Psychiatrist, Foreign Service Regional Medical Officer Psychiatrist (RMOP)

Licensure and Board Certification 

Applicants must have a current, valid, and unrestricted license to practice medicine in a State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States. Applications will not be accepted from psychiatrists who are not licensed.  The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) must certify applicants in psychiatry.  American Board certification and re-certification, state medical licensure, and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration must be maintained for the duration of employment.  Once hired, applicants will be required to obtain and maintain a District of Columbia license.

Specialized Experience

Applicant must have a current board certification by the ABPN, and a minimum of three (3) of the last eight (8) years must include post-residency work in adult and/or child & adolescent psychiatry, in which at least 50% of the time involved direct patient care.  Time spent in a Psychiatric Fellowship upon the completion of residency will be included as post-residency work. 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Education, work experience, and other qualifications are evaluated for evidence of the following knowledge, skills, abilities, and other requirements that have been identified as important to successful job performance as a Regional Medical Officer Psychiatrist based on extensive job analysis research. Not all attributes need to be met by a candidate; the attributes will be used as a set to evaluate candidates.

Specific medical knowledge areas required by the job include:  general psychiatry, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, autism and related disorders, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, other learning disorders, sleep disorders, eating disorders, alcoholism and drug abuse, psychotic disorders, suicide, post-traumatic stress disorder, basic understanding of mental health problems of children/adolescents, violence directed at women/children/elderly, clinical psycho-pharmacology, laboratory medicine, medical aspects of terrorism, health-related environmental factors, basic concepts in organizational psychology, and health insurance.

Specific medical skills required by the job include: interviewing, history taking, triage, stress counseling, prescription treatment, providing critical feedback, couples therapy, organizing others, mentoring, medical communication, using medical software, dealing with different cultures, and working with limited resources.

Personal skills required by the job include: reading comprehension, active listening, active learning, oral and written communication, public speaking, complex problem identification, critical thinking, judgment and decision making, social perceptiveness, interpersonal skills, persuasion, service orientation, instructing, time management, monitoring, coordination, and process operation and control.

Management skills required by the job include: supervision, leadership, teaching others, managing personnel and financial resources, contingency planning and crisis management, organizing and managing events/programs/projects, time management, collaborating, working with limited resources, acclimating to different cultures, and computer use.

Other attributes required by the job include: compassionate, unflappable, self-confident, firm convictions, independent but integrated with the department, interest in continuous learning and change, interest in foreign service work, tolerance of on-call and emergency demands, tolerance of travel, worldwide available, and tolerance of living away from family.

Willingness to deploy to high threat environments to provide care and consultation to persons under Chief of Mission Authority. Ability to consult with senior leaders, officers, and family members with tact, recognizing the limited role of the physician in a non-medical organizational environment. Ability to work effectively with colleagues from other cultures. Ability to create supportive and effective relationships in overseas environments, due to successful self-management.

Applicants must be able to integrate clinical, administrative and management skills to effectively meet the mental health needs of U.S. Foreign Service employees and their eligible family members assigned overseas. Regional Medical Officer Psychiatrists must be skilled and experienced clinicians able to gain the confidence of their patients, co-workers, and supervisors, and capable of working independently in complex and difficult situations.

Applicant must be a skilled and experienced practitioner with excellent interpersonal skills. Applicant must be able to function well within a complex organization and have experience working in a high stress environment. The individual must be able to recognize and treat a wide range of mental health disorders and manage the special challenges of providing care to a diverse population, scattered over a large geographical area where local medical and mental health resources may be limited or non-existent. Clinical experience in child/adolescent psychiatric, marital/family therapy, cross cultural psychiatry, crisis intervention and substance abuse is desirable. On the job training will be provided for some of the skill sets outlined above.

The applicant must be able to provide expert consultation and guidance to Foreign Service Medical Specialists (FSMS) and other medical personnel with varying backgrounds and levels of training.

Applicants with experience in team building, leadership, and management in a multidisciplinary setting are preferred. Applicants must have effective written and oral communication skills and the ability to present findings in a clear and concise manner to both medical and non-medical personnel. Public speaking skills as well as knowledge and hands-on familiarity of computer systems and software are also desirable qualities.

The RMOP's patient population is unique because of background and lifestyle as part of a diplomatic community overseas and includes adult and pediatric patients. This population also differs in terms of clinical and administrative needs and the national security concerns inherent in their employment. Previous experience working in an occupational setting and/or in an overseas setting is advantageous. The successful applicant will have an understanding of the challenges of consulting in a non-medical environment.

Other attributes include empathetic personality, unflappability, discerning self-confidence, adherence to confidentiality, interest in Foreign Service work, loyalty to the United States, tolerance of non-scheduled work hours and travel, and tolerance of living away from family.

Applicants must demonstrate a strong command of the English language to include grammar, spelling and punctuation. Foreign Service Specialists must meet consistently a high standard for English, both written (overall structure as well as grammar, spelling, and punctuation) and spoken (overall structure as well as delivery, clarity, and succinctness).