Assistant Acute Care Chief - Mental & Behavioral Health Service

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.

Management Duties:

1. Promoting Recovery: The AACC is responsible for assisting the ACC in ensuring that the staff of PACD adheres to the principles and practices of recovery-driven mental health services. The AACC helps ensure that staff are trained in evidence-based recovery services and promote staff's implementation of these services within PACD.
2. Regulatory Standards: Acute Care Division Leadership and the AACC ensure that program services meet accreditation requirements and are compliant with regulatory and accountability standards such as those set forth by CARF, the Joint Commission, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), and VA Central Office (VACO).
3. Design, Implementation, and Evaluation Procedures: The AACC is responsible for overseeing the design, implementation, and evaluation of PACD consistent with evidence-based best practices in mental health. Specifically, the AACC will work with the ACC to oversee the development of program activities, services, record-keeping, schedules, policies, evaluation procedures, marketing brochures, educational resources, etc. The incumbent initiates goals and strategic plans and monitors progress towards these ends. The AACC serves as the back-up leader of PACD and convenes staff meetings and other meetings to promote effective functioning of PACD when the ACC is not available.
4. Maintaining Relationships: The AACC assists the ACC in liaising with other programs, departments, and stakeholders about the role of the DPACD and helps develop/maintain relationships with service line and supervisory staff. The incumbent seeks to identify internal and external customer needs and sets for procedures to meet those needs.
5. Staffing and Work Assignments: The AACC assists the ACC in identifying and organizing work to be accomplished by staff within PACD according to priorities related to the MBHS and DVAHCS mission and goals. The AACC works with supervisors as needed to resolve scheduling problems, to oversee the setting of clear schedules, defining expectations for work completion, while providing flexibility that reflects the complex nature of the problems of the Veteran population served.
6. Clinical Operations: The AACC assists the ACC in addressing coverage issues, managing day-to-day conflicts, and liaising with administrative staff both internal to the MBHS service and throughout the hospital. The AACC may advocate for clinic space, equipment, and technology resource allocation that best meets the needs of PACD and the broader service and facility. Along with Division leadership, the AACC is involved with decision-making about clinical services provided and admission criteria, program operations, and reporting requirements.

The above list is not all inclusive

Work Schedule: Depending on primary location of work (hospitalist vs non-hospitalist), position will include 80h over 2 weeks with rotating weekend work and/or evening work and call responsibilities.

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

Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Learn more.

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.

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

Clinical Duties: In addition to administrative and leadership activities, the AACC provides clinical services consistent with their scope of practice with the PACD. The AACC independently provides clinical assessment, treatment, psychiatric rehabilitation, and other appropriate mental health services to Veterans and their family members as assigned.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS. To qualify for appointment to this position, all applicants must possess the following:
a. Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.) in accordance with section 38 U.S.C. § 7402(c). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens according to 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).

b. Education. 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, or
(2) Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation of the American Osteopathic Association for the year in which the degree was granted.
For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, facility officials must confirm that the medical school meets (or met) Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) eligibility requirements for the year the candidate graduated.

NOTE: The Under Secretary for 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.

c. Licensure/Registration. Physicians must possess a 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. The Physician must maintain current registration in the state of licensure if this is a requirement for continuing active, current licensure.

NOTE: Individuals who have or have had multiple licenses and had any such license revoked for professional misconduct, professional incompetence or substandard care, or who surrendered such license after receiving written notice of potential termination of such license by the state for professional misconduct, professional incompetence, or substandard care, are not eligible for appointment to the position unless such revoked or surrendered license is fully restored (38 U.S.C. § 7402(f)). This requirement does not apply to licensed Physicians on VA rolls as of November 30, 1999, provided they maintain continuous appointment and are not disqualified for employment by any subsequent revocations or voluntary surrenders of state license, registration, or certification.

Loss of Credential. Management officials, in collaboration with HR Office staff must immediately relieve employees who fail to maintain the required licensure of the duties and responsibilities associated with this occupation which may also result in separation from employment.HR Office staff must appoint Physicians according to the provisions in VA Handbook, Part II, Chapter 3, Section B, paragraph 14, who have, or have ever had, their licensure revoked, suspended, denied, restricted, limited, or issued/placed in a probationary status.

Residency Training. Physicians must have successfully completed residency training, approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in an accredited core specialty training program (NOTE: VA Physicians involved in academic training programs may be required to be board certified for faculty status.) Approved residences are:
(1) Those approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) leading to eligibility for board certification,
OR
(2) Those approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) leading to eligibility for board certification,
OR
(3) 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
(4) Non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of three years of 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.
(a) Residents currently enrolled in ACGME or 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 (that is, 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. For more information, see paragraph 4b below.
(b) 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.

Board Certification. Physicians are generally not required to be board certified for employment in VA; however, three circumstances in VA require Physician board certification:
(1) If the position being filled is required to be a supervisor for medical students or Physician residents (including fellows), the LCME, ACGME, or AOA standards requiring a particular board certification credential will apply.
(2) If the position being filled will have faculty status with an affiliated medical school (for example, in joint recruitments with affiliated medical schools), then a medical school requirement for board certification will apply to the jointly recruited position.
(3) If the position being filled is required to be board certified by virtue of specific VHA policy (for example, as director of a cardiac catheterization laboratory or Director of Clinical Laboratory Medicine), then VHA policy requiring board certification will apply.

NOTE: Board certification must be maintained for the duration of time that the employee is serving in a position that meets the circumstances listed above.

Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.
English Language Proficiency. Physicians appointed to direct patient-care positions must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. § 7402(d) and 7407(d).

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

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.