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Posted: March 27, 2026 (0 days ago)

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Physician Psychiatrist

Veterans Health Administration

Department of Veterans Affairs

Fresh

Salary

$250,000 - $315,000

per year

Closes

April 27, 2026More VA jobs →

SES Pay Grade

Base salary range: $147,649 - $221,900

Typical requirements: Executive-level leadership experience. Senior executive qualifications required.

Note: Actual salary includes locality pay (15-40%+ depending on location).

Job Description

Summary

This job is for a psychiatrist working at a VA hospital in Des Moines, Iowa, where you'll evaluate and treat mental health issues for veterans, either in person at the clinic or remotely through telehealth, and sometimes help with inpatient care or consultations.

You'll prescribe medications, keep detailed records, and may teach or supervise others as part of the team's efforts to support veterans' well-being.

It's a great fit for a licensed doctor with psychiatry training who enjoys working with veterans and using technology for patient care.

Key Requirements

  • Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree from an approved school
  • Current, full, and unrestricted medical license to practice in a U.S. state, territory, or D.C.
  • Completed accredited residency training in psychiatry leading to board certification eligibility
  • U.S. citizenship (non-citizens only if no qualified citizens available)
  • Proficiency in spoken and written English
  • Skills in psychopharmacology and comprehensive psychiatric assessments
  • Ability to document patient care in the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS)

Full Job Description

Education and length of practice are considered through a formal pay-setting process to determine the final compensable salary (Base Pay + Market Pay) 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.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Major Duties:

A resource to other Service Lines within VA Central Iowa Health Care System.

The provider in this role will provide services to Veterans seen within the Outpatient Clinic in Des Moines (either in-person or through tele-mental health to our Community Based Outpatient Clinics or to patients in their home) or on the inpatient unit, including call duties as scheduled by the Medical Director of the MHSL be needed to provide services to other areas of the Mental Health Service Line on an as needed basis.

There will be occasional contributions to the consult liaison service in terms of helping with consults to medical inpatients when staffing requires this.

The Psychiatrist must be able to perform comprehensive psychiatric assessments and document all patient care via the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS).

Psychiatrist must be skilled in Psychopharmacology.

As well, education is an important goal of VHA and as such, psychiatrists may be required to provide supervision and education to residents and medical students.

Provides direct psychiatric clinical services to Veterans served by the VA Central Iowa Health Care System.

Provides comprehensive psychiatric examinations and documentation of such examinations, according to guidelines required by this facility and the Central Office of the VA.

All documentation must be completed in accordance with VA policy and procedures. The Psychiatrist must comply with Joint Commission, CARF, and other regulatory agency requirements.

The Psychiatrist will participate in the clinical peer review process or other similar educational programs conducted by the VA or the Medical Staff geared toward process improvement.

The Psychiatrist will participate in Quality Improvement or any other process review directly related to patient treatment.

The Psychiatrist will provide consultation, education, and training to other hospital and clinic staff on mental health issues as requested.

The Psychiatrist will prepare court reports for patients as requested by the County courts who are in the commitment process or who require updates to an already-in-place commitment order.

This includes periodic court reports, requests for upgrades or downgrades of commitments, and all letters pertaining to mental health or substance abuse commitments.

The Psychiatrist will act in a professional manner at all times and will work in harmony with other members of the professional and technical staff. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package.

VHA Physician Total Rewards. Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized for highly qualified candidates. Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Learn more.

EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.

Contact, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance 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.

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: Mon - Fri, 0800 - 1630

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Posted on USAJOBS: 3/27/2026 | Added to FreshGovJobs: 3/28/2026

Source: USAJOBS | ID: CBSY-12923725-26-AK