Director of Psychiatry

Job Description

Director of Psychiatry

Title:                               Director of Psychiatry

Reports To:                Medical Director

Department:                Behavioral Health

Employment Status:    Exempt

 

 

Position Summary:

The Director of Psychiatry oversees all behavioral health clinical operations. This individual partners with clinical and administrative leaders to ensure the delivery of high quality, patient-centered and accessible care. The Director of Psychiatry develops and implements innovative approaches to improve care delivery. This role also provides some direct clinical care through individual and group therapy sessions.

 

Essential Functions & Responsibilities:

Clinical Program Management/Quality of Care

– Collaborates with department clinical and administrative leadership in the development of standards for professional practice, patient care, and innovative programs designed to facilitate high quality patient care

 

– Will lead efforts to improve quality outcomes and department operations

– Facilitates key process improvements in patient access measures, clinic flow, population-based quality improvement and patient experience.

– Providers leadership for and participates in the development and execution of clinical and operational improvement initiatives to ensure patient-centered care

– Is responsible for the performance of staff for adherence to established departmental standards of care, standards of practice, policies, procedures, and protocols

– Develops and implements strategies for ensuring compliance with patient care standards, laws, regulations, and the standards and requirements of various professional organizations and regulatory agencies

– Gathers, interprets, and disseminates information on policies, new programs, and other pertinent information to managers and staff

– Assumes a leadership role in a changing healthcare environment and participates in the change process at various levels in the organization

– Assumes a central role in maintaining Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) recognition

Education/Training

– Provides leadership over outpatient clinical team, including Doctoral/Master’s level and independently licensed clinicians, professional level staff, and managers

– Provides oversight and supervision of clinical work, including:

–  Ensures accuracy and appropriateness of psychiatric evaluations;

– Ensures that individual therapy, group therapy, and supportive services meet   all relevant standards of care

– Ensures appropriate clinical supervision for staff by licensure needs

– Ensures appropriate standards of care for patients in crisis

– Identifies appropriate treatment settings for patients

– Develops and maintains liaison with referring agencies

– Oversees participation in training programs and student placement and ensures clinical trainees have positive clinical experience

– Evaluates and identifies the educational needs of personnel within the department and assures development and implementation of programs that meet these identified needs and offers opportunities to staff

Personnel Management

– Provides leadership in the selection, evaluation, promotion, resolution of employee relations/disciplinary concerns, and the termination of employees

 

• Selects, supervises and evaluates assigned staff. Establishes work norms/rules and performance standards, conducts performance evaluations and initiates and implements disciplinary actions as warranted.
• Supports employment practices that ensure a culturally diverse workforce
• Fosters the development of a work environment conducive to the delivery of superior clinical care and appropriate staff retention/recruitment
• Provides direction, motivation, leadership, problem-solving, and mentoring to managers and staff

Budget

• Allocates and monitors resources
• Collaborates with department leadership to manage department budget

Direct Patient Care duties

– Provides for evidenced based psychotherapeutic treatment and/or psychosocial support to patient and family to reduce the impact of identified problems.

 

-Assesses patient and family to ascertain those emotional and social needs. Utilizes the department’s psychosocial assessment tool as a guideline.

-Identifies those issues which must be addressed during the patient’s care, and formulates plan.

-Reports any and all suspected cases of abuse and neglect and follows up to ensure patient receives timely comprehensive consultations and compliance with legal mandates.

-Identifies need to involve patient’s family through the initial assessment process and attempts contact on same day, if indicated.

-Consults and collaborates with healthcare team members to ensure that patient’s emotional and social needs are addressed.

-Ensure that patient and family remain apprised, involved, supported, and treated through the prescribed clinical relationship as often as indicated in the care plan.  Document whenever a change in care or plan requires more or less contact.

-Utilizes evidenced based technique and theory to assist patient and family in coping with illness or social needs to achieve improved functioning and emotional state.

-Maintains patient confidentiality according to the Health Center policy. Practices professional discretion when determining the inclusion of any patient information into the medical record or the department clinical record.

– Notes in the medical record the exclusion of critical patient information and its availability.

– Documents each patient encounter in the medical record or the department clinical record concurrently according to department policies. Specifically, documents ongoing treatment work in the department clinic records. Each recording shall include date, time, title and signature.

Other Duties

• Participates in appropriate organizations and represents CHWC at appropriate external meetings or organizations
• Performs other duties as needed

 

Additional General Requirements: Professional positive attitude, understanding of customer service principals, trustworthiness and excellent interpersonal skills. Proficient with basic computer programs, including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook), web browsers, and electronic medical records systems

 

Job Qualifications/Requirements:

 

Education: Graduate of an accredited medical school.

 

Experience: Minimum two to three years of supervisory and clinical experience in a psychiatric setting. Ability to mentor, guide, and motivate direct reports through demonstration of best practices and leading by example. Advanced interpersonal skills necessary to interact effectively with various healthcare professionals, develop and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with patients and families, and supervise and manage the team. Demonstrated broad theoretical knowledge and excellent clinical skills that include models of case management and psychosocial service. Must be comfortable in a fast-paced and dynamic work environment. Ability to work in an interdisciplinary team. Cultural sensitivity and comfort with a wide range of racial and ethnic populations.  Ability to interpret data and use data to guide decision-making

 

 

Language Skills:  Must speak, write and read English proficiently. Spanish preferred but not required.

Licensure/Certification Required:  The job also requires an active DEA and Controlled Substance certificate.

Teleworking: This position requires teleworking if requested.

 

 

Standard Requirements:

 

• Supports an ethical standard, which complies with a code of conduct free of conflicts of interest.
• Supports the Mission and Values of Community Health & Wellness Center.
• Supports, cooperates with, and/or implements specific procedures and programs for:
  • Safety, including universal precautions and safe work practices, established fire/safety/disaster plans, risk management, and security, report and/or correct unsafe working conditions, equipment repair and maintenance needs.
  • Confidentiality of all data, including patient, employee and operations data.
  • Quality Assurance and compliance with all regulatory requirements.
  • Compliance with current law and policy to provide a work environment free from harassment and all illegal and discriminatory behavior.
• Cooperates and works together with all co-workers;
• Plans and completes job duties with minimal supervisory direction, including appropriate judgment.
• Uses tactful, appropriate communications in sensitive and emotional situations.
• Follows up as appropriate with supervisor and co-workers regarding reported complaints, problems and concerns.
• Promotes positive public relations with co-workers, patients, family members and guests.

 

 

Physical Effort/Environment:

 

Physical Demands- (More than 4 hours per day)-Requires walking, bending, sitting, standing, writing, reading, telephone use, data input into computer, and high level of audio and visual acuity. Moderate physical activity.  Requires handling of average-weight objects up to 25 pounds.

 

Manual Dexterity Required-Ability to use a keyboard, computer, and telephone and other duties that require fine motor skills.

 

Virtual Environment-Proficient in utilizing virtual meeting platforms (Teams, Zoom, etc) for CHWC-related meetings, training, etc.

 

 

General Competencies-All Staff

 

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies and skill sets:

 

Skill Set; Communications

 

Oral Communication – The ability to express oneself clearly in conversations and interactions with others.  Speaks clearly and can be easily understood; requires good listening skills.   Organizes ideas clearly in oral speech.  Expresses ideas concisely in oral speech.  Summarizes or paraphrases his/her understanding of what others have said to verify understanding and prevent miscommunication. Has a pleasant and respectful attitude when: communicating with coworkers, patients and internal/external clients.

 

Written Communication – The ability to express oneself clearly in business writing.  Expresses ideas clearly and concisely in writing.  Organizes written ideas clearly and signals the organization to the reader (e.g. through an introductory paragraph or through the use of headings).  Writes using concrete, specific language.  Spells correctly.  Writes grammatically.  Uses punctuation correctly.

 

Interpersonal Awareness – The ability to notice, interpret, and anticipate others’ concerns and feelings, and to communicate this awareness empathetically to others.  Understands the interests and important concerns of others.  Notices and accurately interprets what others are feeling, based on their choice of words, tone of voice, expressions, and other non-verbal behavior.  Understands the unspoken meaning in a situation.  Says or does things to address others’ concerns.

 

Customer Orientation – The ability to demonstrate concern for satisfying one’s external and/or internal customers.  Quickly and effectively solves customer problems. Talks to customers to find out what they want and how satisfied they are with what they are getting.  Lets customers know he/she is willing to work with them to meet their needs.  Helpful, positive manner with peers, subordinates and customers.

 

Skill Set; Achieve Results

 

Technical Expertise – The ability to demonstrate depth of knowledge and skill in key work process areas.  Is sought out as an expert to provide advice or solutions in his/her area.  Is knowledgeable in the tools used to support key work processes.  Can train and coach key work processes to staff in their area.  Is aware and follows agency policy and procedures consistently.

 

Initiative – Identifying what needs to be done and doing it before being asked or before the situation requires it.  Seeks out others involved in a situation to learn their perspective.  Takes independent action to change the direction of events.

 

Results Orientation – The ability to focus on the desired results of one’s own work, setting challenging goals, focusing efforts on the goals, and meeting or exceeding them. Maintains commitment to goals in the face of obstacles and frustrations.  Finds or creates ways to measure performance against goals.  Has a strong sense of urgency about solving problems and completing assigned work.

 

Thoroughness – Ensuring that one’s own work and information are complete and accurate.  Sets up procedures to ensure high quality of work (e.g. review meetings).  Verifies information.  Checks the accuracy of own work.  Develops and uses systems to organize and keep track of information or work in progress.  Carefully prepares for meetings and presentations.

 

Skill Set; Self-Management

 

Stress Management – The ability to continue to function effectively when under pressure and maintain self-control in the face of hostility or provocation.  Remains calm under stress.  Can effectively handle several problems or tasks simultaneously.  Controls his/her response when criticized, attacked, or provoked.  Maintains an appropriate sense of humor under difficult circumstances.

 

Personal Credibility – Demonstrated concern that one be perceived as responsible, reliable, and trustworthy.  Does what he/she commits to doing.  Is honest and forthright with people.  Takes responsibility for own mistakes; does not blame others.  Conveys a command of the relevant facts and information. Accepts direction and delegated tasks and is receptive to constructive criticism.