Career Center

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.

Qualifications

*DUTIES Continued: The physician participates in teaching and supervising Addiction Medicine Fellows - Psychiatry Residents - and Medical Students. The Addiction Specialty Physician will have primary responsibilities in outpatient substance use disorder care. The physician would provide both psychiatric and medical care in accordance with the approved privileges and all applicable state and/or Federal guidelines in support of the Mental Health Service. Phoenix VA Addiction Psychiatry section expansion includes further development in our ambulatory services for veterans identified with substance use disorders. This physician will help support veterans who have been referred for Buprenorphine as well as veterans who have been discharged from inpatient psychiatry and residential care - who may benefit from specialty addiction services. This position will help support harm reduction services. The physician's responsibilities include coordinating consults and triage of addiction specialty referrals. The physician will participate effectively in team meetings and treatment planning conferences - and collaborate with team members to enhance coordination of comprehensive patient care. This position can provide care in ambulatory withdrawal management services and appropriate referrals to higher level of care. 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) - b) 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
• Preferred Experience: Addiction Psychiatry - Dual Diagnosis SUD treatment experience - Buprenorphine/naloxone management
• 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.

Duties

• VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package
• VHA Physician Total Rewards
• Work Schedule: Full-time - compressed work schedule may be available with supervisory approval
• Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be eligible for highly qualified candidate
• Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): May be eligible
• Learn more
• EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact 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 Addiction Psychiatrist performs both general psychiatric assessment and treatment and co-occurring substance use disorders assessment and treatment within a multi- disciplinary team
• The psychiatrist will provide outpatient psychiatric services including face to face and telepsychiatry as well as provide medical care in accordance with the approved privileges and all applicable State and/or Federal guidelines in support of the Psychiatry Service at the Phoenix VA Health Care System
• The psychiatrist is a key liaison between the SUD specialty care clinic and the outpatient mental health clinic
• The psychiatrist provides treatment for patients with co-occurring SUD and general mental health disorders in the outpatient setting
• The Physician can also provide coverage when needed to our DOM-SUD residential rehabilitation unit - when coverage is needed during absence of DOM SUD Psychiatrist
• Major duties include but not limited to the following: Screen - evaluate - and admit or enroll patient to psychiatry programs
• Key psychiatric functions include a full spectrum of diagnostic - treatment and rehabilitation services provided by qualified interdisciplinary staff in a safe and dignified setting with emphasis on least restrictive approach
• These include but are not limited to: individual psychotherapy
• crisis intervention
• psycho-pharmacotherapy
• consultation/liaison
• patient education
• Order diagnostic studies such as laboratory tests - x-rays - electrocardiograms - (EKGs) - etc
• including HIV tests and evaluate results of such tests
• Provide psychiatric on-call coverage
• Conduct complete psychiatric evaluations (including the mental status evaluation) and substance use disorder assessments
• Prescribe appropriate pharmaceutical agents for smoking cessation
• Prescribe Buprenorphine and other appropriate medications for addiction treatment (MAT) for substance use disorders
• Provides care for patients receiving buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) in the outpatient setting
• The psychiatrist must have comfort level with buprenorphine/naloxone treatment in the outpatient setting and liaison with general mental health team and SUD specialty care clinic
• Prescribe Clozapine
• Prescribe evidenced based pharmacotherapy for substance use disorders
• Initiate and refill prescriptions for all medications
• Monitor and record patient progress
• Obtain consent for hospitalization - tests - & medications
• Carry out health promotion and disease prevention activities including education and shared decision-making
• Provide education and counseling of patients and families in preventive care - medical conditions - and use of prescribed treatments and medications
• Administer and document Suicide Risk Screening and Complete Suicide Risk Evaluations in CPRS
• Perform other delegated tasks not specifically outlined herein upon the direction of supervising chiefs
• Provide telephone consultation with patients and family members
• Teach and supervise medical students - PA students - psychiatry (and as needed - residents from other specialties) residents and fellows - and NP students
• Modality of care may include telehealth from a VA owned/leased facility or telehealth from the provider's home directly into the Veteran's home
• (Contingent on approval of Chief of Psychiatry)
• Position may work with the Mental Health Intensive Case Management Program (MHICM) and provide psychopharmacological services as required
• Provides comprehensive treatment for outpatients seeking treatment for SUDs - including ambulatory withdrawal management and management of general mental health disorders
• Duties-Continued below: