Physician - Psychiatrist (Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program)

Job Description

Join our Team at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Palo Alto, CA as a Physician – Psychiatrist (Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program)!

Major duties include but are not limited to:

Clinical:

Acts as Attending Psychiatrist for Veterans admitted to the MHRRTPs. Performs psychiatric evaluations and risk assessments, and ongoing pharmacological management of all Veterans in the MHRRTPs for psychiatric, SUD and PTSD related illnesses. Orders and interprets labs, tests, and diagnostic studies.

Responsible for compliance with documentation and provision of care in accordance with the VA Palo Alto Physician Bylaws. Responsible for evaluation of patients in residential, outpatient, inpatient, and other medical inpatient and emergency room settings.

Acts as supervisor for trainees, including medical students and residents. Provides didactic trainings as appropriate.

Actively collaborates with co-Attending Psychiatrists to ensure safe and comprehensive continuity of care.

Provides consultation and acts as liaison with nursing staff regarding any appropriate medically supervised withdrawal for Veterans entering the MHRRTPs.

Demonstrates skills in working collaboratively with a multidisciplinary treatment team and be able to provide specialty consultative knowledge and liaison regarding evidence based case conceptualizations of psychiatric and SUD related and behavioral issues and collaborates on complex conceptualizations and challenging presentations.

Provides advanced client de-escalation, behavioral intervention and motivational enhancement to increase programmatic completion.

Provides assessment and placement of 5150 holds.

Provides training to program staff and other health care providers, as needed.

Consults with other services including addiction treatment services, acute care medicine, inpatient mental health, emergency department, other residential rehabilitation treatment programs, etc. to ensure patients receive advanced case management, safe management of withdrawal (including pharmacological intervention if needed), expertise regarding psychiatric or medical stabilization, and input from other relevant departments, e.g. infection control.

Provides patient and family education on medical/MH conditions, substance use disorders, preventive measures, and prescribed treatments.

Administrative:

Establishes an environment conducive to accountable, professional practice, treating all employees in a fair, objective manner.

Functions collaboratively keeping supervisor and the MHRRTP Director appraised of all critical incidents, the program's changing needs, staff issues/concerns, proposing needed changes in operating procedures and policies for review in consultation with leadership.

Remain knowledgeable about current Joint Commission standards, current VHA policies and current VHA clinical practice guidelines and those of other relevant oversight groups and assists with policy and procedure development needed to insure compliance.

Serves on Medical Center or Healthcare System, VISN, and/or National VA committees or task forces as needed.

Exemplifies the ICARE core values of Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, and Excellence.

Benefits and Features

• Expected Salary range from $301,714 to 320,972 (negotiable based on candidate's qualifications, credentials and experience).

• Work Schedule: Full-time. Schedule will be determined by supervisor.
• Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment):
• 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.

We encourage you to consider VA employment in Palo Alto, CA. We offer both a mission you can put your heart into and a home for fun, new experiences. Join a team that values a healthy home/work life balance and be rewarded by your role in keeping the promise to those who served.

The Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System is a large and complex facility with inpatient, outpatient, residential and homeless services. Located in Palo Alto, CA, the heart of Silicon Valley, with beautiful weather, great food, a large multicultural population and a multitude of outdoor activities. Palo Alto is 30 miles from San Francisco, the beach and the mountains.

Paid Time Off:

• 26 Days paid annual (vacation/personal) leave
• 13 Days paid sick leave each year with no limit on accumulation
• 11 Federal holidays with pay annually
• 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 2025, employees under the age of 50 may contribute up to $23,500, while those over age 50 are eligible to make catch-up contributions that allow them to defer up to $31,000.
• 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