MEDICAL DOCTOR
PSYCHIATRIST

DEFINITION OF CLASS:

This is full performance level clinical staff work providing psychiatric treatment services to patients as part of a multi-disciplinary team. Employees in this class perform as either the treating psychiatrist and primary therapist; or as the treating psychiatrist, collaborating and consulting closely with other mental health clinical cluster members. Contacts are with other professional and paraprofessional team members to discuss patient cases, agree on courses of action, coordinate treatment, and provide subject matter advice; as well as with staff members of other agencies such as hospitals, residential programs, courts, and schools, to coordinate and provide continuity of care; and with administrators, to ensure medical care standards are maintained. A Psychiatrist provides therapeutic care that includes conducting psychiatric evaluations and determining mental status and psychiatric diagnosis; prescribing and administering medications; and engaging in numerous forms of psychosocial therapies involving intensive interaction with patients.

The medical aspects of the Psychiatrist's work, which are considered to be technically authoritative, are normally accepted without significant change and are subject to review by a medical director. The Psychiatrist is medically responsible for all aspects of a patients' psychiatric treatment program. The administrative aspects of the work are supervised by a program director, section chief or division director (non-physician). Guidelines are of limited use and the employee must consider a broad range of medical factors and psychosocial issues in developing treatment options. Decisions regarding what needs to be done require the establishment of good patient rapport, extensive probing and analysis to determine the nature and scope of the patient's problems, and the involvement of the patient in the development of a plan to address them. The successful application of these processes involves isolating and defining unknown conditions and resolving critical problems, which impact the well-being of a substantial number of patients. Performance of this work occasionally involves some unpleasantness resulting from exposure to body fluids when administering injections. An employee in this class is occasionally exposed to some risk due to contact with blood-borne diseases such as hepatitis and HIV; and to abusive, aggressive and unpredictable patient behavior. The work is primarily sedentary, involves no special physical demands, and may involve some evening and/or weekend hours.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES: (Illustrative Only)

Provides a broad spectrum of direct medical and psychiatric clinical care services to individuals and families as a member of a multi-disciplinary team, as the treating Psychiatrist and primary therapist, or just the treating Psychiatrist.
Provides a variety of therapeutic modalities including, but not limited to prescribing and administering medications, engaging in numerous forms of psychotherapy, making appropriate referrals, requesting laboratory and psychological tests and utilizing the results in the context of the patient's therapeutic cause, signing commitment papers and preparing other medico-legal documents when clinically indicated.
Interviews and evaluates individuals to determine mental status and psychiatric diagnosis, makes recommendations regarding the need for further medical (somatic) evaluation or psychiatric treatment.
Maintains accurate and complete patient records, data, test results and statistics, and posts results/notations to patient' charts.
Participates as a medical member in interdisciplinary case conferences for individual patients assuring that established standards of psychiatric care are achieved and maintained, that medical/psychiatric intervention and psychotherapy interventions are coordinated and in concert with one another, and in providing psychiatric education and consultation to other mental health professionals, families, and patients on an as needed/required basis.
Maintains liaison with other professionals and community agencies with which assigned patients are also involved.
Addresses professional and lay groups regarding unit activities and other mental health topics.
Directs and/or participates in staff meetings and conferences.
Engages in on-going professional improvement through attendance at Continuing Education programs to accrue credits toward State license maintenance, and to maintain knowledge of current developments in all aspects of psychiatric treatment.
Performs other related duties as required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Psychiatrist I - Not Board Eligible ( Grade MD 1 - Class Code 112005)
Has not completed specialty training that is recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS).
Experience: Completed 1 or more Post Graduate Year after medical school graduation.
Education: Graduation from an accredited medical school with a degree of Doctor of Psychiatry.
Equivalency: None.

Psychiatrist II - Board Eligible (Grade MD 2 - Class Code 122005)
Has completed specialty training that is recognized by the ABMS, but has not passed that Board Examination.
Experience: Has completed enough Post Graduate Years to satisfy recognition requirements of ABMS.
Education: Graduation from an accredited medical school with a degree of Doctor of Psychiatry.
Equivalency: None.

Psychiatrist III* - Board Certified (Grade MD 3 - Class Code 132005)
Has passed the specialty examination.
Experience: Has completed enough Post Graduate Years to satisfy recognition requirements of ABMS.
Education: Graduation from an accredited medical school with a degree of Doctor of Psychiatry.
Equivalency: None

Psychiatrist IV- Board Certified in a Sub-specialty (Grade MD 4 - Class Code 142005)
Has passed the examination of a sub-specialty recognized by the ABMS and is a
sub-specialty that is useful within the physician's duties for the County as determined by the
Service Chief.

Experience: Has completed enough Post Graduate Years to satisfy recognition requirements of ABMS.

Education: Graduation from an accredited medical school with a degree of Doctor of Psychiatry.

Equivalency: May substitute experience for post graduate education requirements, or may have sufficient combination of experience and education.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Thorough knowledge of the principles, practices, methods and techniques of the appropriate medical/psychiatric specialty.
Thorough knowledge of all types of biopsychosocial treatments including psychopharmacology, indications for their use and possible adverse effects.
Thorough knowledge of current developments in the general medical, psychiatric, and psychological fields.
Thorough knowledge of the roles, responsibilities, and inter-relationships of the various disciplines that provide health, mental health, and related services.
Knowledge of the principles and practices of preventive medicine.
Knowledge of the principles and practices of health/mental health administration.
Ability to plan, organize and implement the medical component of a mental health program.
Ability to screen and monitor for physical disorders, and to assess their interrelationship with psychiatric disorders.
Ability to establish and maintain effective and cooperative working relationships with interdisciplinary team members, departmental staff, and staff members of private and public agencies.
Ability to communicate clearly and affectively, both orally and in writing.
Ability to attend meetings or perform other assignments at locations outside the office, as necessary.

LICENSE:

Possession of, or the ability to readily obtain the following: a valid license to practice medicine issued by the Maryland State Board of Medical Examiners; and licensure from the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency and State of Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Division of Drug Control (CDS License) to prescribe drugs.

All of the prescribed licenses must be obtained as soon as possible, but not later than six (6) months from the date of employment.

PROBATIONARY PERIOD:

Individuals appointed to this class will be required to serve a probationary period of twelve (12) months, during which time performance will be carefully evaluated. Continuation in this class will be contingent upon successful completion of the probationary period.

MEDICAL PROTOCOL: Limited Core Exam.

*Budget Level

Class Established: February 1994(M)
July 2003 (M)
December 2005
July 2006