Physician (Assistant Service Chief - Mental & Behavioral Health)

The Deputy Chief for Mental and Behavioral Health Service (DC for MBHS), Durham VA Health Care System, works closely with the Associate Chief of Staff for Mental and Behavioral Health Service (ACOS for MBHS). The DC for MBHS is a member of the MBHS Executive team and in that capacity supports other leaders (supervisors, program managers, clinic directors) within the service. The DC acts as a delegated authority for the ACOS for MBHS.

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

EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
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.

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 include but are not limited to the following:

• The DC for MBHS assists the ACOS with the planning, design, implementation, accomplishment, ongoing evaluation and measurement of mental health programs. The DC for MBHS will be assisting in developing strategic plans, policies, procedures, and organizational structures required to fulfill the MBHS and Durham VA missions to deliver outstanding and timely clinical care, support nationally recognized educational programs across several disciplines, and advance healthcare through research.
• The DC for MBHS will demonstrate extensive and progressive leadership experience as a clinician and administrator. The candidate will possess the ability to promote innovation, inspire organizational excellence, and to build and sustain multidisciplinary teams devoted to the development and promotion of behavioral health programs and services that are evidence-based, cost-effective and veteran-centric. Ideal candidates will be board-certified physicians (Psychiatry), VA Senior/Supervisory Psychologists, or Social Workers. The candidate must have significant mentoring and executive-level management experience in clinical/administrative settings and demonstrated operations and planning experience in a tertiary care environment. A strong working knowledge of VA health care standards is essential.
• The DC for MBHS works closely with the ACOS for MBHSL, extending relationships with the Medical Center Director, Chief of Staff office, Social Work Services, Nursing services to operate in a fiscally responsible manner. Under the ACOS for MBHSL, the DC for MBHS supports agency priorities for staff services, education, business management. The DC achieves VA objectives in quality of services and programs across the service line, as evaluated by internal indicators, regulatory and accreditation reviews, and patient satisfaction data, serves as a liaison for the Service Line to internal and external stakeholders. The DC participates in identifying and recommending candidates for selection, reassignment or promotions into management positions within the programs managed by MHSL.
• The DC (physician) will oversee and have supervisory responsibility over: Quality improvement and consult triage, Provides direct supervision to a group of staff who provide support to the MHSL, Outpatient Division, Greenville Division, Administrative support line within the MBHSL. The DC will provide direct health care to patients within incumbent's area of expertise, on a limited basis.

Work Schedule: Full Time, Monday - Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm, with some occasional weekend and evening call duties

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 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 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), b) OR[(2) Those approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA),OR(3) Other residencies (non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of five years of verified practice in the United States), 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.
• 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 or fee-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.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.

Provide beginning and dates for Education and Residencies. Provide Licensure certification information within your application.

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

Physical Requirements: This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. This position requires mostly periods of continued walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, and pushing. Transferring patients and objects may be required. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations. The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients/residents who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on stakeholder needs.

Please see VA Directive and Handbook 5019 for more information.

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.