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Summary The Assistant Chief of Psychiatry within the Psychiatry and Mental Health Service is responsible for assisting with clinical and administrative functions of the Psychiatry and Mental Health Service. The incumbent is responsible for participation in and oversight of appropriate performance improvement and system redesign activities, as well as for advancing the principles of appropriate management/standards of care applicable to our Veteran patients in the inpatient and outpatient settings. Responsibilities VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Duties and Responsibilities Assistant Chief of Psychiatry & Mental Health The Assistant Chief reports directly to the Chief of the Psychiatry and Mental Health Service. Under the auspices of the Chief of Psychiatry and Mental Health, the Assistant Chief will: Attends to administrative assignments per the Service Chief, as the Assistant/Deputy Service Chief, primarily including or related to the duties below. Serves as the Psychiatry/Psychiatrist Discipline Lead for the Service (or "Lead Psychiatrist"). Ensures clinical privileges and scope of practice for all psychiatric/physician providers meet VHA and all relevant statutory and licensure requirements; Provides discipline input into competencies and FPPE/OPPE (focused and ongoing profession practice evaluations) for these physicians, as well as the advanced practice nurses, and physician assistants, in compliance with State, and Federal / VHA requirements/directives. May also serve as primary supervisor for these or other staff as assigned by the Service Chief . Attend all relevant VA institutional committee meetings as assigned by the Chief of Psychiatry. Works with Psychiatry & Mental Health Service section leads (supervisors, unit managers, medical directors/section chiefs) to regularly assess Psychiatry Service Performance metrics and address identified deficiencies via gap analysis and creation of corrective action plans. Monitors all Psychiatry & Mental Health Service Physicians, Nurse Practitioners (NP) and Physician Assistants (PA) TMS/Medical Record/BLS deficiencies and works with them as a group and/or individually to resolve deficiencies. Mentors Psychiatry & Mental Health Service staff in professionalism and VA policies procedures. Attends all relevant Psychiatry & Mental Health Service Administrative meetings, including: Section Chief/Supervisors Meetings, monthly Psychiatric MD meetings, Quarterly Service Meetings. Manages all the Psychiatry and Mental Health Service Physician, NP, PA, and Psychologist credentialing and works with the Credentialing Service to keep all required OPPE/FPPE up-to-date for any credentialed providers. Develops and implements action plans to address individual Psychiatrist deficiencies as identified from physician activity report (PAR) metrics. Participates in and helps develop/implement Systems Redesign projects applicable to the Psychiatry & Mental Health Service. Regularly visits all Psychiatry and Mental Health clinics and identifies necessary areas for clinician/facility improvement in patient care/access/equipment needs. Participates in Psychiatry & Mental Health Service Administrative huddle weekly. Participates in Psychiatry & Mental Health Service Part- and Full-time physician compliance timekeeping/mapping audits, and other provider and workload audits as assigned. Works with the Chief of Psychiatry and Mental Health and the Service's Administrative Staff, including Business Manager/General Practice Manager to monitor Service workspace and overall utilization, and to identify additional needs where indicated. Mentors Psychiatry and Mental Health Service Physicians in remedying any identified Performance Measure Deficiencies/knowledge/training Gaps. Participates with Psychiatry & Mental Health Service Chief in Performing Annual Performance Reviews, and works with the Service Chief in revising/distributing Performance Pay metrics Annually. Assists the Chief of Psychiatry & Mental Health in addressing relevant ePIRs and eROCS at the direction and discretion of the Service Chief. Attends various Psychiatry & Mental Health Service Specialty team huddles as assigned by the Service Chief. Meets regularly with VA Utilization Management staff to understand and review relevant Psychiatry & Mental Health Service Inpatient bed utilization performance measures, and develop gap analyses and performance improvement plans where indicated. 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 Work Schedule: Full time, 8:00am to 4:30pm. 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 Certification Required Preferred Experience: Assisting with the clinical and administrative functions of the Psychiatry and Mental Health Service Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: VA Directive and Handbook 5019 While performing the duties of this job, the incumbent is frequently required to stand, walk, bend, climb stairs, push, lift light materials, and reach with hands and arms. The incumbent must have good manual dexterity and keyboarding skills. The incumbent must demonstrate emotional stability. The incumbent must be able to communicate efficiently by expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word. Vision must be correctable to 20/40. The incumbent must be able to work in an environment with constant noise, work closely with others, and work alone. In addition, the incumbent must be able to utilize, view, and read information on computer screens; operate a pager; and operate the required phone equipment. The individual must be able to operate a motor vehicle. 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. 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. 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.