Psychiatrist- Mental Health Connect

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until September 30, 2026 or until all positions are filled. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be 25 May 2026, with subsequent cut-off dates every two weeks. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred to at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards.

Major Duties and Responsibilities to include but not be limited to:

• Provides a full range of psycho-diagnostic services including assessment and the
• most appropriate psychotherapeutic techniques in providing quality care.
• Performs psychiatric evaluations for a diverse population of patients of males,
• females, geriatric, and post deployment combat veterans who are mentally ill and
• have psychosocial issues that may include homelessness, unemployment, and
• poor family support network.
• Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions to units/programs in the
• Community Based Outpatient Clinics to which the psychiatrist is assigned and has
• clinical privileges to practice including diagnostic assessment, medication
• evaluation and management, suicide risk assessments, crisis intervention, and
• overall care of patients with psychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety,
• psychosis, PTSD, substance abuse, and other psychiatric disorders in various
• clinical settings including the outpatient, inpatient, emergency department, primary
• care/mental health integrated programs, and hospital ward settings.
• Ensures that the practice of psychiatric medicine is consistent with Joint
• Commission, CARF, VA policies and procedures, clinical practice psychiatric
• guidelines, VISN standards, national statutes and regulations, medical record
• documentation, mandatory continuing education, and HIPPA policies.
• Participates in supervision and teaching in support of the psychiatric residency
• program, performs on call duties, and performs other directly related duties as
• assigned.
• Involved in the supervision and teaching of psychiatry residents and other trainees
• assigned to unit as appropriate.
• Serve as a consultant to other medical center staff and trainees and assist in
• implementation of treatment plan as appropriate regarding their patients.
• Is responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation
• required by the Medical Center or healthcare system, as appropriate.

Recruitment/Relocation Incentive: A recruitment incentive may be authorized for highly qualified applicants.
EDRP Authorized: Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) Authorized: This position is eligible for EDRP, a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of your start date. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP Participants are ineligible to apply for the program. Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport@va.gov for questions/assistance.
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 $1,000 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
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Work Schedule: 8:00AM-4:30PM - Monday - Friday, 40 hours/per week

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.

Additional Requirement: Board Certification or eligible by the American Board of Psychiatry

Preferred Experience: 2 years or more of Psychiatry Experience

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: The work is mostly sedentary and is performed in a health care setting for treating patients with a variety of medical problems. Normal safety precautions and practices are required for working in a healthcare environment. Other physical demands include reaching, bending, stretching, walking, and carrying light loads of supplies. The position often entails long periods of sitting at a computer, rigid deadlines, the need for a high degree of accuracy, high stress situations, and the ability to adapt work plans based on hospital needs.

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 candidate's credentials clearly demonstrate high professional attainment or expertise in the specialty area.