Career Center

Summary

This Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) psychiatrist position is administratively assigned to the Mental Health Service Line. PCMHI is a component of the interdisciplinary Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT). The PCMHI psychiatrist functions as a consultant supporting Primary Care Providers (PCPs) and other PACT colleagues to address the behavioral health and health behavior needs of the primary care population.

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
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: Lifting up to 35 pounds - intermittently
• moderate carrying (15-35 pounds) - intermittently
• lifting over 35 pounds with assistive devices in accordance with the Safe Patient Handling Policy except in emergent situations requiring prompt patient care
• pulling - intermittently
• pushing - intermittently
• reaching above the shoulders - intermittently - both hands required
• walking - intermittently
• standing - intermittently
• kneeling - intermittently
• repeated bending - intermittently
• climbing and use of both legs and arms - intermittently - both legs required
• near vision at 13 to 16" Jaeger 1 to 4 - far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other eye
• ability to distinguish basic colors
• hearing aid permitted
• twisting - simply grasp and fine manipulation
• Eligible applicants must be physically and mentally able to perform efficiently the essential functions of the position - with or without reasonable accommodation - without hazard to themselves or others
• Depending on the essential duties of a specific position - usable vision - color vision - hearing or speech may be required
• however - in most cases - a specific physical condition or impairment of a specific function may be compensated for by the satisfactory use of a prosthesis or mechanical aid.

Duties

• This is OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until September 30 -2026
• The initial cut-off date for referrals of eligible application will be February 20 -2026 with subsequent cut-off dates every month
• Eligible applications received after that date will be accepted on an ongoing basis and qualified candidates will be considered as vacancies become available
• Collaborates with PCPs and the interdisciplinary PACT to support high quality - effective - and coordinated service delivery at the patient and programmatic levels Maintains daily open access slots and encourages same day warm handoffs within PACT Completes most individual appointments (e.g. - 75%) within 30 minutes Utilizes Measurement Based Care (MBC) in accordance with nationally recommended guidelines for PCMHI Conducts brief (e.g. - 30 minutes or less) - functionally-oriented - psychiatric assessments that are targeted to the main reason(s) for referral and less extensive than traditional psychiatric evaluations Supports Stepped-Care principles to facilitate \"on-time - on target\" services to Veterans - matching the intensity of services with the level of clinical need - Refers Veterans with more severe or complex needs to the appropriate general or specialty mental health program - providing liaison services and/or time-limited care to bridge transitions - if required Shares on-call duties as assigned by service line leadership and maintains readiness to assist with psychiatric emergencies that may arise in the primary care setting Ensures quality of care by successfully completing the national VA PCMHI Competency Training Program (or approved equivalent) and associated ongoing education modules Writes clear - concise notes that are optimized for collaboration within PACT Notes document important elements for team collaboration (e.g. - MBC - curbside consultation/team care discussion - liaison with specialty care providers) as appropriate Through ongoing consultation - education - and co-management - builds capacity of PACT and PCPs to effectively address mental health needs
• Provides clinical oversight and consultation as a required component of PCMHI Collaborative Care Management
• Tolerates interruptions - demonstrates flexibility and adaptability - and maintains availability for ad hoc team discussion - curbside consults - or warm hand offs - as needed Provides chart-based consultation - including E-Consults - as needed/requested Provides education on mental health and health behavior issues - including medication support updates - practice guidelines - effective patient communication - motivational enhancement - behavior change - etc
• Works collaboratively with other team members in PCMHI to ensure high quality - effective - Veteran-centered services at the patient and programmatic levels Participates in grand rounds and maintains continuing education In academically affiliated settings - supervises psychiatric residents or other allied healthcare students in accordance with training program policies and accrediting agency requirements Serves as a collaborating physician for APRNs or PAs - as needed Provides staff and student didactic training and consultation as requested in content areas of scholarly and/or clinical expertise Participates in scholarly activities - including program evaluation - quality improvement - and/or officially approved research - particularly related to the optimal functioning of integrated care
• Work Schedule: Monday to Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm Duty Location: 5801 Allentown Road - Suite 104 & 106 Camp Springs MD 20746-4563 VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package
• VHA Physician Total Rewards
• 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