The Associate Chief, Mental Health Service oversees and manages MH Service Program Managers as well as the Psychiatry /Psychology Discipline Chiefs, and their operations. He/she reports to the Associate Chief of Staff, MH Service. They will direct and oversees the Psychiatry Residency Program and participates in supervision and teaching in support of the psychiatric residency program and performs direct clinical care of patients as assigned. 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. Preferred Experience: Board certified in Psychiatry; Minimum of 2 years clinical experience as a Supervisory Physician; Must possess a current, active, full, and unrestricted license to practice psychiatry; Recent Outpatient/Inpatient psychiatric Healthcare experience; Experience as a member of a multi-disciplinary treatment team providing a full range of Mental Health Services to patients; Experience in managing Behavioral Health resident/intern programs; Demonstrates a high level of practice using evidence-based medicine principles involving patients who have complex illnesses; Skilled at multi-tasking, working under pressure of multiple responsibilities with deadlines, and providing Mental Health care through Telehealth modalities; Excellent customer service skills (internal and external customers) 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: Light lifting and carrying, walking (1 hour), standing (1 hour), repeated bending (15 minutes), climbing (1 hour), both legs required, ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, both eyes required, depth perception, ability to distinguish basic and shades of color, hearing (aid my be permitted), and mental and emotional stability. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service. ["Physician (Associate Chief, Mental Health Service) duties consist of but are not limited to the following: Commitment to the principles outlined in this directive and invite applicants from as many of the six core mental health professions (psychiatry, psychology, social work, nursing, marriage and family therapist, and licensed professional mental health counselor) as appropriate to the leadership requirements of the position. Performs psychiatric evaluations for a diverse geriatric homebound population, including geriatric and medically ill Veterans, who have mental illness and have psychosocial issues such as living in long term care settings such as ALF, CLC, MFH and community NH. All these Veterans are homebound and are followed by the HBPC team. Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions including diagnostic assessment, medication evaluation and management, suicide risk assessments, crisis intervention, and overall care of patients with psychiatric disorders in this setting. Ensures practice of psychiatric medicine is consistent with current standards of geriatric psychiatry care, TJC, CARF, HIPPA, VA policies and procedures, clinical practice guidelines, national statutes and regulations, medical record documentation, and mandatory continuing education. Orders diagnostic tests and consultations and discriminates between normal and abnormal findings and makes appropriate treatment decisions. May serve as a mental health team leader with responsibilities for coordinating consults and triage of consults. Psychiatrist will be expected to participate in the HBPC treatment team meetings. Participating effectively in team meetings and treatment planning conferences and collaborates with multidisciplinary team members that enhances coordination of comprehensive patient care Will maintain clinical privileges to practice which may include Mood D/O, anxiety, psychosis, PTSD, substance abuse, neurocognitive d/o and other psychiatric disorders in various clinical settings (outpatient, inpatient, ED, Medical Surgical Units) Supervise the various mental health sections/programs including section chief and program manager and will oversee the delivery of mental health care to veterans throughout the continuum of mental healthcare in both inpatient and outpatient settings. This position will be responsible for direct management of the Psychiatry Resident training program. Expertise in the field of mental health disorders, general knowledge of other physical health disorders, and biological treatment of mental health disorders including an in-depth knowledge of psychopharmacology and psychopharmacological interventions are required and are also essential and required clinical competence when an individual is tasked with being a site director of Psychiatry Residency Training Program including teaching resident physicians. Ensure the mental health service is able to not only maintain its new psychiatry residency training program but also expand it in the future, thus growth and expansion of its services to the Veterans in our catchment area. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM (may include evenings, weekends, holidays, and on-call responsibilities).\nCompressed/Flexible Schedule: Not Authorized.\nVirtual: This is not a virtual position.\nFunctional Statement Title: Physician (Associate Chief, Mental Health Service)\nRelocation/Recruitment Incentives: Is authorized to highly qualified candidates.\nFinancial Disclosure Report: Not Required\nEducation Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Authorized, see details in 'Education section'"]
Providing Health Care for Veterans: The Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1,255 health care facilities, including 170 medical centers and 1,074 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics), serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year.