Physician (Addiction Psychiatrist/Addiction Medicine)
Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration     Phoenix, AZ 85067
 Posted 18 days    

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 VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Work Schedule: Full-time, compressed tour 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 [email protected], 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 specialist physician will provide care for Veterans within Substance Use Disorder Treatment Program (SUDTP) - outpatient clinic as well as programs supported by the Phoenix VA Mental Health Addictions section. This position is created as part of an expansion to Addiction Psychiatry/Addiction Medicine services. The PVAHCS SUD - Substance Use Disorder Treatment Program provides a full range of outpatient SUD services including medication for addiction Treatment (MAT) and medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), various outpatient SUD services and an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP). The duties of the position will include performing comprehensive substance use disorder evaluation, co-occurring mental health assessment, and providing addiction and dual diagnosis treatment in the outpatient setting in the SUDTP. 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 as appropriate, this position may provide cross coverage to DOM-SUD needs as assigned. Provide psychiatric Consultation-Liaison coverage, as assigned. Conduct complete psychiatric evaluations (including the mental status evaluation). Prescribe appropriate pharmaceutical agents for smoking cessation. Prescribe Buprenorphine and other appropriate medications for addiction treatment (MAT) for substance use disorders. 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. Write orders and notes in CPRS (Computerized Patient Record System). Administer and document Suicide Risk Assessment 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. Function as member of assigned committees, task forces, and investigative teams. (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 the use of telehealth equipment. **Continued below: 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. 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). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. 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 can also provide cross coverage when needed to our DOM - SUD 24 bed residential rehabilitation unit, when coverage is needed during absence of DOM SUD psychiatrist/NP. Cross coverage duties are also shared with other addiction psychiatry physicians in section. Physician can also provide consultation liaison service for inpatients with substance use disorders. 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. This position will facilitate efforts for contingency management of stimulant use disorder and support SUD related facility efforts. 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 multidisciplinary 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. **End of DUTIES 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. Additional Requirement: Buprenorphine prescribing, Active DEA license and Enrollment in the VHA Clozapine Registry and credentialing and privileging is required. Preferred Experience: Board certified/Board Eligible, ability to use telemental health equipment is preferred (requires training). 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. 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. 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. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. 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.

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Job Details


Employment Type

Full Time

Number of openings

N/A


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