Section Chief Physician (Psychiatrist)

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Relocation Incentive: May be eligible for a highly qualified candidate.

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 $1000 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

General Description of Assigned Duties:
The psychiatrist will provide outpatient psychiatric services including face to face and telepsychiatry as well as provide medical care in accordance with the approved privileges and all applicable State and/or Federal guidelines in support of the Psychiatry Service at the Phoenix VA Health Care System.

This job requires on site work at the Sgt. Alexander W. Conrad VA Clinic in Gilbert AZ.

Routine Duties May Include But Not Limited To The Following:
(1) Screen evaluate and admit or enroll patient to psychiatry programs.
(2) Key psychiatric functions include a full spectrum of diagnostic treatment and rehabilitation services provided by qualified interdisciplinary staff in a safe and dignified setting with emphasis on least restrictive approach.

These include but are not limited to:
a) individual psychotherapy
b) crisis intervention
c) psycho-pharmacotherapy
d) consultation/liaison
e) patient education

(3) Order diagnostic studies such as laboratory tests x-rays electrocardiograms (EKGs) etc. including HIV tests and evaluate results of such tests.
(4) Provide psychiatric on-call coverage.
(5) Provide psychiatric Consultation-Liaison coverage as assigned.
(6) Conducting complete psychiatric evaluations (including the mental status evaluation).
(7) Prescribe appropriate pharmaceutical agents for smoking cessation.
(8) Prescribe Buprenorphine. (If applicable)
(9) Prescribe Clozapine. (If applicable)
(10) Prescribe evidenced based pharmacotherapy for substance use disorders
(11) Initiate and refill prescriptions for all medications.
(12) Monitor and record patient progress.
(13) Obtain consent for hospitalization tests & medications.
(14) Carry out health promotion and disease prevention activities including education and shared decision-making.
(15) Provide education and counseling of patients and families in preventive care medical conditions and use of prescribed treatments and medications.
(16) Write orders and notes in CPRS (Computerized Patient Record System).
(17) Administer and document Suicide Risk Assessment in CPRS.
(18) Perform other delegated tasks not specifically outlined herein upon the direction of supervising chiefs.
(19) Provide telephone consultation with patients and family members.
(20) Function as member of assigned committees task forces and investigative teams.
(21) Teach and supervise medical students PA students psychiatry (and as needed residents from other specialties) residents and fellows
and NP students.
(22) Modality of care may include telehealth from a VA owned/leased facility or telehealth from the providers home directly into the Veterans home. (Contingent on approval of Chief of Psychiatry).
(23) Position may work with the Mental Health Intensive Case Management Program (MHICM) and provide psychopharmacological services as required.


Work Schedule: Compressed tour available with supervisor approval.

• 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 ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers 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.

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.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard please visit Requirements: VA Handbook 5019/1 Part II Pre-Placement Physical Examination and Evaluation.

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 candidates credentials clearly demonstrate high professional attainment or expertise in the specialty area.