Physician - Psychiatrist (Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program)

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 ANNOUNCMENT and will remain open until August 3, 2026. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be August 10, 2026, with subsequent cut-off dates every 2 weeks. Eligible applications received after that date will be accepted on an ongoing basis and qualified candidates will be considered as vacancies become available.**

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

Work Schedule: 8:00am-4:30pm Mon-Fri
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized
Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Learn more.
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact V21CCOEEDRP@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

The staff physician (psychiatry) is assigned to the VA San Francisco Health Care System (VASFHCS), Mental Health Service, providing comprehensive, efficient, compassionate, high quality healthcare to all patients, functioning as a member of the inter-disciplinary team providing clinical care to the patients at VASFHCS. As a Staff Psychiatrist, the incumbent serves as an attending psychiatrist for the SFVA Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) in which they provide comprehensive outpatient care within the clinic, supervision and mentorship of UCSF trainees, and also serves as VA faculty back up for on call residents at the SFVA. The incumbent is part of a multidisciplinary team providing general mental health care to Veterans, with a wide array of psychiatric disorders including Major Depression and other Mood Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Post Traumatic Stress Disorders, Schizophrenia and other Psychotic Disorders, and Substance Use Disorders. Duties include complying with VA directives, providing supervision and mentorship of UCSF trainees and also serving as VA faculty back up, providing supervision for on call UCSF residents at the SFVA.

Major duties include but may not be limited to:

• Participate in an effective clinical program with attention to patient outcome indicators
• Practice within the scope of assigned privileges.
• Comply with the bylaws, rules and regulations of the facility and agency.
• Meet medical staff criteria for initial appointment and reappointment, including ongoing CME.
• Comply with prescribed record keeping practices in accordance with the rules, regulations and bylaws.
• Comply with prescribed information security policy and procedures.
• Work effectively with patients, families, staff, coworkers and other health care professionals.
• Participate in Medical Service educational activities and scheduled meetings.
• Comply with assigned Peer Reviews and maintaining quality assurance standards.
• Complete all assigned health record reviews, peer reviews, etc., within the identified timeframes.
• Additional duties as assigned.

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 eligibility in Psychiatry is required.

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

Physical Requirements: The physical demands of this position involve primarily walking, talking, driving, use of the telephone and computer , etc. Strenuous physical activity is not required although the incumbent is expected to withstand pressure and stress as part of their daily activities. Light lifting and carrying - under 15 pounds. Hearing aid permitted as needed.

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.