Physician-Psychiatry Medical Director

Summary

This is an OPEN CONTINOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will close on September 30, 2027, or until filled or cancelled. Qualified applicants will be referred to the selecting official at two-week intervals. The first referral will be sent on November 9, 2026. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled. This announcement may close without prior notification.

Duties

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VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards.

Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): May be authorized.

EDRP (Education Debt Reduction Program): Position(s) listed under this Open Continuous Announcement (OCA) MAY be eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. Applicants selected for an EDRP-eligible position will be notified in their conditional job offer. The selectee must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit an 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 review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants are ineligible to apply.

Major Duties :

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.

• Provides visionary leadership and strategic direction for all psychiatric and behavioral health programs within the Mental Health Service.
• Sets clinical standards, ensures evidence-based and recovery-oriented care, and champions innovation in psychiatric practice.
• Oversees complex diagnostic evaluations, medication management, crisis intervention, and treatment planning for diverse patient populations.
• Ensures compliance with VA, VHA, VISN, facility policies, and accreditation standards at the highest level.
• Directly supervises and mentors clinical leaders, including section supervisors, psychiatrists, advanced practice providers, and psychiatry residents.
• Conducts executive-level performance evaluations, competency assessments, and fosters professional development across the psychiatric workforce.
• Identifies and implements advanced training initiatives, ensuring staff are equipped with cutting-edge psychiatric knowledge and skills.
• Promotes a culture of excellence, collaboration, and high morale among all psychiatric staff.
• Oversees the operations and quality of all psychiatric programs and clinics, ensuring optimal workload distribution and interdisciplinary team coordination.
• Leads the development, implementation, and evaluation of program goals, clinical workflows, and service improvements at the organizational level.
• Collaborates with executive leadership to allocate resources, manage staffing, and maintain compliance with productivity and quality benchmarks.
• Drives strategic planning for mental health services and leads policy development initiatives.
• Works closely with other medical directors, mental health leaders, primary care, specialty care teams, and administrative stakeholders to coordinate comprehensive patient services.
• Champions integration of behavioral health within broader clinical programs (e.g., BHIP, CRH, Addiction Services), ensuring seamless care delivery.
• Participates in system-wide interdisciplinary treatment meetings, case reviews, and care coordination initiatives.
• Provides direct psychiatric care as needed, including assessment, pharmacologic treatment, and follow-up care for complex cases.
• Maintains exemplary documentation standards in accordance with VA electronic health record requirements.
• Ensures continuity of care, safety planning, and appropriate management of high-risk patients across the service line.
• Monitors and enforces clinical practice adherence to regulatory and quality standards (e.g., TJC, CARF, VHA directives).
• Leads quality initiatives, peer reviews, and performance improvement projects at the service line level.
• Ensures safe prescribing practices, robust documentation, and effective follow-up protocols.
• Responds to audits, reviews, and required reporting with timely and accurate information.
• Participates in executive leadership meetings, committees, and workgroups as required.
• Completes administrative reports, data reviews, and performance metrics related to psychiatric program operations.
• Oversees hiring, onboarding, and workforce planning for all psychiatric staff.
• Engages in budgeting, resource allocation, and strategic priorities for mental health services.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 am-4:30pm. Subject to change based on agency's need.

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/examination.
• 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: Expertise in diagnostic evaluations, medication management, crisis intervention, and treatment planning for complex behavioral health conditions. Ability to deliver or oversee evidence-based treatments, support interdisciplinary care, and ensure safe prescribing practices. Experience supervising psychiatrists, NPs, PAs, and residents; conducting competency assessments; monitoring performance; and ensuring professional development. Experience participating in strategic planning, policy development, and resource allocation within mental health services.

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

Physical Requirements: Standing, walking, lifting light loads, assisting patients with positioning and transfers. Must be able to use a computer to input orders, review reports etc. Must be able to communicate directions and patient orders. Light lifting (under 15lbs), light carrying (under 15lbs), use of fingers, far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and 20/40 in the other, hearing (aid permitted), emotional stability, mental stability, working closely with others, working alone, and working with biohazardous materials.

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.

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.

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 request