Psychiatric Advanced Practice Provider (PMHNP or PA) - Psychiatric Emergency Services

About the role

The Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of North Carolina is seeking a Psychiatric Advanced Practice Provider (PMHNP or Physician Assistant with relevant psychiatric training) to join the Emergency Department's Psychiatric Emergency Service (PES). This provider is responsible for the screening, ongoing evaluation, and treatment of patients presenting with mental health and/or substance use–related concerns in the Emergency Department. The APP augments the primary Emergency Medicine Team by providing psychiatric assessment, diagnosis, and treatment.

Responsibilities

• Performing comprehensive psychiatric evaluations and establishing diagnoses
• Responding to behavioral emergencies
• Providing brief supportive therapy
• Prescribing and ordering evidence-based psychopharmacologic treatments
• Making recommendations regarding involuntary commitment when appropriate
• Collaborating with a multidisciplinary crisis team on resources and disposition planning
• Obtaining relevant medical and psychiatric history, performing focused physical assessments, and reviewing and interpreting pertinent diagnostic tests and results
• Timely and thorough documentation of psychiatric consult notes, including assessment and medical decision-making, treatment recommendations (including level of care), patient history, diagnoses, and mental status examinations
• Obtaining relevant health and medical history, performing thorough physical assessment, reviewing and interpreting pertinent diagnostic tests/results
• Developing appropriate differential diagnoses
• Developing and implementing treatment plans including prescribing/ordering of appropriate evidence-based pharmacological agents consistent with departmental guidelines and privileging, and scheduling appropriate follow-up management
• Actively incorporating evidence-based hospital initiatives to improve patient care
• Conducting preventive health screening based on age, history and patient needs
• Maintaining clear comprehensive yet concise records of all aspects of patient care
• Maintaining essential knowledge of general disease and pathologic processes
• Maintaining extensive knowledge of their specialty literature including awareness of developing areas
• Consistently deriving correct diagnoses through synthesis of clinical data and proper selection and interpretation of diagnostic studies
• Developing comprehensive differential diagnoses for patients
• Revising the plan of care to meet the changing needs of the patient
• Prioritizing work and assisting staff to provide prompt and efficient client flow
• Consistently maintaining high productivity according to identified standards
• Leading/participating in projects to improve productivity
• Appropriately performing medical procedures consistent with departmental guidelines, privileging, and clinical roles/responsibilities
• Appropriately and professionally educating clients and/or families regarding medical condition, treatment, and follow-up
• Collaborating with clinicians, staff, and students to promote continuity and patient/family centered care
• Developing educational materials based on learning needs of clinicians, staff, and students
• Providing education/instruction to physicians, housestaff, nursing, ancillaries and/or students
• Actively recognizing and participating in identification and achievement of self-learning needs
• Attending education programs based on identified learning needs
• Providing instruction to physicians, housestaff, nursing, ancillaries and/or students including but not limited to precepting, shadowing, lectures, training classes, CE, rounds, morning report, and or staff meetings
• Participating in community/network outreach programs
• Developing/leading community/network outreach programs
• Demonstrating both an understanding of the contexts and system in which healthcare is provided and the ability to apply this knowledge to improve and optimize health care delivery
• Leading/participating in systems improvements
• Interacting with patients and families in a respectful, courteous and timely fashion using appropriate communication for the patient and situation
• Interacting collaboratively with coworkers, other team members and staff in a respectful, courteous, and timely fashion appropriate to patient care needs and situations
• Responding quickly to meet customer needs and resolve problems
• Accepting responsibility for outcomes of one's work
• Sharing responsibility for overall workload with team members
• Engaging in daily continuous quality improvement by identifying and implementing processes for improvement
• Consulting with management in assessment, problem-solving, decision-making, and evaluating clinical/system issues and models of care
• Leading interdisciplinary teams to provide integrated delivery of patient care services
• Initiating and revising protocol(s) or guideline(s) to reflect evidence-based changes in care management
• Working to influence policy-making bodies to improve patient care
• Developing new clinical programs or services within the department/unit/clinic to improve patient care

Qualifications

• Completion of an accredited graduate-level Advanced Practice Provider (APRN or PA) program
• Licensed as an Advanced Practice Provider (i.e., Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistant, Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner, Certified Nurse Midwife, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist) in the state of North Carolina
• Board certification if required by the Department
• DEA registration
• No prior experience required
• Demonstrated clinical competency
• Effective leadership skills
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively
• Demonstrated written and verbal communication and strong analytical skills
• Effective interaction to ensure the successful care of patients in the clinical setting
• Documentation in the medical record to substantiate accurate billing

Preferred qualifications

• Prior emergency department and/or psychiatric crisis experience
• North Carolina First Commitment Certification

Schedule

Nights. Full Time, 40 hours per week. Onsite work assignment in Chapel Hill, NC.

Pay and benefits

• Eligible for evening and weekend shift differentials
• Eligible for continuing medical education (CME) reimbursement through the Department of Emergency Medicine
• This is a State position employed by UNC Health Care System with UNC Health benefits. If you are presently an employee of another North Carolina agency and currently participate in TSERS or the ORP, you will be eligible to continue participating in those plans at UNC Health

Contact: Joshua Cosby, physicianrecruitment@unchealth.unc.edu