Psychiatrists bring unique expertise to our team. However, the key difference for VA psychiatrists is their experience with Veterans who have unique and often complicated mental health challenges.
Veterans face unique difficulties when returning home and transitioning back to civilian life, and our psychiatrists expertly tailor treatment plans that empower Veterans to take charge of their wellbeing and pursue fuller lives.
Supporting Veterans’ mental health
Nothing is more important to VA than supporting the health of the nation’s Veterans and their families, and our psychiatrists approach a Veteran’s needs by building on their strengths and offering respect, honor, and hope to both the Veteran and the family members who support them.
VA psychiatrists focus on prevention, evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of mental and emotional disorders in their patients. We work to address a Veteran’s needs from the moment they transition out of the military through their reintegration into civilian life and beyond.
This approach allows our Veterans the opportunity to take an active role in their mental health care. We want our Veterans to be part of their own treatment team, working with their psychiatrists to set recovery goals, develop treatment plans, establish benchmarks, and monitor progress.
Serving Veterans with innovative efforts
In addition to direct patient care, VA psychiatrists can engage in research which can lead to innovative treatment plans like the ones being explored at VA Orlando, where a somatic treatment program has been developed to help Veterans with treatment-resistant mental health disorders.
“Many Veterans who have participated in the program report significant improvements in their symptoms related to their mental health disorders,” said Dr. Roopa Chavda, a VA psychiatrist. “Veterans report that they feel able to improve previously debilitating symptoms and regain their social and occupational functioning in their life.”
“The somatic treatment program has been life-changing for me,” said Army Veteran Kurt Williams, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. “It helped me reconnect with my body and learn how to regulate my emotions. I feel like I finally have the tools I need to heal from my trauma.”
Satisfying employee benefits
When you commit to serving Veterans as a VA psychiatrist, we want to reward that choice.
Through access to student loan repayment options, we can help you significantly reduce the weight of your loans and start planning for a debt-free future.
- Our Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) is available to assist in repaying your student loans. For psychiatrists, EDRP provides up to $40,000 a year, or $200,000 over a 5-year period.
- You may also qualify for the Specialty Education Loan Repayment Program (SELRP), which offers the potential for loan repayment of $40,000 each year, up to a maximum of $160,000 over four years.
Beyond fiscal incentives, working at VA will provide you with the ability to practice anywhere within our nationwide system of over 1,300 facilities with one active license—a unique benefit you won’t find anywhere else.
VA also offers a low doctor/patient ratio that ensures Veterans get the best of their mental health provider with each visit. Working at VA ensures you get the time you need to help them reach their goals.
“Working for VA means you’ll be treating our nation’s heroes,” said Samuel Wright, a national health care recruitment consultant at VA. “You’ll be caring for those who have served our nation in wartime and peacetime. What greater satisfaction can you get?”
Work at VA
With 10% of all practicing psychiatrists in the nation working at VA, discover why they’ve chosen to work here, and how you can join their ranks.
- EXPLORE a career in psychiatry at VA.
- LEARN about the benefits we offer.
- SEARCH for an open position near you.
