| Description |
The Cherokee Mental Health Institute (CMHI) in Cherokee, Iowa, is seeking an energetic and talented Physician Assistant (PA) to provide medical and psychiatric services to the facility’s patient population. CMHI’s mission is to administer quality mental health services in a caring, supportive, and individualized atmosphere.
CMHI is an acute psychiatric treatment facility within the Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS), and is located one hour East of Sioux City. The facility admits approximately 500 patients on an annual basis treating a wide array of mental health needs. The Physician Assistant will treat their assigned patients in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team and under the supervision of a Psychiatrist.
Duties include but are not limited to the following:
Assesses, diagnoses, and treats medical and psychiatric problems as delegated by the supervising physician.
Conducts physical examinations and interviews patients to collect historical and physical data.
Prescribes or provides medication to patients as delegated by the supervising physician.
Interprets, performs, or assists in performing routine therapeutic procedures.
Instructs and counsels patients on physical and mental health matters including nutrition, disease, therapy, and human growth and development.
Completes daily ward/patient rounds.
Communicates effectively with patients, families, and other clinical staff who are involved in the patient’s direct care.
Works as a member of an multi-disciplinary team to develop and carry out an individualized plan of care.
Completes progress notes according to the level of care the patient is receiving and as per facility guidelines. This includes medication adjustments/changes, changes in diagnosis, mental status, medical/psychiatric issues, and progress towards goals set forth in the plan of care.
Performs clinical duties such as admission rotations, on-call, committee assignments, in-service training, supervision or consultation with other disciplines, staff development, quality assurance, and other duties as assigned.
This position offers a salary along with additional compensation for on-call duties and any necessary overtime. This position shall provide a minimum of forty (40) hours of service per week, in addition to on-call service requirements as determined by the facility.
Requirements
Patient Care:
Complete assessments of patient clinical status and treatment needs by means of such techniques as history and physicals, mental status examination, interviews, and similar diagnostic procedures. Develops and records diagnostic impressions. Obtains consultations, as needed, to complete assessment tasks. Completes risk management and other specialized assessment procedures.
Develops individual plan of care based on own assessments, as well as, interdisciplinary and/or supervisory treatment planning process. Develops long and short-term goals and intervention strategies to resolve reasons for admission or referral.
Carries out intervention strategies such as medication management, counseling or psychotherapy, case management and aftercare planning, and behavior management. Carries out risk management or other specialized patient protocols such as restraint and seclusion procedures, suicide precautions, assault precautions, sexual victim/perpetrator precautions, elopement precautions, etc.
Communicates effectively with patients, patient families, and other clinical staff who are involved in the patient’s direct care. Conducts patient education for patient, family members, and others involved in the patient’s treatment.
Treatment Team Activities:
Works as a member of an interdisciplinary Treatment Team to carry out an individualized plan of care. Communicates with members of the Treatment Team both verbally and in writing regarding patient progress towards treatment goals and changes in the individualized plan of care necessary to achieve goals based on patient response to treatment. Participates in team treatment planning and admission/treatment/discharge reviews. Assumes case management or coordination responsibilities for a caseload of inpatients or outpatients, as assigned.
Other Administrative and Clinical Duties as Assigned:
Performs clinical duties such as admission rotations, on-call, ward rounds, committee assignments, in-service training, supervision or consultation with other disciplines, staff development, quality assurance, credentialing, and other duties as assigned. Complies with medical staff by-laws, rules and regulations, licensing, certification and accreditation standards, and DHS/CMHI policies and work rules regarding clinical protocols, admission procedures, treatment plans, and documentation/progress notes. |