Physician - Psychiatrist - Psychiatric Services - Full-time - Recruitment Incentive/ EDRP Authorized

Summary

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.

Learn more about this agency

Duties

Help

The Staff Psychiatrist must meet the following qualifications, unless waived by the Service Chief. Care may be rendered at the time of clinical emergency within the scope of one's license if deemed necessary to save the life of a patient or to save a patient from serious harm.

• Successful completion of an ACGME accredited residency/fellowship in psychiatry and/or active participation in the examination process leading to certification in psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and/or equivalent credentials as determined by the Chief of Mental Health.
• Licensed to practice in any state as a licensed independent practitioner (LIP) with prescriptive authority.
• Maintain other certifications, if required, by specialty service to demonstrate competency.
• Current American Heart Association Basic Life Support Certification, and Advanced Cardiac Life Support Certification, if applicable.

CORE DUTIES:

• Evaluate, diagnose, treat and provide consultation to adult patients presenting with mental, behavioral, addictive or emotional disorders, e.g., psychoses, depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse disorders, developmental disabilities, sexual dysfunctions and adjustment disorders.
• Provide consultation to physicians/providers in other fields regarding mental, behavioral or emotional disorders; pharmacotherapy; family therapy; geriatric psychiatric disorders; behavior modification.
• Provide consultation to the courts; emergency psychiatry; supervision/consultation to Mental Health staff and trainees, order diagnostic, laboratory tests and prescribing medications.
• Perform history and physical exam.
• Complete suicide/homicide risk screening, comprehensive assessment, risk level determination, safety planning, and care disposition.
• Assess, stabilize and determine disposition of patients with emergent conditions consistent with medical staff policy regarding urgent care consultative on-call services.
• Psychopharmacology for patients, including clozapine as allowed by VA regulations.
• Provide individual, group couple and family therapy.
• Medication Assisted Therapy interventions for Substance Use Disorders

Special Procedures: The procedures listed below are skilled procedures and the proficiency of the practitioner must be established and maintained. These special procedures require verification of training and/or experience.

SPECIAL EMPHASIS RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PRIVILEGE S

• Scope : Providers who have been awarded a fellowship for psychiatric research training will function within the Mental Health Service research program. Those providers who have met the psychiatric initial proficiency requirements can work in clinical settings outside the research setting and perform services in accordance with General Psychiatry privileges.
• Psychiatric: Providers who have completed an accredited general psychiatry residency and must be certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology or be Board eligible.
• Non-Psychiatric: Providers who have completed an accredited non-psychiatric residency and must be certified by the specialty board in the specialty in which they were trained or be Board eligible. Must have core privileges in the specialty for which they have been trained.
• Renewal: Renewal of Privileges: Re-privileging will be based upon standards established by the Mental Health Service of the service in which the non-psychiatric trained fellow has received core privileges. The Professional Standards Board will review the provider's application for renewal of privileges every two years.

Work Schedule: 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday thru Friday

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

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus) or a Relocation Incentive: This incentive may be offered to highly qualified, eligible applicants.

Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): This position is eligible for the EDRP, a student loan payment reimbursement program.

EDRP Authorized: Contact VHA EDRP Program Support, View email address on click.appcast.io, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more.

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.

Contact: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting

Requirements

Help

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 dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• 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, the Staff Psychiatrist physician must meet these 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 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 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), b) OR
  [(2) Those approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA),OR
  (3) Other residencies (non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of five years of verified practice in the United States), 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.
  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 or fee-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.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:

• 2-3 years of post-residency experience; prior federal government background preferred

REFERENCES:

• The Staff Psychiatrist physician applicants must be prepared to provide at least two professional references, one will be a supervisor.
• For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

The work is sedentary. Applicants must meet physical standards for the position. A physical examination prior to placement is required. This is a designated drug testing position. After appointment, you will be subject to random testing for illegal drug use. Requires lifting 15-44 pounds; pushing (approx. 2 hours); reaching above shoulder; use of fingers and both hands; walking and standing from 3-5 hours and kneeling. Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously. Must have depth perception and ability to distinguish basic colors and shades of colors. Hearing aid is permitted.

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, or
2. Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation of the American Osteopathic Association for the year in which the degree was granted.
3. For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, facility officials must verify with the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) that the applicant has met requirements for certification, and must obtain a copy of the ECFMG certificate, if claimed by the applicant. [If the applicant does not claim an ECFMG certificate, facility officials must still confirm that the medical school meets (or met) ECFMG eligibility requirements for the year the candidate 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.

Help

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.

Review our benefits

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.