Summary 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. 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. Learn more. Responsibilities The Durham VA Health Care System is seeking an outpatient psychiatrist to provide a full range of psycho-diagnostic services and psychiatric treatment. The Psychiatrist will perform psychiatric evaluations and provide ongoing care for a diverse population of patients of males, females, geriatric and post deployment combat veterans who are mentally ill and have psychosocial issues that may include homelessness, unemployment, and poor family support as part of a Behavioral health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) team. The psychiatrist may supervise psychiatry residents and will have periodical on-call responsibilities. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Available for highly qualified candidates. Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 50-55 days of annual paid time offer 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 Malpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions to units/programs to which the psychiatrist is assigned and has clinical privileges to practice including diagnostic assessment, medication evaluation and management, suicide risk assessments, crisis intervention, and overall care of patients with psychiatric disorders in various clinical settings including the outpatient, inpatient, ED, and hospital ward settings. The Psychiatrist may serve as a mental health team leader with responsibilities for coordinating consults and triage of specialty clinic referrals. Participates effectively in team meetings and treatment planning conferences and collaborates with multidisciplinary team members that enhances coordination of comprehensive patient care. Orders diagnostic tests and consultations, and discriminates between normal and abnormal findings and makes appropriate treatment decisions Ensures that the practice of psychiatric medicine is consistent with Joint Commission, CARF, VA policies and procedures, clinical practice psychiatric guidelines, VISN standards, national statutes and regulations, medical record documentation, mandatory continuing education, and HIPPA policies. ACADEMIC/TEACHING/TRAINING/ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES: Involved in performance improvement and quality assurance initiatives. Participates in supervision and teaching in support of the psychiatric residency program, performs on call duties, and performs other directly related duties as assigned. Serves as a consultant to other medical center staff and trainees and assist in implementation of treatment plan as appropriate regarding their patients. Is responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center. Plans and oversees the completion of personal research programs, designed to provide information regarding program planning and relevant treatment approaches. Other duties as assigned. CLINICAL COMPETENCE: Examinations - Uses assessment skills to examine new patients thoroughly using appropriate clinical, laboratory and other pertinent data. Provides follow-up when indicated. Diagnosis - Accurately interprets and evaluates clinical data for the purpose of determining diagnosis and clinical status. Formulates assessment and plan according to accepted protocols, treatment plans or attending physician's treatment protocols, treatment plans or recommendations. Corrects diagnosis when necessary. Therapeutic Ability - Initiates appropriate and timely treatment. Recognizes changes in behavior, symptoms, signs, and other pertinent facts about the patient. Prescribes medications according to outpatient formulary. Provides direct, short-term, crisis intervention, grief work and brief psychotherapy. Counsels patients on smoking, alcohol and/or other substance cessation. Administers or orders appropriate immunizations The incumbent is supervised by the Chief of Psychiatry for the Durham VA Health Care System Mental and Behavioral Health Service (MBHS), or designee. Practices independently, exercising initiative and independent judgment in day-to-day program activities. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Telework: Ad hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. EDRP Authorized: Contact Caronda Slocum (email address) caronda.slocum@va.gov the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Requirements Conditions of Employment 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: 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. At the time of employment, must have, 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. Current residents currently in the process of completing ACGME-approved programs are encouraged to apply. Residency Training: Physicians will need to have completed residency training, by the time work commences. Programs must be 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. Additional Requirement: Board certified preferred; BE acceptable. Current residents who will be board eligible upon completion of their program are welcome to apply. Preferred Experience: 2 years VA experience preferred but not required; experience with resident supervision preferred but not required. Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G-2 Physician Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. Physical Requirements: This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. This position requires mostly periods of continued walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, and pushing. Transferring patients and objects may be required. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations. The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients/residents who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on stakeholder needs 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 (Verification Website: http://lcme.org/directory/accredited-u-s-programs/), or (2) Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) of the American Osteopathic Association for the year in which the degree was granted. (Verification Website: https://osteopathic.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/current-list-of-colleges-of-osteopathic-medicine.pdf), or (3) For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, facility officials must verify with the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) that the applicant has met requirements for certification, and must obtain a copy of the ECFMG certificate, if claimed by the applicant. (Foreign Medical School Verification Website: https://search.wdoms.org/) 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 to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application. 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.