Pittsburgh Psychiatrist

Psychiatrist Opportunity - Pittsburgh, PA VA Medical Center

Student Loan Repayment up to 200K and Recruitment Bonus up to 20K

MAJOR DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES of the Psychiatrist include:

• Provides psychiatric consultation for geriatric Veterans who are residing in the VA Community Living Center (CLC).
• Manages geriatric Veterans in outpatient clinical settings.
• Provides a full range of psychiatric services, diagnoses psychiatric illness and behavioral disorders particularly for geriatric and medically complex Veterans.
• Provides comprehensive interventions.
• Provides consultation to professional staff with Behavioral Health as well as other specialty programs.
• Develops, implements, and documents the psychiatric treatment plan for an assigned caseload of Veterans, including prompt completion of clinical reminders.
• Functions independently as a member of the Behavioral Health service line and VA Pittsburgh Medical Center, with full clinical privileges. Assumes complete professional responsibility for his/her clinical assessments and findings, Veteran care decisions and medical documentation.
• Provides outreach services to Veterans and their families as needed and/or required.
• Develops and maintains a high-quality Inpatient Behavioral Health service program while meeting all VISN and VACO Environment of Care and program requirements.
• As requested, provides consultation for all Behavioral Health clinicians regarding the clinical care of complex cases.
• Assists the section chief and service chief in the design, development, and implementation of clinical programs for a team of treatment clinicians when called upon to do so.
• Adheres to operational policies and procedures in all phases of assignments focusing on providing quality care to the Veterans.
• Assists the section chief and service chief in the execution of ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects to monitor the effectiveness of the program.
• Facilitates liaisons with other medical programs to effectively coordinate services.
• Complies with national and local performance measures, including timely medical care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients.
• Complies with all CPRS documentation procedures and requirements, including timeliness standards for documentation with all notes and encounters, enters proper diagnostic and procedure codes.
• Complies with proper procedures for Veteran check-out, to insure continuation of care.
• Attends and participates in administrative and informational meetings held by the ACOS of Behavioral Health or higher-level staff members. Attends regular team and Behavioral Health staff meetings.
• Complies with VA Pittsburgh peer review procedures.
• Provides clinical supervision and instruction for psychiatry residents and fellows as needed. Serves as a mentor for junior and new hire psychiatrists.
• Works cohesively with Behavioral Health staff to assure that all aspects of the Behavioral Health Service Line are functioning optimally. This includes strategic planning, setting operational priorities and deployment of resources, engaging in quality improvement, performance measure outcomes, and encouraging and improving team-oriented care for Veterans.

Work Schedule:  Monday – Friday 8:00am-4:30pm

Academic Affiliated (Faculty appointment available with UPMC)

Student Loan Repayment up to $200,000

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Competitive salary and annual performance bonus!
• Guaranteed salary increases!
• Full benefits (see below)
• Licensure: 1 Full and unrestricted license from any US State is permissible to work at these facilities
• CME benefits
• Malpractice: free liability protection with tail coverage provided
• No physician employment contracts! 

Whether you're interested in academics, research, or a better work/life balance, you'll find the VA has a lot to offer, including the unmatched satisfaction you'll get from caring for those who have served our country. In addition to competitive pay and liability protection, the VA also offers a robust benefits plan that includes:

Paid Time Off:

• 26 Days paid annual (vacation/personal) leave – you can carry over up to 86 days into a new year
• 13 Days paid sick leave per year with unlimited carry over!  Unused sick leave can be used to extend creditable service time at retirement! 
• 11 Federal holidays with pay
• Possible 5 Days paid Authorized Absence to attend CME

Insurance:

• Health Insurance: VA employees have an outstanding number of health insurance plans from which to choose (premiums are partially paid by VA)
• Dental & Vision: Our insurance options also include exceptional vision and dental plans (premiums are partially paid by VA)
• VA employees have the option to use Flexible Spending Accounts, which allow you to use tax-free dollars to pay for medical, dental, and vision care expenses that are not reimbursed by your health insurance plan
• Term life insurance, family, and additional coverage options are available with the cost shared by the Federal Government.
• Long-term care insurance is available as an option

