Psychiatrist - Intensive Community Mental Health Recovery Program (ICMHR)

The VA Maryland Health Care System is currently recruiting for a Psychiatrist to provide comprehensive psychiatric medical care (assessment, consultation, treatment) to patients in the Intensive Community Mental Health Recovery Program (ICMHR).

The ICMHR Psychiatrist will serve as a clinical leader, consultant, and collaborator on complex polypharmacy, ethical dilemmas and capacity evaluations. It is necessary that the ICMHR psychiatrist has experience with or interest in evaluating and interacting with chronically, severely ill Veterans. The ICMHR Program needs include the ability for evaluating and treating new onset psychosis as well as treatment resistant illnesses. Typically, complex pharmacologic treatments are required including some antipsychotic polypharmacy. The ICMHR psychiatrist must be skilled in general outpatient psychiatry, including diagnostic evaluations, pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. individualized care to Veterans with severe and persistent mental health disorders, including but not limited to bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, mood, anxiety and substance use disorders.

Expertise in utilizing long-acting injectable antipsychotics and clozapine will be helpful. Collaboration with the ECT service is not an uncommon situation. This collaboration does not involve providing ECT but rather managing outpatients who are also being maintained on ECT. As is common with serious mental illnesses, the Veterans we treat often have complex medical comorbidities that impact their psychiatric care. The reduced panel size allows time for in-depth clinical consultation, treatment team involvement and care coordination across the facility and with community providers.

The evaluation and treatment of ICMHR Veterans take place in the context of a robust interdisciplinary team and, as such, the ICMHR psychiatrist(s) will have extensive opportunities for collaborative care. The program is recovery oriented and the use of whole health and shared decision-making principles are important for successful outcomes. Services will be provided by in-person face to face encounters, utilizing VVC, collaborative community care visits, and telephone care for Veterans at satellite locations. The ICMHR Program serves as a fixed point in care, and follows Veterans through the continuum of outpatient and inpatient services at the VA and in the community.

Preferred Experience:

• ABPN Board Certified/Board Eligible in Psychiatry
• Buprenorphine certification and treatment experience
• Experience in treating patients in psychiatric specialization of work area
• Experience in treating patients in general psychiatry
• Experience providing care via Telehealth
• Methadone and detox treatment experience

Work Schedule: 8:00AM-4:30PM (flexibility, compressed tour possible)

Call Requirements: Approx every 12th weekend (in person rounding) and every 12th weeknight (by phone)

Location: Baltimore VAMC

Occasional Travel: Yes

Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP): This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Relocation/Recruitment may be authorized for highly qualified applicants
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: 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