Psychiatrist
Job no:
Work type: Full-Time (Salaried)
Location: Staunton, Virginia
Categories: Health and Human Services
Title: Psychiatrist
State Role Title: Physician II
Hiring Range: $328,000 to $365,000
Pay Band: 8
Agency: Dept Behavioral Health/Develop
Location: Western State Hospital
Agency Website: https://dbhds.virginia.gov/facilities/wsh/
Recruitment Type: General Public - G
Job Duties
Incentives Available:
• Generous moving and relocation reimbursement
• Sign-on bonus of $15,000 for employees new to the state service or who have not worked for DBHDS in the past 12 months, with a one-year commitment
• Retention bonus of $10,000 on one-year work anniversary with an additional one-year commitment
Location: Western State Hospital
103 Valley Center Drive, Staunton, VA 24401.
Position Overview:
Western State Hospital is seeking a psychiatrist to serve as a Head of Treatment Team (HOTT). The Psychiatrist serves as a clinical leader, providing comprehensive psychiatric care to patients in an inpatient forensic and civil commitment setting. This position directs and supervises a multidisciplinary treatment team to ensure the development and implementation of effective, recovery-oriented treatment plans. In addition to delivering direct patient care, the role provides clinical oversight, administrative leadership, teaching and supervision of trainees, and active participation in medical staff and quality improvement activities to promote high standards of patient safety, clinical excellence, and continuity of care.
Key Responsibilities:
• Provide comprehensive psychiatric care to patients, including assessments, diagnostic reassessments, psychopharmacologic management, and individual, group, and family psychotherapy.
• Conduct patient and family interviews, provide education, obtain informed consents, and ensure accurate and timely clinical documentation.
• Serve as Head of the Treatment Team, providing leadership and clinical oversight to the multidisciplinary team in the development and implementation of individualized treatment plans.
• Supervise and guide interdisciplinary staff, including oversight of milieu therapy and clinical supervision of staff working with families.
• Review and approve treatment plans, physician orders, and emergency clinical decisions; provide clinical oversight and consultation to PMHNPs.
• Coordinate discharge planning and serve as liaison with community mental health centers and external agencies to ensure continuity of care.
• Provide cross-coverage for other units and Staff On-Duty Provider coverage as scheduled.
• Participate actively in Medical Staff meetings, hospital committees, quality improvement initiatives, and mandatory training to support organizational performance and patient safety.
• Supervise psychiatric residents and medical students and contribute to hospital-wide performance improvement and service delivery initiatives.
Benefits Include:
• Relocation reimbursement
• Sign-on bonus
• Retention bonus
• Health, vision, and dental insurance
• Retirement with cash match
• 13 paid holidays
• Paid time off (annual, sick, family/personal, and community service)
• Life insurance
• Malpractice coverage
• Potential eligibility for the Virginia Behavioral Health Loan Repayment Program (BH-LRP), subject to program criteria and restrictions.
Minimum Qualifications
- Medical degree and completion of an ACGME-approved residency training in Psychiatry before the start of employment.
- Must possess an unrestricted license to practice medicine in the Commonwealth of Virginia or obtain one before the start of employment.
- Current DEA registration or obtain one before the start of employment.
- Extensive psychiatric knowledge with strong clinical skills in assessment and treatment for acute forensic, civilly committed inpatient units, or extended care psychosocial rehabilitation services.
- Proven ability to lead and supervise a multidisciplinary treatment team.
- Strong administrative skills to collaborate effectively with hospital units and external agencies.
- Able to satisfactorily complete all required documentation on time with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) documentation requirements.
Additional Considerations
- EHR experience with Cerner
- Experience in teaching and clinical supervision of medical trainees.
- Previous experience working in state hospitals
- Forensic or Addiction fellowships
- Bilingual
- Board certification
- Veteran or veteran spouse
Special Instructions
You will be provided a confirmation of receipt when your application and/or résumé is submitted successfully. Please refer to "Your Application" in your account to check the status of your application for this position.
Application Requirements: Applications and résumés for this position are accepted electronically through the Commonwealth of Virginia's Electronic Recruitment System only. Interview decisions will be based solely on the information provided in your electronic application and/or résumé. Please ensure you clearly and specifically detail all relevant work experience; we will not make assumptions about your qualifications.
Applications/résumés will begin to be reviewed within five (5) days of the posting date.
Background Investigation: All applicants are subject to an extensive background investigation and a pre-employment drug screening. This investigation may include fingerprint checks (State Police, FBI), local agency checks, Department of Social Services/Child Protective Services checks, employment verification, and verification of education relevant to the position.
Contact Information
Name: Samantha Leep
Phone: 540-332-8306
Email: samantha.leep@dbhds.virginia.gov
Advertised: 11 Sep 2026 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close:
Whatsapp Facebook LinkedIn Email App
