The Associate Chief of Staff for Mental Health Service (ACOS, MHS) is administratively and clinically responsible for all mental health staff and programs, and for service delivery provided throughout the Mental Health Service Line at VAPSHCS, which has major facilities in Seattle and at American Lake (Tacoma), as well as multiple community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs).
Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Podiatrist Basic Requirements Degree as a doctor of podiatric medicine, or its equivalent, from a school of podiatric medicine approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Approved schools are United States schools of podiatric medicine approved by the Council on Podiatry Education of the American Podiatry Association in the year in which the degree was granted. ~AND~ Completed, or currently completing, residency training, or its equivalent, approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in an accredited core specialty training program leading to eligibility for board certification. VA Podiatrists 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 Council on Podiatric Medical Education, in the list published for the year the residency was completed, or (2) Other residencies and training experiences, or their equivalents, which the local Professional Standards Board determines to have provided an applicant with appropriate professional training. ~AND~ Currently hold, or will hold, a full and unrestricted license to practice Podiatry in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States or in the District of Columbia. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Preferred Experience: Clinical Leadership experience Board certified Physical Requirements: Light lifting, under 15 pounds; use of fingers; mental and emotional stability. Environmental Factors: Working closely with others; working alone; protracted or irregular hours of work.
The Mental Health Service at VAPSHCS is an integrated care line with over 350 employees, including psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers, and a variety of ancillary therapists. Acute inpatient and Emergency Department mental health services are located at the Seattle Division, and mental health residential treatment services are located at the American Lake Division. Both divisions have a continuum of outpatient mental health care including general mental health clinics, specialty PTSD treatment, addictions treatment, tele-mental health services, primary care mental health, care for Veterans with chronic medical illness, and vocational rehabilitation services. Functions/Responsibilities: Responsibility for the daily clinical operations of Mental Health Service. Responsibility for assessing the needs of the veteran population and setting the direction of the clinical programming within the service line. Use of data and analysis to make clinical programming and resource decisions. Responsibility for ensuring supervision of all clinical staff within the service line. Managing issues with performance or conduct through progressive disciplinary action. Determining provider time in clinic and productivity expectations. Ensuring on an ongoing basis that resources have been maximized and reallocated when necessary, and that DSS mapping and clinic grids match and are accurate. Ability to engage effectively with other disciplines and have strong communication and/or team-building skills. Development, implementation, and oversight of operational policies and procedures for the Service Line. Organizes and runs Service Line Executive meetings, Steering Committee meetings, and all Service meetings in order to facilitate implementation and coordination of policies and effective standards of care. Monitors provider-specific workload reports to team members and ensures provider adherence to workload standards. Monitors compliance of Service Line members with VA performance measures and effectively shapes provider practice patterns to improve standing on performance measures. Participates in the hiring of new staff members for the team. Clinical Duties: The incumbent will provide patient care in one or more designated MHS clinical programs. Appropriate, timely documentation of care in CPRS is an essential component of the incumbent's duties. Patient care activities will include, but are not limited to: Conducting appropriate history, physical evaluations, and mental status examinations on assigned patients. Completing intake assessments and developing DSM V diagnostic formulations. Developing treatment plans (in coordination with the multidisciplinary treatment team when appropriate). Ordering, monitoring, and responding to all necessary laboratory and radiological assessments. Initiating consults and referrals as indicated. Pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy as indicated for assigned patients. Coordination of overall mental health care for patients for whom they are the assigned Mental Health Treatment Coordinator. Consultation to other providers about clinical issues with their patients. Management of patients in crisis. Completing all appropriate clinical reminders. Triage and admitting to inpatient psychiatric wards. Provide outpatient psychiatric services to Veterans at remote sites utilizing real time video conferencing technology. May provide evening and weekend on-call coverage as assigned, including as needed: Consultation with Emergency Department providers and PES staff, supervision of on- call psychiatry residents, evaluation of all mental health inpatients on weekends and holidays; coming to the medical center for patient care when clinically needed. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00AM to 4:30PM. Telework: Not available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized. 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). VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package.