Psychiatrist
Job Series Number: 0602
Health Services at the BOP
Psychiatrists (Medical Officers) perform all duties in accordance with currently acceptable medical practices and procedures and local/national health services policies. They are responsible for meeting the health needs (both physical and/or mental) of the inmates assigned to his/her caseload. In addition, they:
- provide psychiatric evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and programs for patients suspected of having mental disorders
- develop the master treatment plan and or mental health component of the ambulatory treatment plan and subsequent reviews for patients under his/her care
- assume direct responsibility for the continuity of psychiatric care given to the patients assigned to his/her caseload
- assist with training for mid-level practitioners, nursing staff, support services personnel, and peer professional staff as needed
- provide appropriate instruction to institutional personnel in matters relating to mental health
- maintain an optimal therapeutic environment for the rehabilitation of the criminal offender
- collect a comprehensive medical, social, and psychiatric history (in a forensic setting) to be included in the psychiatric report
Pay Levels GS-13, GS-15
Education
Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathy from a school in the United States or Canada approved by a
recognized accrediting body in the year of your graduation. A Doctor of Medicine or equivalent
degree from a foreign medical school that provided education and medical knowledge substantially equivalent
to accredited schools in the United States may be demonstrated by permanent certification by the Educational
Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) (or a fifth pathway certificate for Americans who completed
premedical education in the United States and graduate education in a foreign country).
Licensure
You must be in possession of a permanent, full, and unrestricted license to practice medicine in a state, District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States. If you are not currently licensed you must obtain a license before
entering duty. For example, you may be selected for appointment pending meeting the licensure requirement; however,
you must obtain a license before entering on duty.
Experience
Subsequent to obtaining a Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathy degree, a candidate must have had at least
1 year of supervised experience providing direct service in a clinical setting, i.e., a 1-year internship or the
first year of a residency program in an institution accredited for such training. (This 1 year of supervised
experience may be waived for research or administrative positions not requiring direct patient care.)
For purposes of this standard, graduate training programs include only those internship, residency, and fellowship programs that are approved by accrediting bodies recognized within the United States or Canada. Listings of accredited programs are published yearly in the Directory of Residency Training Programs and the Yearbook and Directory of Osteopathic Physicians.
For consideration at the GS-13 level
You must have 3 years of of residency training in the specialty of the position to be filled or equivalent experience and training. Some examples of this qualifying experience are:
- Experience monitoring and evaluating quality of patient care, providing data to and securing data from other agencies or committees as required.
- Experience developing master treatment plans and subsequent reviews for patients under his/her care and is directly responsible for the continuity of psychiatric care.
- Experience ensuring all court directed evaluations and reports are carried out within the established guidelines of the courts.
For consideration at the GS-14 level
4 years of residency training in the specialty of the position to be filled or equivalent experience and training. Some examples of this qualifying experience are:
- Experience in providing inpatients and outpatients medical care in all aspects of health care delivery in accordance with current accepted medical practice and procedures.
- Experience in providing physical examinations, physical assessment in correlation with historical findings, records preliminary objective findings.
- Experience in providing treatment, emergency medical/surgical services as required, treat severe trauma cases rehabilitative, diagnostic modalities and prescribing medication.
For consideration at the GS-15 level
5 years of residency training in the specialty of the position to be filled or equivalent experience and training. Some examples of this qualifying experience are:
- Experience monitoring and evaluating quality of patient care, providing data to and securing data from the Quality Assurance Committee and other agencies or committees as required.
- Experience making recommendations on matters of policy, procedures, training, personnel, and equipment as related to specific area of responsibility and expertise.
We are hiring for this position at many locations across the country.
Normally when a vacancy is announced, it's for a job opening at a specific location. However, because this position is in high demand it's considered an "open-continuous" announcement. That means you get to choose your top two facilities that you want to work at. Here's how it works:
-
Apply for this position using the usajobs.gov website as you would do with any other
federal job.
Psychiatrist Open-Continuous Announcement -
Select any two locations that you want to work at.
View all of our locations - After your application is accepted, you will be added to a standing register of qualified candidates.
- When a position becomes available at one of the facilities that you selected, you will be considered for that position, and if you are selected we will contact you with an offer.
It's that simple!
Please consider the following locations that have immediate vacancies:
"I highly recommend the Bureau of Prisons as a career opportunity to other healthcare professionals."
Learn More ...
"I discovered the Bureau of Prisons through an elective at FMC Butner during my residency training in internal medicine and
psychiatry at Duke. I quickly learned that the interface of medicine and psychiatry is pervasive in this setting and
treating co-morbid disorders was both personally and professionally satisfying. My experience of working in a correctional
environment allows for the humility of providing quality medical care for individuals who, although may have made suboptimal
decisions at some point in their lives, they are generally very appreciative of the medical care they receive and are quite
eager to improve their health. Correctional medicine is the perfect niche for a physician dually trained in internal
medicine and psychiatry due to the over-representation of psychiatric disorders and the often advanced and complicated
presentations of common (and not-so-common) medical disorders in a population whose medical needs are often unmet in the
community prior to their incarceration.The Bureau of Prisons is a unique place to practice medicine, and the need for physicians to care for the aging and increasingly medically and psychiatrically complex inmate population creates endless opportunities for career advancement. Working for the agency affords a competitive salary with excellent benefits, including potential for loan repayment and retirement eligibility after twenty years of service. I highly recommend the Bureau of Prisons as a career opportunity to other healthcare professionals."
David Karol, MD, MA
Internal Medicine and Psychiatry
Bureau of Prisons, FMC Butner
Internal Medicine and Psychiatry
Bureau of Prisons, FMC Butner
Join the leader in Correctional Health Care
We value your unique contribution to our collaborative team medicine approach of providing health care. Come and experience a level of clinical diversity and continuity of care not commonly available in the private sector.
We offer:
- A supportive, safe, and secure environment with opportunity for growth and advancement.
- A competitive federal government salary and benefits, including health care and retirement.
- Potential for loan repayment.
- Potential for recruitment incentives.
- Flexible work options.
Learn what has motivated more than 37,000 people to join the BOP