Jail Health Psychiatrist

Summary

Position Summary
The Psychiatric Services team is a workgroup with the Jail Health Services Division. We provide mental health and psychiatric care to detained residents at the King County Correctional Facility and Maleng Regional Justice Center.

Jail Health Psychiatrists are responsible for providing psychiatric care as part of a team of other mental health/psychiatry professionals (Psychiatrists, ARNPs, and independently Licensed Mental Health Counselors or Social Workers) within the larger Jail Health Services division of Public Health. This position is distinguished from the Jail Health Managing Psychiatrist in that the incumbent within the Jail Health Managing Psychiatrist classification functions as the designated mental health authority, overseeing psychiatric clinical operations, developing and implementing mental health policies and protocols, ensuring compliance with professional standards, and providing consultation and leadership to staff and management. The Jail Health Managing Psychiatrist includes supervisory duties and broader accountability for the effectiveness and strategic direction of the facility’s mental health program.

Background

Named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nation's history, King County is a vibrant international community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the traditions of many cultures.

The county government has a deep commitment to equity and social justice and advancing practices, strategies, and policies that promote fairness, justice, and opportunity for all – in our workplaces and our communities. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda to advance regional change and ensure that residents from all communities are incorporated into our emergency planning and public outreach efforts.

We recognize that structural racism consists of principles and practices that cause and justify an inequitable distribution of rights, opportunities, and experiences across racial groups. Since declaring Racism is a Public Health Crisis in June 2020, King County and Public Health committed to being intentionally anti-racist and accountable to Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities.

To learn more, please visithttp://www.kingcounty.gov/elected/executive/equity-social-justice.aspx

Job Duties

• Provide psychiatric services as an independent psychiatric health care provider based on Public Health - Seattle & King County clinical practice guidelines, CDC guidelines, mental health standards as well as the current community standards.
• Assess patients and establish diagnoses by performing a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation. This includes gathering patient history, performing a physical examination, and other methods of assessment. Order or perform appropriate diagnostic and screening tests and collect additional data for evaluation of illness/wellness. This work may be done in a clinic setting or within psychiatric housing as required.
• Develop differential diagnosis and risk identification through assessment and interpretation of data.
• Provide managed patient health care by developing and implementing an individual treatment plan, prescribe/dispense medication, and provide counseling and case management.
• Complete documentation in Epic electronic health record
• Communicate care through electronic charting and verbal interactions with your patient and health care team, providing them with leadership and direction where necessary.
• Respond to medical or psychiatric emergencies as part of the jail healthcare team.
• Ensure quality of professional practice by practicing within professional, legal, and ethical standards and by participating in and providing continuing education, peer review, chart review, development of practice guidelines, and community work.
• Provide leadership and collaboration within the health care team to ensure quality patient care.
• Provide patient care consultation to other Jail Health Services staff when on call.
• Provide training, orientation, and education to staff, clients, and students.
• Participate in continuing education, guidelines development, staff development, and committee meetings.
• Participate in quality assurance activities to demonstrate compliance with standards, laws, regulations, policies, and procedures.
• Act as a consultant to the health care team, other staff, and the community including advocating for patients.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

Our ideal candidate will demonstrate the following (Minimum):

• Washington State medical license in good standing
• Current Board certification or board eligibility in Psychiatry
• Federal Drug Enforcement certificate
• Basic Life Support CPR certification with AED
• Washington State Driver’s License or the ability to utilize transportation to and from assigned work locations
• Security clearance and/or background check
• Willing to provide options counseling and possible referral for termination.
• Advanced knowledge of human systems, including wellness/illness, growth and development, basic nutrition, behavioral health, psycho-social and family systems
• Knowledge of diagnostic testing and interpretation of results
• Knowledge of diagnostic reasoning and clinical decision-making
• Knowledge of alternative treatment modalities
• Knowledge of health promotion, risk assessment, and education techniques and principles
• Knowledge of community, professional, and educational resources
• Knowledge of health care system structure and function
• Knowledge of therapeutic client interventions and group dynamics
• Knowledge/experience of electronic health record medical records documentation
• Ability to effectively engage in, and sustain, relationships with people from diverse cultures and socio-economic backgrounds
• Ability to work independently and as a team member
• Demonstrated proficiency with business applications, such as Microsoft Office suite and Office 365 systems

The most competitive applicants will have the following experiences and qualifications (Desired):

• Two or more years of experience providing adult psychiatric services
• Experience and/or training in addiction psychiatry and/or addiction medicine
• Correctional or inpatient psychiatric care experience
• Demonstrated ability to work with diverse cultural and socio-economic populations providing therapeutic client interventions and group dynamics

Supplemental Information

Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

To Apply

If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.