Duties

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package .

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)
Malpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided
Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting

• 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 (consistent with 2014 VHA Memorandum)
• 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
• Clinical documentation and encounter billing procedures are completed appropriately and timely (e.g., within 24 hours)
• Through ongoing consultation, education, and co-management, builds capacity of PACT and PCPs to effectively address mental health needs that can be managed as part of routine primary care, including emphasis on prevention, early identification, and early treatment efforts
• Provides clinical oversight and consultation as a required component of PCMHI Collaborative Care Management (CoCM), dedicating appropriate time each week (one to three hours per care manager) for case discussion, panel review/monitoring, and recommendations for collaborative management with the PCP (e.g., needed laboratory testing, medication adjustment, referral, behavioral intervention, etc.)
• Maintains readiness to assist with urgent/emergent situations that may develop within PCMHI CoCM or other PACT workflow
• Tolerates interruptions, demonstrates flexibility and adaptability, and maintains availability for ad hoc team discussion, curbside consults, or warm hand offs, as needed
• Engages in PACT huddles and meetings to cultivate optimal team functioning and serve as a subject matter expert for psychiatric considerations, biological bases of behavior, and the interplay of mental and medical conditions
• 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
• Serves on Medical Center or Healthcare System, VISN, and/or National VA committees or task forces, as endorsed by supervisors
• Participates in Psychiatry privileging, educational and peer review activities, in accordance with Psychiatry and medical center policies
• Abides by applicable medical staff bylaws and participates accordingly
• 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
• Provides staff and student didactic training and consultation as requested in content areas of scholarly and/or clinical expertise

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00am - 4:30pm
Telework: Available
EDRP Authorized: Contact visn5edrpcoordinators@va.gov , the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• All qualified candidates encouraged to apply. Open to U.S. Citizens but non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens.
• 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.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• 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).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Be a Citizen of the United States. Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

• Education: 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.

• Licensure and Registration. Physicians must possess a 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. The physician must maintain current registration in the state of licensure if this is a requirement for continuing active, current licensure.

• 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/Eligible in Psychiatry

Participation as a member of a multi-disciplinary treatment team providing a full rang of Mental Health services to patients.

Comfortable in providing Mental Health care through Telehealth modalities.

Demonstrates a high level of practice using evidence based medicine principles involving patients who have complex illnesses.

Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G-2 Physician Qualification Standard.

The full performance level of this vacancy is a GS 15. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is a GS 15.

Physical Requirements: VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

Education

This occupational series is eligible for the Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP). Qualifying SLRP participants can receive up to $40,000 per year in education debt payments with a combined total not to exceed $100,000. Participants must sign a service agreement and maintain an acceptable level of performance to remain eligible for this program.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/ . If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html .

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

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.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

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.