U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Psychiatrist (Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program)
This is an open continuous announcement for a BHIP Psychiatrist at the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System, providing psychiatric care to Veterans with mental health and substance use disorders as part of an integrated team. The role includes managing an outpatient panel of approximately 500-525 Veterans using in-person and virtual modalities, serving as a clinical leader, and potentially supervising trainees. Psychiatrists must provide 30 hours of direct patient care per week, take home call 3-4 weeks per year, and perform weekend rounding.
Key Responsibilities
- • Provide psychiatric care (diagnosis, treatment, and crisis management) to Veterans with mental health and substance use disorders as part of an integrated team of psychiatric providers, psychologists, social workers, nurses, and clinical pharmacists throughout the SAVAHCS
- • Provide psychiatric care for a panel of approximately 500-525 outpatient Veterans with a wide range of mental health disorders using multiple modalities (in-person and virtual)
- • Full-time BHIP Psychiatrists are expected to provide 30 hours of direct patient care per week
- • Serve as a clinical leader and provide clinical consultation and assistance with patients assigned to the BHIP Team
- • Provide cross-coverage for psychiatric colleagues in outpatient settings
- • May participate in teaching and supervising Psychiatry Residents and Medical Students in the outpatient BHIP clinic and/or inpatient psychiatric unit
- • This position requires 3-4 weeks per year of home call (psychiatry resident is first call) and in-house rounding on the weekend
- • Weekend days are compensated by having weekdays off
- • Must be able to obtain affiliate faculty appointment with the University of Arizona College of Medicine
Required
- • 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 allopathic 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
- • Proficiency in spoken and written English
- • Must be able to perform the duties physically and mentally in a hospital setting under normal and emergent conditions
- • Heavy lifting 45 lbs and over with assistive devices
- • Heavy carrying of 45 lbs and over with assistive devices
- • Reach above shoulder, use of fingers and both hands required
- • Walking or standing up to 6 hours per day
- • Repeat bending up to 2-4 hours per day
- • Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination
- • Near vision correctable and hearing aid permitted
Preferred
- • Preferred Experience: Board Eligible or Board Certified in Psychiatry
- • Experience in outpatient setting working with a variety of mental health disorders
- • Experience working with veterans and/or active duty military
Benefits & Perks
- • Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) - a student loan payment reimbursement program (up to $200,000, eligibility period one to five years)
- • Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Approved for highly qualified candidates
- • 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
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.
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
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.
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 allopathic 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 accrediting bodies for graduate medical education - the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or American Osteopathic Association (AOA) - in the list published for the year the residency - or fellowship if applicable - was completed
- OR (2) One year of post medical school training (internship - first year of residency - or transitional year residency) approved by ACGME or AOA followed by two years of post-training independent practice (performing under a full and unrestricted license) in the United States
- OR (3) Non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of three years of verified independent practice in the United States (performing under a full and unrestricted license) performing duties related to the position they are applying for (United States fellowships would be creditable towards this requirement) - 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
- Exceptions: 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 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
- In rare and unusual circumstances - the Facility Director can submit a memo to the VISN Director through the VISN Chief Medical Officer - who may approve requests for reasonable exceptions to the residency training requirement for Physicians whose composite record of experience - accomplishments - performance - and qualifications warrant such action
- Proficiency in spoken and written English
- Preferred Experience: Board Eligible or Board Certified in Psychiatry Experience in outpatient setting working with a variety of mental health disorders Experience working with veterans and/or active duty military Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
- Physical Requirements: ???????Must be able to perform the duties physically and mentally in a hospital setting under normal and emergent conditions
- Heavy lifting 45 lbs
- and over with assistive devices
- Heavy carrying of 45 lbs
- and over with assistive devices
- Reach above shoulder - use of fingers and both hands required
- Walking or standing up to 6 hours per day
- Repeat bending up to 2-4 hours per day
- Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination
- Near vision correctable and hearing aid permitted.
- This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until 9/30/2026
- The initial cut-off date for referral of applicants will be 6/10/2026 - with subsequent cut-off dates every two weeks
- 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
- The Southern Arizona VA Health Care System (SAVAHCS) - located in Tucson - Arizona is a Joint Commission-accredited - level 1b complexity teaching hospital - providing tertiary-level care
- The SAVAHCS offers a beautiful 150-acre campus with a full range of medical and mental health services for Veterans - including a 31-bed inpatient psychiatry unit - a 25-bed mental health residential rehabilitation treatment program for substance use disorders (SUD) and PTSD treatment - intensive outpatient programs for SUD and PTSD - homeless programs - and more
- The SAVAHCS operates a 24-hour emergency department and is the host site for various regional referral centers of excellence including the Polytrauma Network Site - the Southwest Blind Rehabilitation Center - and the Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (MHRRTP)
- The SAVAHCS is the principal teaching affiliate of the University of Arizona Colleges of Medicine - Nursing - and Pharmacy
- Annually nearly 1 -000 physician and associated health trainees participate in health care training programs at the SAVAHCS
- Tucson is a great place to live for families - people who enjoy outdoor activities (hiking - cycling - running - etc.) and those who enjoy rich culture and an affiliation with a world class University
- Tucson truly is a city with a friendly - small-town feel
- VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package
- VHA Physician Total Rewards
- Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Approved for highly qualified candidates EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
- 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 As a BHIP Psychiatrist you will provide psychiatric care (diagnosis - treatment - and crisis management) to Veterans with mental health and substance use disorders as part of an integrated team of psychiatric providers - psychologists - social workers - nurses - and clinical pharmacists throughout the SAVAHCS
- The BHIP Psychiatrist is responsible for providing psychiatric care for a panel of approximately 500-525 outpatient Veterans with a wide range of mental health disorders using multiple modalities (in-person and virtual)
- Full-time BHIP Psychiatrists are expected to provide 30 hours of direct patient care per week
- The BHIP Psychiatrist serves as a clinical leader and provides clinical consultation and assistance with patients assigned to the BHIP Team
- The BHIP Psychiatrist provides cross-coverage for psychiatric colleagues in outpatient
- The psychiatrist may participate in teaching and supervising Psychiatry Residents and Medical Students in the outpatient BHIP clinic and/or inpatient psychiatric unit
- This position requires 3-4 weeks per year of home call (psychiatry resident is first call) and in-house rounding on the weekend
- Weekend days are compensated by having weekdays off
- The BHIP Psychiatrist must be able to obtain affiliate faculty appointment with the University of Arizona College of Medicine
- Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 7:00am-3:30pm or 8:00am-4:30pm
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