Physician - Supervisory Psychiatrist

Veterans Health Administration • Fayetteville, AR

13h

About The Position

The Supervisory Psychiatrist provides psychiatric care to a diverse population, including geriatric and post-deployment combat Veterans, who may experience mental illness and psychosocial challenges such as homelessness, unemployment, and limited family support. Care is provided face-to-face, by tele-video, and by phone as clinically appropriate, in both outpatient and inpatient settings.

The role provides diagnostic assessment, medication evaluation and management, suicide risk assessment, crisis intervention, psychotherapy, and comprehensive care for psychiatric disorders. In the outpatient setting, appointments are one hour for new patients and 30 minutes for follow-ups. In the inpatient setting, the physician works with an interdisciplinary team, manages patients from admission through discharge with assistance from physician assistants, and may perform inpatient consultations. The physician orders diagnostic tests and consultations, interprets findings, makes treatment decisions, and documents evaluations, risk assessments, progress notes, and other records.

The physician ensures clinical practice complies with applicable Joint Commission (TJC) standards, HIPAA, VA policies and procedures, clinical practice guidelines, statutes and regulations, documentation requirements, and mandatory continuing education. The role collaborates with interdisciplinary team members to coordinate comprehensive patient care. The position is scheduled Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with on-call duties as required. The position may be eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program, subject to its eligibility and approval requirements.

Requirements

• Doctor of Medicine or equivalent degree in allopathic or osteopathic medicine from an appropriately approved or accredited institution.
• Current, full, and unrestricted license to practice medicine or surgery in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia.
• Completion of qualifying residency training in an accredited core specialty training program leading to board-certification eligibility, or an applicable alternative training and independent-practice pathway described in the announcement.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• U.S. citizenship, except that non-citizens may be appointed when qualified citizens cannot be recruited under VA policy.
• Pass a pre-employment physical evaluation.
• Participation in the VA seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Complete applicable onboarding and application requirements; selected applicants are subject to background/security investigation and pre-employment drug testing.

Nice To Haves

• Board eligibility or certification in Psychiatry.
• Experience providing mental health care through telehealth modalities.
• Experience as a member of a multidisciplinary treatment team providing a full range of mental health services.
• Demonstrated high-level practice using evidence-based medicine principles with patients who have complex illnesses.
• Excellent customer service skills with internal and external customers.

Responsibilities

• Perform psychiatric evaluations for a diverse population, including geriatric and post-deployment combat Veterans with mental illness and psychosocial challenges.
• Provide diagnostic assessment, medication evaluation and management, suicide risk assessments, crisis intervention, psychotherapy, and care for psychiatric disorders.
• Provide patient care face-to-face, by tele-video, and by phone as clinically appropriate.
• Ensure psychiatric practice follows TJC standards, HIPAA, VA policies and procedures, clinical practice guidelines, statutes and regulations, medical-record documentation requirements, and mandatory continuing education requirements.
• Participate in team meetings and collaborate with interdisciplinary team members to coordinate comprehensive patient care.
• Order diagnostic tests and consultations, determine normal and abnormal findings, and make appropriate treatment decisions.
• Manage outpatient care, including one-hour appointments for new patients and 30-minute appointments for follow-ups.
• Work with an interdisciplinary inpatient team, including physician assistants, social workers, and nursing staff, to manage psychiatric inpatients from admission through discharge.
• Perform inpatient consultations when required.
• Document psychiatric evaluations, suicide risk assessments, daily progress notes, and other applicable clinical records.
• Provide on-call coverage as required.

Benefits

• Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), subject to eligibility and approval; awards may be up to $200,000 over one to five years.
• Potential recruitment or relocation incentive for highly qualified applicants.
• 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 a possible five-day paid absence for continuing medical education.
• Traditional federal pension, with five-year vesting, and federal 401(k) with up to 5% in VA contributions.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many programs may be carried into retirement.
• Possible $1,000 per year CME reimbursement for full-time physicians with board certification.
• Free liability protection with tail coverage.
• No physician employment contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting.

What This Job Offers

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