Physician (Psychiatry Lead)

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.

Located in the Rogue Valley, White City allows easy access to Metro-area of Medford while remaining engrossed with nature. White City is an unincorporated community in Jackson County, Oregon, in the Rogue Valley. It is about nine miles north of Medford and 34 miles north of the California border. Enjoy the scenic drives to either Crater Lake, Oregon's only National Park, and to the mountain resort Lake of the Woods. Take a family-friendly hike to a waterfall or ride the only section of the Pacific Crest Trail that's open to mountain bikers.

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

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized to highly qualified applicants.
Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Learn more.
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact V20CompensationTeam@va.gov and 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

The Lead Psychiatrist is assigned to the Behavioral Health Service Line (BHSL) and provides expert guidance and advisement for the VA Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinics (VA SORCC) practice of psychiatry as well as performs direct patient care, including comprehensive psychiatric assessment and treatment to Veterans with BHSL. Clinical Responsibilities (80%); Lead Psychiatrist Responsibilities (20%).

Functions or Scope of Assigned Duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Provides clinical care within the Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program including intake and follow-up care.
• Provides clinical care within Outpatient Behavioral Health including intake appointments, medication management, same-day access, and other clinical reviews as needed.
• Provides clinical coverage for staff on leave including planned surrogacy for providers on leave.
• Provides direct patient care including comprehensive psychiatric assessment and diagnostic services for Veterans with a broad range of psychopathology receiving care within the BHSL, including services for patients with complex psychopathology requiring advanced diagnostic and intervention skills.
• Provides direct patient care through education to patients and family members regarding Behavioral disorders and best practice approaches to treatment.
• Provides direct patient care through comprehensive assessment of Veterans at imminent risk of harm to self and/or others (including grave disability), and facilitates admission for acute psychiatric hospitalization.
• Provides direct patient care through evidence-based pharmacotherapy with evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions as indicated and appropriate.
• Provides direct patient care through the ordering, monitoring, and responding to all necessary laboratory and radiological assessments.
• Responsible for the initiation of appropriate health care consults and referrals for all direct-care patients as applicable.
• Provides consultation to health care providers about assessment findings and treatment plan for all direct-care patients to ensure that care is coordinated, collaborative, and integrated within the Medical Center.
• Develops, implements, and documents within the Behavioral health treatment plan for all direct-care patients as indicated and appropriate for the specific job setting and duties of the psychiatric provider.
• Complies with all Service Line documentation requirements, including standards for timely completion of documentation within the electronic health record (EHR) including but not limited to: patient contact notes, use of required documentation templates, clinical reminders, treatment plans, and risk assessment protocols.
• Adheres to all Facility and Service Line policies and practices for delivering direct patient care, including but not limited to direct risk assessment and risk mitigation practices for potentially dangerous behavior (suicide and violence), timeliness of care and access standards, professional conduct requirements, and EHR documentation convention.

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

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 Requirements: Preferred completion of Psychiatry Residency at APA Accredited Training Program; Minimum of board eligible for psychiatry, but board certified preferred; Experience practicing in psychiatric residential care units, Acute Psychiatric Unites (APUs), and Behavioral Health, Minimum 1 year experience leading people or a clinical program are a plus.

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.