Physician (BHIP Psychiatrist)

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. Privileges/Duties: General psychiatry privileges include, but are not limited to: Diagnosis and treatment, (interviewing, mental status examinations, physical and neurological examinations, ordering, performing, and interpreting labs, radiography, and other diagnostic tests, formulation of differential diagnoses and treatment plan) for adults, diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders relevant to psychiatric practice, consultation to other services, evaluation and management of psychiatric emergencies and forensic examinations, crisis intervention, individual and group therapy as well as management of a multidisciplinary therapeutic milieu for acute and/or chronic general psychiatric patients and for specialized populations with addictive disorders and geropsychiatry. Privileges include admission of patients to the hospital, where it is expected that any necessary appropriate consultative support will be requested. Where a diagnosis is not clear or treatment does not result in expected outcome, consultation is required. Privileges in Psychiatry also include admitting privileges as well as consultation to the Geropsychiatry Unit in the Rehabilitation and Transitional Care Center. Preferred Experience: Board Certified Psychiatrist; experience providing psychiatric care to Veterans with wide range of mental health disorders Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: Must be able to perform the duties physically and mentally in a hospital setting under normal and emergent conditions. Heavy lifting 45 lbs. and over with assistive devices. Heavy carrying of 45 lbs. and over with assistive devices. Reach above shoulder, use of fingers and both hands required. Walking or standing up to 6 hours per day. Repeat bending up to 2-4 hours per day. Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination. Near vision correctable and hearing aid permitted.
This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.