist with coverage of critical need areas based upon the needs of the service. Veterans served by the SUD Clinic often present with complex co-occurring disorders and significant psychosocial needs. Treatment occurs in an outpatient clinic setting at the West LA VA campus, which includes an opioid treatment program (OTP) and an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP). Patients are seen on scheduled and unscheduled basis. VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System has an active relationship with multiple academic affiliates, including the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package.

Total Rewards

Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Approved

Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases

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

Patient Care Services

The incumbent may provide direct patient care services to Veterans in the section and at other sites within GLA the duties are not limited to the following:

• Performs psychiatric evaluations for a diverse population.
• Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions including diagnostic assessment, medication evaluation and management, suicide risk assessments, crisis intervention, and overall care of patients with psychiatric disorders.
• Ensures practice of psychiatric medicine is consistent with TJC, CARF, HIPPA, VA policies and procedures, clinical practice guidelines, national statutes and regulations, medical record documentation, and mandatory continuing education.
• Provides a full range of psycho-diagnostic services including assessment and the most appropriate psychotherapeutic techniques in providing quality care.
• The Psychiatrist may serve as a mental health team leader with responsibilities for coordinating consults and triage of specialty clinic referrals.
• Participates effectively in team meetings and treatment planning conferences, and collaborates with multidisciplinary team members that enhances coordination of comprehensive patient care.
• Orders diagnostic tests and consultations, and discriminates between normal and abnormal findings and makes appropriate treatment decisions.
• Areas which the psychiatrist is assigned and has clinical privileges to practice may include depression, anxiety, psychosis, PTSD, substance abuse, and other psychiatric disorders in outpatient clinical settings.
• Mental health assessments, including suicide risk assessments and diagnostic assessments for both acute and chronic mental health conditions
• Crisis evaluation & intervention/management
• Treatment, including psychiatric pharmacotherapy within the VA formulary guidelines and non-pharmacotherapy interventions (e.g. psychotherapies)
• Teach and counsel patients/families including health promotion and disease prevention
• Perform on-call duties, as assigned

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm