Physician (Psychiatry) - Chief of Psychiatry

This is a virtual position. It is not a remote role. The selected candidate must live within 50 miles of a VA Medical Center, VA facility, or VA-leased space, and will report for duty at their nearest VHA location. Duty Location of VA Northern Arizona Health Care System is preferred. Highly qualified applicants may be considered for a virtual duty location. A final virtual job offer requires meeting the 50-mile residency requirement and obtaining approval to work at a VA facility.

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The VA Northern Arizona Healthcare System is one of the leading health care systems serving Veterans in the VA Desert Pacific Network. We're an innovative care center within the Veterans Integrated Service Network 22 (VISN 22).

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

Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): May be authorized for highly qualified candidates.
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

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Manages all professional, clinical and administrative activities within the Psychiatry Section, MHBS including selection, orientation, and continuing education of staff.
• Assures that all Psychiatric staff receive education on assessing and managing pain.
• Monitors and evaluates the quality of care provided in the Psychiatry Section, including access, efficiency, effectiveness and appropriateness of care and treatment of patients served by the SL and the clinical/professional performance of all individuals in the Psychiatry Section. Monitoring and evaluation within the Psychiatry Section will include case reviews, quality of psychosocial intakes, drug-usage evaluation, medical record reviews, risk management, patient safety data, sentinel event data, appropriateness of clinical practice patterns, and utilization review as reported by committees tasked with these functions.
• Assures that individuals in the Psychiatry Section with clinical privileges competently provide service within the scope of privileges granted.
• Recommends to the Medical Executive Board the criteria for clinical privileges that are relevant to the care provided in the Psychiatry Section.
• Recommends appointment and clinical privileges for each medical staff member of the Psychiatry Section.
• Reviews Psychiatry provider performance improvement activities and data as part of the renewal of privileges/scope of practice.
• Develops and implements procedures that guide & support the provision of care, treatment & services within the Psychiatry Section.
• Conducts continuous assessment and improvement of the quality of care, treatment, and services within the Psychiatry Section.
• Reviews appropriate supply and demand data within individual Psychiatry clinics via a variety of reports.
• Pulls and reviews reports related to Psychiatry provider clinic utilization as mapped to the assigned MCA DSS labor report; ensuring maximum use of provider time to accommodate patient care needs and balance supply & demand based on variation to the system.
• Develops backlog reduction plans for the Psychiatry Section when delays occur.
• Assists the Mental Health Programs Manager in developing and executing a viable contingency plan policy & process within the Psychiatry Section.
• Promotes and enforces compliance with access targets, measures, metrics, policies, etc. withing the Psychiatry Section.
• Reviews Psychiatry clinic profiles on a regular basis & updating as appropriate.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM

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.

Preferred Experience:

• Demonstrated leadership experience in managing psychiatric services within a multidisciplinary healthcare setting, including oversight of clinical operations, staff supervision, and program development.
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively with medical directors, nursing leadership, and allied health professionals to ensure high-quality patient care and compliance with regulatory standards.
• Experience in developing, implementing, and evaluating evidence-based psychiatric treatment protocols and quality improvement initiatives.
• Familiarity with VA or similar healthcare systems, including knowledge of hybrid Title 38 occupational standards and relevant federal regulations.
• Successful track record in recruiting, mentoring, and retaining clinical staff, fostering a positive work environment, and promoting professional development.
• Expertise in managing complex patient populations, including those with serious mental illness, substance use disorders, and co-occurring medical conditions.
• Experience with electronic health records, clinical documentation, and data-driven decision-making to support patient care and operational efficiency.
• Ability to lead and participate in interdisciplinary committees, workgroups, and performance improvement projects.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to represent the Psychiatry Section in internal and external forums.

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

Physical Requirements: VA Handbook 5019/1, Part II, Pre-Placement Physical Examination and Evaluation.

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.