Physician-Psychiatrist(BHIP Supervisor)

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.

Duties

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Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Learn more.

EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact [redacted], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance

Telework: This position may be authorized for some ad-hoc (short term or episodic) telework only per Agency policy.

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

Administrative Responsibilities (20%)

The BHIP (Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program) Medical Director is responsible for overseeing the psychiatric/medical aspects of the BHIP, including supervision of the BHIP psychiatrists and mental health nurse practitioners (NPs).

i. Administrative Leadership:

• Administratively supervises the psychiatrists and mental health nurse practitioners within the BHIP section/program
• Assist in responsibilities overseen by the Mental Health Executive team, including compliance with local, federal, and accreditation requirements governing the JDDVAMC.
• Assist the Mental Health Executive team in implementing MHS policies, same-day services, and addressing patient complaints.
• Assist the Mental Health Executive team and Chief of Psychiatry with Patient Safety, Peer Review, OPPE, and Delegated Authority for Community Care as necessary.
• Facilitate team performance by attending team meetings and relevant clinic/program leadership meetings.

ii. Clinical Leadership:

• Within BHIP, functions as a lead for all medical issues (including planning and implementing new programs) and as a consulting resource for clinicians of all other disciplines (nurse practitioners, pharmacists, nurses, psychologists, social workers, and others) in their respective programs.
• Monitors and facilitates workflow for program/section psychiatrists and MH nurse practitioners by reviewing clinic grids, clinic utilization, caseloads, and productivity. Proactively identifies and addresses problems. May require travel to CBOC locations.

iii. Quality Improvement:

• Actively provides direction, guidance, and assistance to develop and maintain the highest standards of care, focusing on quality assurance and development.
• Conduct and/or facilitate quality improvement projects and/or collaborative research conducted in the Programs.

iv. Education/Training Liaison:

• Orient trainees, monitor and coordinate medical educational programs (in consultation with the Training Directors), and ensure that trainees receive appropriate supervision (in consultation with the Chief of Psychiatry).
• Facilitate ongoing medically relevant learning for the mental health staff through a variety of teaching methods.

The BHIP Medical Director also functions as a staff psychiatrist position (Board Certified) on a BHIP team and is part of the Psychiatry Service of the JDDVAMC MHS.

Clinical Responsibilities (80%)

• Performs mental health assessments/psychiatric evaluations for a diverse population including, but not limited to, individuals with anxiety, trauma, mood, substance use/addiction, psychosis, grief/loss, adjustment, and attention/cognitive symptoms as well as those with suicidality and personality disorders, all in the context of psychosocial and medical comorbidities.
• Provides a full range of psychodiagnostics services and therapeutic interventions including, but not limited to, diagnostic assessment, medication evaluation and management, placing referrals/consults as appropriate, suicide risk assessments, crisis intervention, and overall care of individuals with psychiatric disorders.
• Serves as a member of an interdisciplinary treatment team which may include being the informal leader of the team with responsibilities for coordinating consults and triage of specialty clinic referrals.
• Participates effectively in team meetings/treatment planning conferences and collaborates with multidisciplinary team members to enhance the care of Veterans.
• Orders diagnostic tests and studies; discriminates between normal and abnormal findings; and makes appropriate management decisions.

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday; 08:00am-04:30pm

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• 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.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

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 allopathic 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 accrediting bodies for graduate medical education, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or American Osteopathic Association (AOA), in the list published for the year the residency, or fellowship if applicable, was completed; OR
  • (2) One year of post medical school training (internship, first year of residency, or transitional year residency) approved by ACGME or AOA followed by two years of post-training independent practice (performing under a full and unrestricted license) in the United States; OR
  • (3) Non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of three years of verified independent practice in the United States (performing under a full and unrestricted license) performing duties related to the position they are applying for (United States fellowships would be creditable towards this requirement), 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.
  • Exceptions:
    
    • 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 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.
    • In rare and unusual circumstances, the Facility Director can submit a memo to the VISN Director through the VISN Chief Medical Officer, who may approve requests for reasonable exceptions to the residency training requirement for Physicians whose composite record of experience, accomplishments, performance, and qualifications warrant such action.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.

Preferred Experience: Board Certified Psychiatrist; Two years experience working on a BHIP Team.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: Ability to physically access various treatment settings within the facility. Ability to use computers frequently/continuously throughout the day for data input and communication. Ability to use phone. Position is primarily sedentary, and incumbent must be able to sit for prolonged periods of time. May require light lifting and carrying (under 10 pounds) and climbing stairs as needed.

Education

Degree of Doctor of Medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from an institution whose accreditation was in place for the year in which the course of study was completed. Approved schools are:

1. Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted.
2. Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) for the year in which the degree was granted.
3. For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, confirmation must be made that the medical school meets (or met) Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) eligibility requirement for year graduated.

NOTE: The Under Secretary of Health or designee in the VHA Central Office may approve the appointment under authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405 of a physician graduate of a school of medicine not covered above if the candidate is to be assigned to a research, academic, or administrative position with no patient care responsibilities. The appointment will be made only in exceptional circumstances where the candidate's credentials clearly demonstrate high professional attainment or expertise in the specialty area.

Additional information

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

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

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.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

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