Physician (Psychiatry Section Chief)

Veterans Health Administration•Charlotte, NC

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Mental Health Service Line provides care in several psychiatric settings: inpatient units, ambulatory programs, residential program for substance abuse, residential program for PTSD, emergency department, medical-surgical ward psychiatric consultation and geriatrics with extended programs. Psychiatrists within the Mental Health Service are able to perform and teach all of the services required in the practice of psychiatry to psychiatry residents. Section Chief duties include but are not limited to: Provide clinical and administrative coverage for Outpatient Mental Health. Be part of an on-call rotation of psychiatrists, which may include rounds on acute patients during weekends and holiday. Supervise psychiatry staff. Provide the general oversight of advanced clinical providers working in Mental Health. Provide clinical coverage of Inpatient Units and Outpatient Units, as necessary. Advice and counsel workers on work and administrative matters. Participate and coordinate Medical Center clinical committees. Managing Psychiatry discipline -specific issues/concerns as appropriate to the authority delegated. Work with the other Mental Health supervisors to ensure that appropriate disposition services and meaningful therapeutic treatments are being offered throughout the department. Act in the absence of Mental Health Service Chief and serves on the management team of the Mental Health Service Line. Review and approval/disapproval of leave requests. Assure that subordinates are trained and fully compliant with the provisions of safety regulations. Additional duties include: Application of accepted protocols for assessment of the individual presenting for psychiatric care. Diagnostic description or formulation to guide appropriate acute and secondary treatment interventions. Provision of psychiatric care according to privileges. Availability for emergency psychiatric interventions during on-call hours. Provide or assist residents and/or Advanced Clinical Providers in the process of evaluation and treatment of the psychiatric patient, and actively participate in corrective actions against untoward responses to psychiatric interventions. Evaluates patient to assess changes in the physical and mental status. Ensure progress notes are written in the patient's chart. Perform inpatient and outpatient psychiatry evaluations and treatment as the team leader. Participate in various hospital committees, departmental and hospital in-service programs, and education programs of the department and the hospital. Be involved in continuous quality improvement through the peer review process. Initiate or participate in an ongoing research activity. Obtain faculty appointments to affiliated medical schools as applicable (teaching medical students, residents and other disciplines is essential). Regularly creates and maintains an environment that ensures confidentiality of privacy for patients. Promotes teamwork by cooperating with and supporting staff, visitors and customers in achieving the hospitals mission.

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.
Proficiency in spoken and written English.
Board Certification by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) or the American Osteopathic Association (AOA)
Must pass a pre-employment physical examination in accordance with VA Directive and Handbook 5019.
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.
Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted.
Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) for the year in which the degree was granted.
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.
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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents).
Effective May 7, 2025, driver's 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.

Nice To Haves

NOTE : VA physicians involved in academic training programs may be required to be board certified for faculty status.)
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
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
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.
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.
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 candidate's credentials clearly demonstrate high professional attainment or expertise in the specialty area.

Responsibilities

Provide clinical and administrative coverage for Outpatient Mental Health
Be part of an on-call rotation of psychiatrists, which may include rounds on acute patients during weekends and holiday
Supervise psychiatry staff
Provide the general oversight of advanced clinical providers working in Mental Health
Provide clinical coverage of Inpatient Units and Outpatient Units, as necessary
Advice and counsel workers on work and administrative matters
Participate and coordinate Medical Center clinical committees
Managing Psychiatry discipline -specific issues/concerns as appropriate to the authority delegated
Work with the other Mental Health supervisors to ensure that appropriate disposition services and meaningful therapeutic treatments are being offered throughout the department
Act in the absence of Mental Health Service Chief and serves on the management team of the Mental Health Service Line
Review and approval/disapproval of leave requests
Assure that subordinates are trained and fully compliant with the provisions of safety regulations
Application of accepted protocols for assessment of the individual presenting for psychiatric care
Diagnostic description or formulation to guide appropriate acute and secondary treatment interventions
Provision of psychiatric care according to privileges
Availability for emergency psychiatric interventions during on-call hours
Provide or assist residents and/or Advanced Clinical Providers in the process of evaluation and treatment of the psychiatric patient, and actively participate in corrective actions against untoward responses to psychiatric interventions
Evaluates patient to assess changes in the physical and mental status.
Ensure progress notes are written in the patient's chart.
Perform inpatient and outpatient psychiatry evaluations and treatment as the team leader
Participate in various hospital committees, departmental and hospital in-service programs, and education programs of the department and the hospital.
Be involved in continuous quality improvement through the peer review process
Initiate or participate in an ongoing research activity.
Obtain faculty appointments to affiliated medical schools as applicable (teaching medical students, residents and other disciplines is essential)
Regularly creates and maintains an environment that ensures confidentiality of privacy for patients
Promotes teamwork by cooperating with and supporting staff, visitors and customers in achieving the hospitals mission

Benefits

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be authorized for highly qualified applicants
Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Position(s) listed under this Open Continuous Announcement (OCA) MAY be eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program.
Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases
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)
Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory
Possible $1,000 per year reimbursement (must be full-time with board certification)
Free liability protection with tail coverage provided
No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package.
As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding.