Physician - Psychiatrist

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.

Central Arkansas Veterans Health System (CAVHS) is seeking a Psychiatrist to work with multidisciplinary mental health team at a the North Little Rock Veterans Healthcare Facility. He/she may participate in education and training of psychiatry residents, medical students, psychology interns, and allied health trainees; and, if time permits, may participate in research projects. This position may involve rotation with other physicians for weekend/holiday patient coverage.

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

EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact Lashala Goodman- lashala.goodman@va.gov- the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases
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

Duties and responsibilities may vary to include, but not limited to the following:

• Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions including diagnostic assessments, medication evaluation and management, suicide risk assessments, crisis intervention, psychotherapy, and overall care of patients with psychiatric disorders.
• Modalities for patient care include face-to-face, video teleconference, and telephone calls as clinically appropriate. Provider must be able to incorporate alternative encounter modalities into clinical care.
• Ensures practice of psychiatric medicine is consistent with TJC, CARF, HIPPA, VA policies and procedures, clinical practice guidelines, national statutes and regulations, medical record documentation, and maintain mandatory continuing education.
• Maintains appropriate licensing and board certifications as applicable.
• Participates effectively in team meetings and collaborates with interdisciplinary team members to enhance coordination of comprehensive patient care.
• Assessment/evaluation and medication management of veterans who suffer from a variety of mental health conditions, including, but not limited to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, substance abuse, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, psychosis, and other related conditions
• Initiate consultations and referrals to other services as indicated.
• Work with families of patients receiving psychiatric care.
• Provide and document education and counseling of patients and patients' families in preventive care, medical treatments, and the use of prescribed medications.
• Accept and manage calls from other psychiatric services, emergency department, and the hospital.
• Appropriate and timely completion of medical records, including progress notes, consults, history and physicals, and discharge summaries.
• Perform clinical work describing human behavior, determining the reasons for that behavior and predicting and/or modifying the behavior.
• Oversees other professionals and/or works as a key team member providing comprehensive psychiatric and medical care for a group of individuals.
• Promotes a psychotherapeutic atmosphere among the professional treatment staff.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am-4:30pm. This position may involve rotation with other physicians for weekend/holiday patient coverage.

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.

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

Physical Requirements:

• Light lifting, under 15 pounds
• Light carrying, under 15 pounds
• Reaching above shoulder
• Walking (1 hours)
• Standing (1 hours)
• Hearing (aid permitted)

Environmental Factors

• Outside and Inside
• Working closely with others

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.