Physician Assistant

Job Summary

The Physician Assistant is responsible for diagnosing psychiatric disorders, completing comprehensive psychiatric evaluations, evaluating the need for medication management, and monitoring of medication response for individuals, who are incarcerated at the Oakland County Jail. This role involves collaborating with a multidisciplinary team, including Jail Caseworkers, Psychiatrists, Nurse Practitioners, Physicians, Support Staff, etc. This position is intended to provide in-person care with the potential for remote work (hybrid schedule).

Essential Functions

• Provide psychiatric services to individuals, including evaluations, treatment, and monitoring of psychotropic medications.
• Evaluate / monitor individual’s progress, including individuals on behavior / suicide watch. This includes individuals who are in restricted housing, behavioral units, etc.
• Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team, including a Lead Psychiatrist, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, and/or Psychiatry Residents/Fellows.
• Provide psychiatric consultation to all professionals within the unit.
• Available for emergency psychiatric coverage, including evening and weekends on a rotating basis.
• Refer individuals as necessary to appropriate crisis centers / psychiatric facilities when appropriate. Provide supporting documentation.
• Work collaboratively with on-site pharmacy to order psychotropic medications, consistent with the jail’s formulary.
• Provide discharge prescriptions.
• Ensure complete, accurate and timely psychiatric entries are made within the Electronic Health Record.
• Working knowledge of Michigan Mental Health Code and the role of psychiatry in the delivery of public mental health services.
• Knowledge of HIPAA privacy and security requirements.

Job Requirements and Qualifications

Education:

Master’s Degree in Physician Assistant Studies from a nationally accredited university.

Training Requirements (licenses, programs, or certificates):

• Active Physician Assistant license in Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
• State of Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Board or Pharmacy Controlled Substance License.
• Obtain Controlled Substance Registration Certificate, United States Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Washington, DC, 20537.
• No history of criminal misdemeanor or felony.
• Attest to no complaints or penalties from respective board of licensing.

Experience Requirements:

• At least five (5) years of clinical experience.
• Preferred: Experience within a carceral and / or inpatient psychiatric and / or crisis stabilization setting.
• Preferred: Experience with high acuity patient population.

Job Specific Competencies/Skills:

• Demonstrates high level of interpersonal skills both in direct personal interactions and on the telephone.
• Demonstrates high level of oral and written communication skills.
• Demonstrates ability to handle a high volume of relatively complex assignments accurately and timely.
• Demonstrates organizational skills needed to establish office procedures and maintain files and records.
• Ability to work independently in the field, while also functioning as a member of a larger team
• Ability to engage with individuals, their families, and community partners
• Understanding of trauma informed principles.
• Knowledge of the OCHN system, providers, eligibility criteria, and community referral resources.
• Knowledge of DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria.
• Knowledge of Michigan Mental Health Code.

Oakland Community Health Network’s Core Competencies:

• Interacting with others in a way that gives them confidence in one’s intentions and those of the organization; demonstrating loyalty to the organization and its mission and values; maintaining social, ethical, and organizational norms; firmly adhering to codes of conduct and ethical principles. (Integrity/Building Trust)
• Making customers and their needs a primary focus of one’s actions; developing and sustaining productive customer relationships, recognizing that the ultimate customer is the person served. (Customer Focus)
• Actively identifying new areas for learning; regularly creating and taking advantage of learning opportunities; using newly gained knowledge and skill on the job and learning through their application. (Continuous Learning)
• Setting high standards of performance for self and others; assuming responsibility and accountability for successfully completing assignments or tasks; self-imposing standards of excellence in addition to consciously adopting organizational standards of excellence. (Work Standards)
• Clearly conveying information and ideas through a variety of media to individuals or groups in a manner that engages the audience and helps them understand and retain the message. (Communication)

Other Information:

Special Information (Travel required, physical requirements, on-call schedules, and so on):

• Must have available means of transportation to and from OCHN and for required offsite meetings or site visits.
• Must be available for meetings and events which may occur outside of standard office hours.
• Hybrid (onsite/remote) work schedule available. On-site work is completed at the Oakland County Jail, Pontiac, MI
• Must pass an Oakland County Jail background check.

Additional Information:

The ideal candidate must be able to complete all physical requirements of the job with or without a reasonable accommodation.

OCHN is committed to building a diverse team and fostering an inclusive and equitable culture. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer that embraces and encourages our employees’ differences. This includes (but is not limited to) ability, age, color, family type, gender expression and identity, individual expression, medical conditions, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, and all other diverse and wonderful characteristics