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Summary 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. Responsibilities This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until July 8th, 2025. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be May 15th, 2025, with subsequent cut-off dates every 5 days. Eligible applications received after that date will be accepted on an ongoing basis and qualified candidates will be considered as vacancies become available. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Learn more. EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases Work Schedule: Full-time, : Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm; Alternate tours of duty may be considered to include evening hours and weekends upon provider's request and supervisor's discretion. 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 On-Call: Weeknight and weekend telephone and on-site on-call duties for either the Behavioral Health Intensive Care Unit (BHICU) at the Sacramento VA Medical Center or Joint Inpatient Mental Health Unit (JIMHU) located at Travis Air Force Base. On-call rotations last one week, can be conducted from home, and are usually Friday-Thursdays, including weekends and holidays. The rotations may include discussion of potential admissions to the inpatient psychiatric unit, evaluating patients requiring seclusion and restraint, evaluating emergent psychiatric consults on the medical/surgical, and rounding on the inpatient psychiatric unit during weekends and holidays. Psychiatrists generally are on-call three to five times per year depending on site The VA Northern California Health Care System (NCHCS) is currently recruiting for a full-time Psychiatrist for the NCHCS Addiction Recovery Treatment Services (ARTS) team primarily to provide same-day addiction services to help support patients with Substance Use Disorders (SUD), especially Alcohol and Opioid Use Disorder. The duty station will be at Sacramento VA Medical Center, Mather, CA. This position is on site and will be offering virtual support to other sites within VA NCHCS when indicated. The Ambulatory Withdrawal Management Psychiatrist works with ARTS nurse case managers to assess and diagnose patients; complete ambulatory detox, work with current ARTS Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner (CPP) to provide daily follow up until patients are stabilized; provide medications for psychiatric comorbidities as indicated; order and follow up with labs; and, coordinate care. In addition to same-day addiction services, the Psychiatrist provides SUD education to patients and staff; acts as ARTS liaisons to all other MH programs and medical departments; offers inpatient (med/surg and psychiatry) consults when indicated; and offers co-management with outpatient teams for complicated patients, including those that decline ARTS services. They will also care a panel of patients to ensure understanding of longitudinal care within ARTS. The Psychiatrist conducts assessments and formulates diagnoses; and develops treatment plans for patients with substance use and/or other psychiatric disorders, using an interdisciplinary team approach. The Psychiatrist manages psychiatric medication for patients; evaluates the general medical suitability of clinic patients for withdrawal management, detoxification and/or psychiatric hospitalization, including screening physical examinations; and assesses and intervenes with patients presenting in crisis. The Psychiatrist prescribes medications for the treatment of substance use disorders, including buprenorphine, as well as medications for other psychiatric disorders. Collaboration, coordination, and cooperation with colleagues within and across disciplines are essential skills. This Psychiatrist reports to the NCHCS ARTS Program Director and the NCHCS ARTS Medical Director. Psychiatrists may also have the opportunity for teaching and supervision of medical students and psychiatric residents and fellows through affiliation with the UC, Davis Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the St. Joseph's Medical Center. Requirements Conditions of Employment 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. You may be required to serve a probationary period. 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 dentification 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). Qualifications 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), 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. Additional Requirement: Board Certified or Board Eligible psychiatrist Preferred Experience: Experience as an ambulatory withdrawal psychiatrist and/or in Addiction Recovery Treatment (ARTS) for substance use disorders. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: This position requires visual acuity (correction lenses permitted), keen hearing (aids permitted), and manual dexterity with repetitive computer work; potentially long periods (up to 8 hours) of continued walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, and pushing; light lifting and carrying (under 15 pounds). The incumbent may be exposed to intermittent excessive noise, working both alone as well as closely with others as circumstances prescribe, and protracted or irregular hours of work. The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients 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 patient needs. Must be able to perform CPR per BLS protocols. 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: Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted, or 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 verify with the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) that the applicant has met requirements for certification, and must obtain a copy of the ECFMG certificate, if claimed by the applicant. [If the applicant does not claim an ECFMG certificate, facility officials must still confirm that the medical school meets (or met) ECFMG eligibility requirements for the year the candidate 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. Additional Information This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.