Job Description
Summary The West Palm Beach VA Medical Center is currently seeking a full-time Physician to join the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center Mental Health and Behavioral Science Service (MH&BSS) as an Assistant Chief of Psychiatry in West Palm Beach, FL.
Applicant's Note: This announcement has been amended to change the closing date from 12/31/2025 due to scheduled system updates. Duties Help
This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT. Eligible applicants will be referred until all vacancies are filled. The Assistant Chief of Psychiatry will report directly to the Chief of Psychiatry in the Mental Health & Behavioral Sciences Service.
The Assistant Chief of Psychiatry, in addition to performing that role, also currently performs the duties and responsibilities of the Medical Director of the Acute Inpatient Psychiatry Unit (3C). The 3C Medical Director is expected to work very closely with the Mental Health Nurse Leadership, ensuring Mental Health Environment of Care (MHEOOC) standards are met, ensuring inpatient mental health meets all the regulatory requirements including OIG, Joint Commission, VHA Directives, etc.
Other duties include:
- Direct patient care in acute psychiatric settings.
- Supervising mental health care and treatment in Acute Mental Health settings, to include 3C, Emergency Department, and Mental Health Consult and Liaison Team to Acute Medicine/Surgery/ICU and the West Palm Beach Domiciliary.
- Supervising Psychiatrists, ARNP's, PA's, and/or other disciplines assigned to these Acute Mental Health Services.
- Providing supervision and teaching to the assigned psychiatric residents and medical students.
- Collaborates with other Section Chiefs & Program Managers.
- Oversees all administrative and clinical activities of the MH inpatient services, to include supervising the Baker Act Coordinator and ensuring full compliance with Baker Act regulations.
- Responsible for the quality of all psychiatric evaluation, intervention, and consultation offered by physicians, mid-level prescribers, and others.
- Responsible for the Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluation and Focused Professional Evaluation of assigned subordinates/sections.
- Provides (directly and/or through supervisors) clinical oversight of all physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and para-professionals who provide or support provision of Inpatient psychiatric care.
- Conducts or delegates to psychiatry staff peer reviews for identified cases.
- Provides a full range of psychiatric care and consultation.
- Coordinates and monitors clinical training for those providing and supporting psychiatric care.
VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards.
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. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the
VISN 8 Compensation Center of Excellence at VISN8CCOE@va.gov .
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
Work Schedule : Monday - Friday; 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized.
Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP): Eligible Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required
Requirements Help
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. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification 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).
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 Psychiatry or Mental Health Services 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.
- Board Certified in Psychiatry.
Preferred Experience: Management of Inpatient programs/Residency programs.
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit
Physical Requirements: Must pass a pre-employment physical examination as required by VA Handbook 5019. This examination is administered by VA Occupational Health. This position requires: light to moderate lifting (15 - 44 lbs.); light carrying (15 lbs. and under); reaching above shoulder; use of fingers; both hands required; walking (up to 2 hours); standing (up to 2 hours); kneeling (up to 1 hour); ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; near vision correctable at 13" to 16"; far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; depth perception; ability to distinguish basic colors; ability to distinguish shades of colors; hearing (aid permitted); emotional stability; mental stability; working closely with others; and working alone.
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. [If the applicant does not claim an ECFMG certificate, facility officials must still confirm that the medical school meets (or met) ECFMG eligibility requirements for the year the candidate 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.
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.
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 Tags
Full time, Contract work, Part time, Freelance, Seasonal work, Work at office, Local area, Relocation package, Monday to Friday,