Federal Retirement Plan:

• VA employees are covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). FERS is a three-tiered retirement plan composed of 1) Social Security benefits; 2) FERS-FRAE basic benefits (pension); and 3) Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) which is a 401K-type plan
• How is the pension funded? VA employees hired after January 1, 2014 automatically contribute 4.4% of their salary each pay period and the VA contributes 8.3% of the employee's salary each pay period for a total annual contribution percentage equal to 12.7% of the employee's salary
• Similar to the 401(k) savings plans widely available in the private sector, the TSP allows employees to tax defer a portion of their income each year, subject to the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service. For calendar year 2016, employees under the age of 50 may contribute up to $18,000, while those over age 50 are eligible to make catch-up contributions that allow them to defer up to $24,000
• The Federal Government also provides an automatic basic contribution (1% of salary) and up to 4% of salary in matching contributions, depending on the amount of the employee contribution
• For retired military personnel, these benefits are in addition to full monthly retirement pay or pension
• In addition to FERS, VA provides health care insurance coverage for retired personnel
• Disability Retirement
• Employees are vested in a federal pension after only 5 years' service

Please send applications (curriculum vitae and letter of interest) via email to: Michael Naccarato, National Healthcare Recruitment Consultant: michael.naccarato@va.gov or call 602-277-5551 ext. 3526

Paid Time Off:

• 26 Days paid annual (vacation/personal) leave
• 13 Days paid sick leave each year with no limit on accumulation
• 11 paid Federal holidays per year
• 5 Days paid absence to attend approved CME courses

Insurance:

• Health Insurance: VA employees have an outstanding number of health insurance plans from which to choose (premiums are partially paid by VA) Lifetime Healthcare Insurance options available
• Dental & Vision: Our insurance options also include exceptional vision and dental plans (premiums are partially paid by VA)
• VA employees have the option to use Flexible Spending Accounts, which allow you to use tax-free dollars to pay for medical, dental, and vision care expenses that are not reimbursed by your health insurance plan
• Term life insurance, family, and additional coverage options are available with the cost shared by the Federal Government
• Long-term care insurance is available as an option

Federal Retirement Plan:

• VA employees are covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). FERS is a three-tiered retirement plan composed of 1) Social Security benefits, 2) FERS-RAE basic benefits (pension), and 3) Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) which is a 401K-type plan
• How is the pension funded? VA employees automatically contribute 4.4% of their salary each pay period and the VA contributes 12.2% of the employee’s salary each pay period for a total annual contribution percentage equal to 16.6% of the employee’s salary
• Similar to the 401(k) savings plans widely available in the private sector, the TSP allows employees to tax defer a portion of their income each year, subject to the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service. For calendar year 2020, employees under the age of 50 may contribute up to $19,500, while those over age 50 are eligible to make catch-up contributions that allow them to defer up to $25,500.
• The Federal Government also provides an automatic basic contribution (1% of salary) and up to 4% of salary in matching contributions, depending on the amount of the employee contribution
• For retired military personnel, these benefits are in addition to full monthly retirement pay or pension
• In addition to FERS, VA provides health care insurance coverage for retired personnel
• Disability Retirement
• Employees are vested in a federal pension after only 5 years service

The VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System is an integrated healthcare system that proudly serves the Veteran population throughout the tri-state area of Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. It is our mission to care for America’s Veterans and provide them with excellent health care.

The VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System consists of three divisions: a major medical and surgical tertiary care facility, a behavioral health facility, and a community living center and a Veterans recovery center, all complemented by five community based outpatient clinics.

The city of Pittsburgh has been repeatedly ranked as the most livable US city by such publications as The Economist, Places Rated Almanac, and Forbes Magazine. The VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System offers a unique opportunity to practice in a leading US medical community within an affordable and thriving city.