Associate Director, Psychiatry

Program:

Department:

Reports to:

Category:

FLSA Status:

Probation: 

Benefits: 

Mental Health Services

Health Services

Director of Psychiatry 

100% Full-Time

Exempt

90 days

Medical, Dental, Vision; also including Life Insurance, Long-Term Disability, 

Employee Assistance Program, and a 403(b) Retirement Plan

CENTER MISSION: Building a world where LGBT people thrive as healthy, equal, and complete members of society.

DEPARTMENT SUMMARY: The Los Angeles LGBT Center is one of the largest and most expansive LGBT-centered social service agencies in the world. Our Federally Qualified Health Center is renowned for providing high-quality and LGBT-competent medical, mental health, integrative medicine care to individuals regardless of ability to pay.

JOB SUMMARY: Under the direction of the unit’s director, the Associate Director, Psychiatry will provide clinical and administrative oversight to Center’s psychiatric program, ensuring that care is evidence based, trauma informed, and LGBT-competent. This position will supervise clinical staff and liaise with operations, nursing, and Health Services leadership staff to optimize patient care and promote an innovative yet sustainable service delivery model. In addition to these leadership duties, the Associate Director will provide psychiatric care to a panel of assigned patients of diverse genders, ages, and psychosocial complexities, including those with substance use disorders, housing instability, and co-morbid chronic medical diseases. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Administrative & Leadership (20%)

• Attend formal and informal case-conference meetings including Multi-Disciplinary Case Conferences and Integrated Care Program meetings and provide professional assessments and recommendations regarding patients’ psychiatric management
• Coordinate routine psychiatric provider meetings including establishing agendas and ensuring follow-up on action steps
• Facilitate routine professional educational presentations and case discussions highlighting best practices in psychiatric care
• Maintain relationships with psychiatric training institutions, develop curricula for psychiatric rotations, and coordinate precepting of fellows and students
• Conduct peer review and quality assurance exercises to psychiatric care is in line with national standards and internal practice guidelines
• In conjunction with the Director of Psychiatry, develop and implement trauma-informed and evidence-based clinical protocols and practice guidelines
• Liaison with mental health and medical leadership in identifying new programs and services to better serve patients’ needs
• Provide administrative and clinical onboarding and supervision to advance-practice psychiatric providers and junior psychiatrists
• Serve on the credentialing and privileging committee for psychiatric providers
• Proactively liaison with the operations and nursing teams to ensure that budgetary goals in the unit are being monitored and met
• Develop workflows to streamline processes and optimize psychiatric patient care
• Manage patient grievances and panel transfer requests

Direct Patient Care (80%)

• Manage the psychiatric care of a panel of patients with diverse medical needs and psychosocial complexities and conduct visits on a patient schedule during clinical hours
• Perform comprehensive in-person and video psychiatric evaluations including full medical and psychiatric history, medication reconciliation and medical records review, patient assessment, diagnosis and treatment plan, and documentation in the electronic medical record
• Assess the need for psychotropic medications; select evidence-based, patient-centered regimen; explain risks/benefits of treatment; and electronically prescribe medications in accordance with all regulatory and compliance requirements
• Monitor patient progress, medication side effects and toxicities through scheduled return visits and appropriate laboratory monitoring
• Demonstrate chart maintenance by keeping patient problem lists current
• Follow practice EHR documentation standards and clinic policy in completing encounter notes; reviewing and signing lab results- and consults; and responding to refill requests and EHR messages
• Coordinate with care team members and patients’ primary care provider
• Refer patients for mental health therapy and additional case management services when indicated and engage in ongoing communication in an interdisciplinary model
• Complete patient related forms, as clinically indicated
• Ensure completion of Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits and clinical activities necessary to maintain current board certification and clinical privileges
• Provide cross coverage when other psychiatric providers in the practice are out of the office, including patient visits, electronic refills and patient messages
• Participate in the on-call after-hours pool for psychiatric patients

• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Experience working with the LGBTQ community and familiarity with issues of particular relevance to LGBTQ people
• A passion for the Center’s work and its mission to make the world a better place for LGBTQ people
• Commitment to a model of psychiatric care that is trauma-informed, harm reducing, and LGBT affirming
• Valid license to practice medicine in the State of California, unrestricted DEA license, and BLS certification
• Successful completion of an ACGME or AOA-recognized accredited residency in Psychiatry
• Board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry
• Minimum 5 years’ experience providing direct psychiatric care to patients, including significant experience managing patients with complex psychosocial needs and psychiatric histories
• Experience providing administrative and clinical supervision to other psychiatric providers, developing clinical protocols/guidelines, and overseeing a psychiatric practice
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, and strong organizational and interpersonal abilities 
• Ability to conduct medical interactions in Spanish preferred 
• Understanding of intersectional social determinants affecting LGBTQ health, including racism, sexism, transphobia, and income inequality
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with diverse populations in a multicultural environment
• General knowledge of state and federal laws pertaining to psychiatric practice

The Los Angeles LGBT Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to fostering diversity within its staff. Applications are encouraged from all persons regardless of their race, color, ancestry, religious creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, medical/physical/mental condition, pregnancy/childbirth and related medical condition, age, marital status, or veteran status.

The Center has implemented a policy requiring all staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment, subject to applicable federal, state and local laws. For more information, please contact [email protected]