Physician - MD/DO - Assistant Chief of Psychiatry and Mental Health

Veterans Health Administration • Indianapolis, IN

5d • Onsite

About The Position

The Assistant Chief of Psychiatry within the Psychiatry and Mental Health Service assists with the service’s clinical and administrative functions. The role participates in and oversees performance improvement and system redesign activities, and advances appropriate management and standards of care for Veteran patients in inpatient and outpatient settings. The position is divided between 50% administrative duties and 50% clinical duties at the R.L. Roudebush VA Medical Center.

In the administrative portion, the Assistant Chief works with the Service Chief on section management and on developing, administering, coordinating, and implementing departmental policies and procedures. The position serves as the Psychiatry/Psychiatrist Discipline Lead, ensuring psychiatric and physician providers’ privileges and scopes of practice meet VHA, statutory, and licensure requirements, and providing discipline input on competencies and focused and ongoing professional practice evaluations. The Assistant Chief may supervise staff and sections, attend assigned VA committee meetings, review service performance measures with section leads, and develop gap analyses and corrective action or performance improvement plans. The role manages physician, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, and psychologist credentialing in coordination with Credentialing Service, reviews inpatient bed utilization measures with Utilization Management staff, and assumes the Service Chief’s duties during the Chief’s absence.

In the clinical portion, the physician oversees psychiatric care for patients in the assigned area, assists residents and nurse practitioners with evaluation and treatment, evaluates changes in patients’ physical and mental status, and performs inpatient psychiatric evaluations and treatment when applicable. The physician participates in treatment team meetings and patient-care discussions to guide appropriate psychiatric care.

Requirements

• Doctor of Medicine or equivalent degree in allopathic or osteopathic medicine from an appropriately accredited institution.
• Current, full, and unrestricted license to practice medicine or surgery in a U.S. state, territory, Commonwealth, or the District of Columbia; maintain current state registration if required for active licensure.
• Completion of residency training approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in an accredited core specialty program leading to board-certification eligibility, or an applicable alternative training and practice pathway described in the announcement.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• U.S. citizenship, except that non-citizens may be appointed when qualified U.S. citizens cannot be recruited in accordance with VA policy.
• Pass a pre-employment physical evaluation or examination.
• Meet applicable physical requirements under VA Directive and Handbook 5019.
• Selected applicants are subject to pre-employment urinalysis, background/security investigation, and completion of onboarding requirements.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is required.
• Males born after December 31, 1959, must be registered with Selective Service.
• Complete all application requirements in the announcement’s Required Documents section.

Nice To Haves

• Experience assisting with the clinical and administrative functions of the Psychiatry and Mental Health Service.

Responsibilities

• Assist with the clinical and administrative functions of the Psychiatry and Mental Health Service.
• Participate in and oversee performance improvement and system redesign activities, and advance appropriate management and standards of care for Veterans in inpatient and outpatient settings.
• Perform administrative assignments for the Service Chief and collaborate on section management and departmental policies and procedures.
• Serve as Psychiatry/Psychiatrist Discipline Lead for the service.
• Ensure clinical privileges and scopes of practice for psychiatric and physician providers meet VHA, statutory, and licensure requirements.
• Provide discipline input on competencies and FPPE/OPPE for physicians, advanced practice nurses, and physician assistants.
• Supervise staff and sections when assigned by the Service Chief.
• Attend relevant VA institutional committee meetings as assigned by the Chief of Psychiatry.
• Assess service performance metrics with section leads and address deficiencies through gap analyses and corrective action plans.
• Manage credentialing for service physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and psychologists, and coordinate with Credentialing Service to keep OPPE/FPPE current.
• Review inpatient bed utilization performance measures with VA Utilization Management staff and develop gap analyses and performance improvement plans where indicated.
• Assume all Service Chief duties during the Chief’s absence.
• Oversee psychiatric care for patients in the physician’s assigned area.
• Provide or assist residents and nurse practitioners with patient evaluation and treatment.
• Evaluate changes in patients’ physical and mental status during care.
• Perform inpatient psychiatric evaluations and treatment for assigned patients when applicable.
• Participate in treatment team meetings and patient-care discussions to guide appropriate psychiatric care.

Benefits

• Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, and regular salary increases.
• 50–55 days of paid time off per year, including 26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays, and possible five-day paid absence for CME.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.
• Possible $1,000 per year CME reimbursement for full-time employees with board certification.
• Free liability protection with tail coverage.
• Education Debt Reduction Program eligibility, with awards up to $200,000 subject to program requirements and review.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree