JOB SUMMARY:  

A staff psychiatrist serves as a practicing specialist under the administrative supervision of a Program Director and the clinical/medical direction of the Chief Medical Officer. Psychiatrists diagnose, prescribe medication, monitor medication side effects, participate in the interdisciplinary treatment team process and provide a wide range of psychiatric services in the treatment and rehabilitation, for an assigned group of clients or residents. These positions exist in a variety of treatment settings at ICL: outpatient mental health clinics, outpatient medical clinics, day treatment programs, mobile outreach teams and other treatment programs. In the ACTT Program, the psychiatrist, in conjunction with the team leader/program director has overall clinical responsibility for monitoring recipient treatment and staff delivery of clinical services. The psychiatrist provides psychiatric and medical assessment and treatment, clinical supervision, educations and training of the team and development, maintenance and supervision of medication administration and psychiatric and medical treatment and procedures.

ESSENTIAL TASKS:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions unless this causes undue hardship to the agency.

1. Completes psychiatric evaluations
2. Evaluates all available clinical data pertaining to client’s physical status
3. Supervises or conducts chart reviews to ensure compliance with coding and documentation guidelines and governmental requirements
4. Maintains working knowledge of and adheres to all rules and regulations regarding billing and billing documentation
5. Reviews and follows up on treatments ordered by other physicians
6. Participates in the development of the individual plan of service for each client, with special attention to all medical aspects of the plan
7. Reviews, approves and signs all plans of service and reviews for assigned clients
8. Documents client’s progress in progress notes as directed by clinic policy
9. Explains medication effects and side-effects to client and/or guardian
10. Obtains or reviews client’s and/or guardian’s signature on applicable consent to treatment forms
11.  Prescribes, follows-up and reviews all prescribed psychotropic drugs
12.  Performs individual and group psychotherapy according to the service plan
13. Performs family evaluation and therapy singly or jointly with other members of the treatment team in accordance with the treatment plan.
14. Performs crisis intervention as necessary
15. Consults with and advises clinical staff; provides review and education resulting from quality assurance chart audits
16. Participates in peer review process and in quality management activities as assigned
17. Submits service activity logs, weekly and monthly schedule, time records etc. to Program Director
18. Participates in or conducts case conference as needed
19. Participates in agency staff development and in-service education program
20. Supervises the direct care activities of nursing and other staff assigned to this group.
21. Develops and implements training programs for staff.
22. Other job-related duties as may be assigned

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

Adult Programs

Board Eligible: license to practice medicine in New York State and completion of a training program in psychiatry approved by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology for entrance into their examination, and eligibility for full and unconditional participation in the Medicaid and Medicare programs. Possession of current Controlled Substances Registration certificate from the US Drug Enforcement Administration.

Board Certified: license to practice medicine in New York State and certification in psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, or by a foreign board clearly equivalent; and eligibility for full and unconditional participation in the Medicaid and Medicare programs. Possession of current Controlled Substances Registration certificate from the US Drug Enforcement Administration.

PREFERRED EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:

Experience providing services to persons with serious and persistent mental illness, working as part of a multi-disciplinary treatment team in an outpatient setting. 

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret professional journals, regulatory and auditing agency regulations and standards
• Ability to write reports, notes, etc. that comply with all applicable standards and regulations and that are legible when handwritten as well as timely
• Ability to use electronic computer programs (IMA, Word processing, etc.) to enter and retrieve clinical data
• Ability to communicate effectively with team members, other providers, community members and clients and their families
• Ability to make sound decisions in emergency situations
• Knowledge of the Agency's routines, procedures and policies.
• Knowledge of cultural, ethnic, and linguistic needs of clients relating to cultural competence.

Psychiatrists are regarded as experts in the field of psychiatry by persons in their care, an individual’s caregivers, other direct care staff, treatment team members, and other medical staff. They are relied on to provide expert psychiatric advice about patient condition and treatment, while considering a wide variety of factors that impact on the general well-being of those individuals in their care.

There is a high level of responsibility for work performance, with Psychiatrists responsible for the treatment and care of individuals. The consequences of error are great: mistakes may result in harm to the person, caregivers, or others, injury to the reputation of the facility, setbacks in an individual’s treatment and condition, and dissatisfaction with the services provided.

COMMUNICATION

Good communication and listening skills are critical for the proper performance of duties and effectiveness of treatment prescribed and conducted by Psychiatrists. Psychiatrists have frequent oral communications with patients to conduct psychiatric evaluations and individual and group therapy; additionally, they must be able to observe and comprehend non-verbal communications to understand and evaluate patient condition and response to treatment.

Psychiatrists have frequent oral communication with caregivers, patients and their families, treatment team members, and other medical, nursing, and support staff to elicit and clarify information, answer questions, explain conditions and treatment methods, coordinate treatment, give orders for patient care, and provide advice. They must explain complex information so that it is easily understood and comprehended by patients and caregivers, who generally have limited or no understanding of medical science and the field of psychiatry.

Psychiatrists have frequent written communications to prepare psychiatric evaluations, record information about patients and their response to treatment, order treatments and prescriptions, and maintain patient records. In addition, written communications include reports about the treatment programs of the unit, facility, or program, presentations of papers about research and treatment, explanations of new developments in psychiatric care and treatment, and dissemination of procedural, policy, and other information affecting unit and facility operations.

Psychiatrists are legally responsible for the accuracy of psychiatric information that they convey and enter in records.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED

Psychiatrists supervise staff by prescribing treatments, giving orders to implement and revise treatment programs, supervising the administration of treatment, and answering questions and advising staff about patient care and treatment. If they work on a team with a nurse practitioner, will engage in a practice agreement with the NP.

This job description is a guide to the critical duties and essential functions of the job, not an all-inclusive list of responsibilities, qualifications, physical demands and work environment conditions. Job descriptions are reviewed and revised to meet the changing needs of the agency at the sole discretion of management.