Physician (Psychiatrist)

<p>This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until September 30, 2026. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applicants will be June 19, 2026 with subsequent cut-off dates once a week. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until position is filled.</p><h3>Major Duties</h3><p>The Birmingham VA Health Care System is recruiting of three Physicians (Psychiatrists) for Mental Health Service located at the Huntsville VA Clinic and Guntersville Clinic. Two of the vacancies are for Huntsville and the third vacancies is for Guntersville. Mental Health Service provides outpatient mental health services to Veterans and their families. Mental Health Services also include inpatient consultation to medical and surgical floors and the emergency room. Contract Buy Out Program (GUNTERSVILLE CLINIC ONLY): This position may be eligible for the Physician / Provider Contract Buy Out Program (CBOP), which authorizes VHA to buy out service contracts (Locum agreements, loan repayments, sign-on bonus contracts, Physician-owned practices) in exchange for employment at certain rural or highly rural facilities for a period of obligated service (minimum 4 years). For additional information and eligibility requirements, contact the VHA Contract Buy Out Program Manager at vacontractbuyoutprog@va.gov. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply. Learn more. Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport@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 Duties include, but are not limited to: Providing general clinical psychiatric and addiction services to Veterans, in a variety of locations and modalities including scheduled face to face, walk in, on-call, and Video Teleconferencing (CVT, VVC) services to include Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC's) locations outside assigned duty station. Provide general psychiatric and addiction care of adult Veterans and may include, but are not limited to, conducting diagnostic evaluations, psychiatric consults, medication management (including medication assisted treatment and detoxification), and both individual and group psychotherapy. Provision of enhanced biological treatments such as rTMS may be required, if such treatments are available. Provide direct clinical consultation to multi-disciplinary staff, some at multiple sites, as appropriate. Provide consultation liaison services for Birmingham VA Health Care System inpatients and Emergency Room (ER) patients as assigned by the supervisor if employee is located in the Birmingham area. Provide back-up video or telephone consultation liaison services for Birmingham VA Health Care System inpatients to in-house mental health providers, Emergency Room (ER) patients or staff while on call. Work Schedule: Primarily 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday. Alternate or compressed schedules may be available. Night and Weekend back-up rotational on-call shared with other providers, for a limited number of times a year. Telework: Available; Ad-hoc Telework schedule is limited to VA regulations in limited situations and subject to approval by the Mental Health Service Chief.</p><h3>Requirements</h3>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. 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 identification 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). You may be required to serve a probationary period. Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.<h3>Education</h3>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. Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) for the year in which the degree was granted. 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.