Summary

The New Mexico VA Healthcare System Behavioral Health Care Line is seeking qualified applicants to join our expanding Mental Health Program as the Chief of Psychiatry. This is an open continuous announcement and will remain open until February 9 - 2026. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be November 21 - 2025. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals on an as-needed basis until the position is filled.

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 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
• Preferred Experience: Board certified/board eligible Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: Must be able to physically and mentally perform the duties of Physician under normal and emergent conditions.

Duties

• You will work as the Chief of Psychiatry at the Raymond G
• Murphy VA Medical Center in Albuquerque - NM and will be assigned to the Behavioral Health Care Line Leadership Team
• Albuquerque is a major metropolitan area with a population exceeding 600 -000 that is nestled between the Sandia Mountains and the Rio Grande
• The climate is extraordinary - with very mild winters and dry warm summers with cool evenings
• Outdoor activities are vast and include hiking - skiing - mountain climbing - fishing - hunting - biking - year-round golf and tennis
• VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package
• VHA Physician Total Rewards
• 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 the Chief of Psychiatry - you will report to the Director of the Behavioral Careline and provide supervision to psychiatry supervisors as well as general supervision for all prescribers in the Behavioral Careline
• Your responsibilities will include: taking part in daily huddles - leadership meetings - programmatic planning - quality improvement processes as needed - taking part in facility and VISN level meetings to monitor and improve Mental Health care provided at the facility - evaluating and hiring new prescribers' - maintaining SOPs and Service Agreements related to your areas of supervision within BHCL
• You will also be responsible for providing direct psychiatric patient care in the inpatient and/or outpatient settings
• The Raymond G
• Murphy VAMC is a training site for University of New Mexico medical students and psychiatry residents
• There will be an opportunity for a faculty appointment with the UNM Department of Psychiatry for qualified applicants
• UNM faculty track and rank are dependent on qualifications
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8:00am-4:30pm