Physician (Regular Ft) PCMHI Psychiatrist

This is OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until September 302026. The initial cut-off date for referrals of eligible application will be February 202026 with subsequent cut-off dates every month. Eligible applications received after that date will be accepted on an ongoing basis and qualified candidates will be considered as vacancies become available.

• 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
• 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
• Through ongoing consultation education and co-management builds capacity of PACT and PCPs to effectively address mental health needs.
• Provides clinical oversight and consultation as a required component of PCMHI Collaborative Care Management.
• Tolerates interruptions demonstrates flexibility and adaptability and maintains availability for ad hoc team discussion curbside consults or warm hand offs as needed
• Provides chart-based consultation including E-Consults as needed/requested
• 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
• 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
• Serves as a collaborating physician for APRNs or PAs as needed
• Provides staff and student didactic training and consultation as requested in content areas of scholarly and/or clinical expertise
• Participates in scholarly activities including program evaluation quality improvement and/or officially approved research particularly related to the optimal functioning of integrated care.

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.
• 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. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• 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).

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 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 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.