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: Prior experience in Somatic treatments such as Esketamine - rTMS - IV Ketamine and/or ECT is preferred
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: Physical demands include repetitive body movements including the following: frequent reaching - standing - walking - and lifting of equipment and/or patients to provide patient care
• This position requires extension of the hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction including above or below shoulder level - during the provision of patient care - including retrieval of needed equipment - supplies and to make contact with the patient
• This position requires the maintenance of an upright position to perform duties associated with patient care
• This position is typically non-sedentary - and frequently involves being in the standing position
• This position requires moving about accomplish tasks - such as assisting with patient ambulation and moving one patient area to the next
• This position requires the raising of objects from a lower position to a higher position or the movement of objects horizontally position to position
• Lifting may be done to move a patient from one location to the next - i.e.- from the exam table to the chair - and in the movement of equipment or supplies.

Duties

• Major Duties and Responsibilities include: Provides a full range of psychiatric services - diagnoses behavioral disorders particularly for complex or unusually difficult Veterans
• Provides comprehensive interventions
• Provides consultation to professional staff with Behavioral Health as well as other specialty programs
• Develops - implements and documents the psychiatric treatment plan for an assigned caseload of Veterans - including prompt completion of clinical reminders
• Functions independently as a member of the Behavioral Health service line and VA Pittsburgh Medical Center - with full clinical privileges
• Assumes complete professional responsibility for his/her clinical assessments and findings - Veteran care decisions and medical documentation
• Provides outreach services to Veterans and their families as needed and/or required
• Develops and maintains all outpatient behavioral health care to mee all VISN and VACO Environment of Care and program requirements
• Provides consultation for all Behavioral Health clinicians regarding the clinical care of complex cases
• Assists the section chief in the design - development and implementation of clinical programs
• Adheres to operational policies and procedures in all phases of assignments focusing on providing quality care to the Veterans
• Assists the section chief in the execution of ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects to monitor the effectiveness of the program
• Facilitates liaisons with other medical programs in order to effectively coordinate services
• Complies with national and local performance measures - including timely medical care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients
• Complies with all CPRS documentation procedures and requirements - including timeliness standards for documentation with all notes and encounters - enters proper diagnostic and procedure codes
• Complies with proper procedures for Veteran check-out - to insure continuation of care
• Attends and participates in administrative and informational meetings held by the ACOS of Behavioral Health or higher-level staff members
• Attends regular team and Behavioral Health staff meetings
• Attends regular TRD treatment team meeting and report directly to TRD Section Chief
• Complies with VA Pittsburgh peer review procedures
• Provides clinical supervision and instruction for psychiatry residents and fellows as needed
• Serves as a mentor for junior and new hire psychiatrists
• Works cohesively with the TRD Section Chief of Behavioral Health to assure that all aspects of the Behavioral Health Service Line are functioning optimally
• This includes strategic planning - setting operational priorities and deployment of resources - engaging in quality improvement - performance measure outcomes - and encouraging and improving team-oriented care for Veterans
• Responsible for providing psychiatric care in a variety of clinical settings relevant to somatic treatments program (e.g. - Esketamine - RTMS and future endeavors such as IV ketamine - ECT - etc.) in order to effectively identify a patient's mental and medical health needs and deliver the appropriate therapeutic intervention to best fit a veteran's individualized needs
• Serves as the medical subject matter expert within their assigned team
• May be responsible for coordinating activities of other health service personnel - resolving problems affecting veteran care - and providing appropriate education to the veteran and/or family members to assist with treatment compliance and overall management of care to improve mental health outcomes
• Any adverse outcomes will be immediately reported via JPSR - to the Section Chief and to the ACOS
• The delivery of psychiatric care is provided in accordance with VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guidelines as well as national protocol guidelines and SOPs as measured by the Peer Review Program as well as various other quality measures/metrics
• VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package
• VHA Physician Total Rewards
• Education Debt Reduction Program: Authorized 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 Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting Work Schedule: Monday through Friday - 8:00am - 4:30pm