Career Center

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.

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 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: Board certified or Board eligible in psychiatry
• Performing evaluation and providing treatment to Veterans in inpatient and outpatient settings
• Working closely with colleagues and multidisciplinary teams to provide state-of-the-art mental health care including medication management - treatment planning and other specialized services as needed
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: (may vary by facility) The work is typically sedentary - but it requires periods of walking - standing - bending - or climbing and employee may carry light items such as books - instruments - laptops - and other similar materials
• Functional Requirements Light lifting - under 15 pounds Light carrying - under 15 pounds Use of fingers Both hands and legs required Walking (2 hours) Standing (1 hours) Repeated bending (1 hour) Near vision correctable at 13" to 15" to Jaeger 1 to 4 Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other Hearing (aid may be permitted) Environmental Factors Working alone Working closely with others

Duties

• This is an Open Continuous Announcement and will remain open until September 30 - 2026
• Qualified applications will be referred at regular intervals - as additional vacancies occur and/or on an as-needed basis during the duration of the announcement
• Once a selection is made and offer is accepted the announcement may close pending no additional vacancies
• This position is not being offered for remote - telework or virtual duty
• The incumbent must be physically located within 50 miles of the facility selected
• VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package
• VHA Physician Total Rewards
• Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Learn more
• EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance 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 Duties and responsibilities may vary to include - but not limited to the following: Assessment/evaluation and medication management of veterans who suffer from a variety of mental health conditions - including - but not limited to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - substance abuse - mood disorders - anxiety disorders - psychosis - and other related conditions
• Write prescriptions for medications - including controlled medications which require a DEA number
• Initiate consultations and referrals to other services as indicated
• Educate staff hospital wide about psychiatric needs of patients
• how to handle
• what to expect
• etc..
• Work with families of patients receiving psychiatric care
• Provide and document education and counseling of patients and patients' families in preventive care - medical treatments - and the use of prescribed medications
• Accept and manage calls from other psychiatric services - emergency department - and the hospital
• Perform history and physical examinations
• Perform psychological counseling - crisis intervention - and group therapy within the scope of the clinician's training
• Appropriate and timely completion of medical records - including progress notes - consults - history and physicals - and discharge summaries
• Order appropriate laboratory and diagnostic tests
• Carry out activities that are part of a preventative healthcare program
• Perform clinical work describing human behavior - determining the reasons for that behavior and predicting and/or modifying the behavior
• Perform psychiatric evaluations - and treatment of patients with problems of personality - emotional adjustment - or mental illness
• Prescribe medications as deemed necessary for the treatment of mental illnesses
• Promote - supervise - and/or perform psychotherapy with patients - either through individual sessions or through group therapy sessions
• Uses therapeutic techniques
• Develops comprehensive treatment plans specific to the patient
• Oversees other professionals and/or works as a key team member providing comprehensive psychiatric and medical care for a group of individuals
• Promotes a psychotherapeutic atmosphere among the professional treatment staff
• Conducts psychotherapy in difficult - multifaceted cases
• Over sees the treatment performed by medical students and psychiatry residents and instructs them in the typical patterns of progression of mental illnesses during treatment
• Identifies characteristics of progress and adjustments to treatment that are typical in certain circumstances
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday
• schedule may vary by facility and is subject to change
• Responsibilities may include nights - weekends and on-call responsibilities
• Schedule to be discussed during interview.