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.

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: Board certification in General Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology will be required for a faculty appointment
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: Moderate lifting (15-44 pounds)
• Light carrying - under 15 pounds
• Use of fingers
• Both hands required
• Walking and Standing (1 hour)
• Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously
• Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and 20/40 in the other
• Ability to distinguish basic colors
• Hearing (aid may be permitted)
• Mental and emotional stability required
• At least 70 peripheral in horizontal meridian
• Environmental Factors: Dust
• working closely with others
• working alone
• Overhead light - ambient noise - and smells from.

Duties

• Salem is the capital city of the U.S. state of Oregon - and the county seat of Marion County
• It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River - which runs north through the city
• The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties - and the city neighborhood of West Salem is in Polk County
• Salem was founded in 1842 - became the capital of the Oregon Territory in 1851 - and was incorporated in 1857
• VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package
• VHA Physician Total Rewards
• Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): 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 physician serves as a staff psychiatrist for the outpatient settings in the Mental Health Division (MHD) of the VA Portland Health Care System (VAPORHCS)
• The psychiatrist's primary duties involve carrying a caseload and providing consultation to other mental health and non-mental health clinical programs
• Some mental health programs are co-located in VA primary care clinics
• Telemedicine approaches may be used to provide clinical care
• The physician will supervise residents and fellows - engage in leadership activities - or develop medical services in the inpatient and/or outpatient arenas
• The physician is an integral part of patient care - teaching and research activities - which are shared with Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU)
• as such - the physician must qualify for a faculty appointment with OHSU
• There will be an expectation that the physician will have strong communication and/or team-building skills
• The MHD utilizes an interdisciplinary team model of patient care to deliver biopsychosocial treatment for Veterans - with MHD physicians functioning as core members of these treatment teams
• A physician in the MHD at the VAPORHCS is a licensed - independent provider who is highly skilled in the evaluation and treatment of patients with a broad range of behavioral health problems
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8:00am to 4:30pm