Company Description

The Department of Psychiatry at Dalhousie University is recruiting for a Staff Psychiatrist for Acute Psychiatric Services at Abbie J Lane Building (AJLB) of the Central Zone of the Nova Scotia Health Authority (CZ-NSHA), contributes to the services’ clinical quality of care, using a person-centered evidence-based/informed socially responsible approach. In a co-leadership administrative model, working with the service managers and clinical team leaders, the incumbent will champion excellence in health care and related education and innovation provided by physicians and staff and by others involved with the teams on PES.

The Department of Psychiatry is a mid-sized clinical academic department within the Faculty of Medicine at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Faculty work as members of multidisciplinary teams within the Nova Scotia Health Mental Health and Addiction Program to provide general psychiatric services to patients primarily in the Central Zone and specialty services to patients across the province.

Job Description

This position is 1.0 FTE, with clinical time of this position divided between the Short Stay Unit (SSU; 0.5 FTE), a five-bed acute care psychiatric service that provides 24-hour psychiatric nursing care and crisis stabilization, with most admissions lasting 24 to 72 hours and Rapid Access Stabilization Program (RASP; 0.4 FTE). RASP is an outpatient service that provides expedited psychiatric assessment and treatment planning for adults with mild to moderate mental health conditions referred by family physicians. An additional 0.1 FTE is dedicated to teaching commitments with the Department. Flexibility may be required to work at other Central Zone locations subject to service need.

Roles and Responsibilities:
• Promote excellence in clinical academic services for the treatment of patients within moderate intensity teams of PES services at the AJLB and DGH. This includes oversight of residents who are members of the teams and input to the Managers of the teams and the Head of the Section of Acute Consultation and Emergency in relation to strategic planning, quality assurance/improvement, and resource allocation, regarding services across the units.
• Promote optimal interprofessional functioning of acute services through provision of effective, collegial co-leadership and role modeling.
• Ensure productive operation between PES and the acute inpatient services across the units when required by providing coverage for vacation or unexpected psychiatrist absences.
• Attend section meetings of acute services and the Department of Psychiatry monthly and biannual meetings.
• Provide the residents and team members support and guidance, as well as teaching in the management of patients when necessary. This includes providing timely, remote access when not physically on the unit.
• Provide effective leadership to enhance collegiality amongst the units as well as standardization of clinical & educational endeavors on the acute services.
• Collaborate with Clinical Academic Leaders in the Section of Acute Consultation and Emergency and in other sections/divisions of the Department of Psychiatry, and with other relevant leaders and community partners, to ensure seamless care for patients.

Clinical duties:
• As directed by the section head, of Acute Care & Emergency Psychiatry at Dalhousie University
• Clinical direct and indirect care as part of an interdisciplinary team
• Clinical "desk-side" teaching and didactic education
• Clinical administration
• Include on-call service
• Involve supervision of junior staff including residents and clinical clerks
• Support research as needed (and conduct it if personally desired)

Educational Duties: Didactic teaching at the undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing medical education level as determined in discussion with the director of education, Department of Psychiatry.

Research: Research and other scholarly innovation are encouraged; candidates who have a sufficient track record in mental health research may be eligible for protected research time depending on agreement with the Department of Psychiatry’s research and executive leadership.

Remuneration is based upon a highly competitive Academic Funding Plan, which pays for time spent in clinical service, teaching, and research. Successful candidates will receive an academic rank commensurate with qualifications and experience as per university protocols.

Qualifications

Eligibility:

Fellowship in Psychiatry, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, or equivalent as determined by the Department of Psychiatry; eligible for licensure with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia.

For information on licensure in Nova Scotia please consult the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia website at www.cpsns.ns.ca

Additional Information

Application Instructions:

Please send your CV and cover letter to: Dr. Sanjana Sridharan and Dr. Aaron Keshen, Co-Section Heads for Acute Care & Emergency Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University via Aleya MacNeil, the physician resource manager: ***@nshealth.ca (🔒 Premium)

** Please do not submit applications through this portal.  Please follow instructions noted above.**

Dalhousie University is committed to fostering a collegial culture grounded in diversity and inclusiveness. The university encourages applications from Indigenous persons, persons with a disability, racially visible persons, women, persons of a minority sexual orientation and/or gender identity, and all candidates who would contribute to the diversity of our community. For more information, please visit www.dal.ca/hiringfordiversity