Physician (Psychiatrist)

Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized for Highly Qualified Applicants.

This is an Open-Continuous announcement that will remain open until the position is filled. Applications will be reviewed in the order received and will be sent to the hiring manager for consideration

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

Duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Physician will provide consultation services and follow up of Psychiatry patients, in his or her designated field, in the inpatient and/or outpatient setting, at the VA Medical center in Asheville NC or one of the affiliated CBOCs (Community Based Outpatient Clinics).
• Typical work hours are Monday to Friday 8:00A- 4:30P. Alternative work hours, if desired, should be agreed upon at the time of joining: Each full-time provider is required to work a minimum of 80 hours per pay period (every two weeks) unless on leave status.
• On-call duties and change of Tour of Duty (TOD) will be assigned as necessary, primarily for coverage of inpatients.
• During employment, participation in special projects pertinent to assigned Psychiatry or sub-specialty may be necessary as the projects become available with strategic or other initiatives. Examples of such projects may be SUD, Geriatric clinic, and chronic psychiatric disease management program.
• When working with inpatients, provider is expected to participate in discharge planning and other interdisciplinary patient care plan activities. During this time, information regarding patient status should be discussed with the Inpatient Psychiatrist and other team members and ensure proper hand off at the end of the shift as necessary.
• Physicians may be assigned duty as a supervising or collaborating physician for a midlevel provider. Physicians are expected to provide clinical oversight and review.
• Supervising or collaborating responsibilities and performance will be noted in the physician's performance evaluation
• Most providers will need to act as surrogates for the patients of their colleagues, when one or more of their colleagues are on leave
• All physicians need to follow departmental and VHA policies for leave and attendance and will work within Title 38 appointment guidelines. Currently, VHA guidelines do not permit comp time or overtime pay for physicians. Leave should be requested in as much advance notice as possible to minimize disruption to patient care services. All unscheduled absences must be properly communicated.
• A progress note must be entered on all inpatients on which the Psychiatrist rounds during day tour on a weekday, and on weekends or holidays. Timely documentation is necessary in all areas in accordance with departmental policy. All administrative work should be completed in a timely fashion. The discharge summary may be dictated, all other inpatient documentation should be entered by the physician into the medical record directly. Prohibited abbreviations should not be used.
• Quality of care should be able to always meet professional standards.
• All physicians will always work within their privileges, unless necessitated by an emergency.

Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized for Highly Qualified Applicants.

EDRP Authorized: 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 for incentive. Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@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

Work Schedule: 8:00am - 4:30pm Monday - Friday

Telework: Ad-hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Remote: This is not a remote position

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: All applicants must be physically able to perform the duties of the position. A pre-placement physical examination shall be completed prior to appointment

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.

• U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• 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 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.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.