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Mental Health Medical Director (#337160)
$168.50-$204.81 Hourly / $29,206.11-$35,500.21 Monthly / $350,473.30-$426,002.49 Yearly




CLASS SUMMARY

Plans, organizes and supervises the medical component of services offered by the Mental Health Division of the County's Health Services Department; serves as a member of the Mental Health Division's management/supervisory team.

CLASS CHARACTERISTICS

This single position classification is characterized by the responsibility for the direction and evaluation of the medical component of services provided by the Mental Health Division of the County Health Services Department.  The incumbent provides clinical consultation to others in the Mental Health Division and clinical direction to medical personnel.  This class is responsible for the supervision of medical services and participation in the formulation of policy and procedures for the Mental Health Division.

Supervision Received and Exercised


Receives administrative direction from the Deputy Director, Mental Health.

Provides supervision to County and department management staff.

Examples of Duties

Drafts, monitors, and enforces psychiatric medical standards and practices.  Provides psychiatric consultation, participates in the hiring of professional staff, serves on or chairs committees including medication monitoring, peer review, and quality assurance; reviews Treatment Plans and client Incident Reports and participates in Utilization Review and other processes to insure conformance with program and licensing standards; adjusts treatment procedures as needed.

Practices psychiatry in all clinical settings; assesses and prescribes medications for mental health patients.

Consults with the Mental Health Director on the clinical and medical needs of a variety of programs; assists in planning and development of service delivery; plans and implements medical policies and procedures.

Acts as medical liaison with private physicians and representatives of hospitals, agencies, departments and community organizations who work with Mental Health Psychiatrists and clients/patients; works with graduate and/or medical school representatives to obtain graduate and/or psychiatric resident assistance; coordinates and negotiates with public and privately operated hospitals regarding provision of services to County mental health clients.

Provides medical direction and consultation to the division of Mental Health's County operated programs and consultation to its contracted agencies, particularly in the areas of quality assurance, medication monitoring, and peer review.

Plans, organizes, implements, evaluates and conducts in-service training and staff development programs.

Provides medical back-up for "on call" psychiatrist.

Writes annual clinical performance evaluation of staff psychiatrists and performs annual clinical performance monitoring of contract psychiatrists.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Knowledge of:

Community mental health systems and practices; community mental health program goals and limitations.

Principles and practices of general and preventative psychiatry; methods and procedures used in diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders; principles and practices of psychiatric treatment in a variety of clinical environments; psychiatric medications and their interaction with other prescription drugs.

General medicine and its relationship to mental illness.

Legal environment of psychiatric practice.

Quality assurance, utilization review, clinical management and medication monitoring systems, procedures and practices.

Principles and practices of supervision.

Community organizations as related to medical and mental health services.

Public administration practices related to personnel.

Budgeting and cost control.

Skills to:

Operate office equipment including a personal computer, copy and fax machines and printers.

Ability to:

Plan, direct, coordinate and evaluate psychiatric services; determine clinical and medical needs of community mental health programs.

Formulate, implement and evaluate treatment methods and procedures; practice psychiatry in a community mental health delivery system.

Referrals to local and regional providers of social, medical and/or other specialized services.

Maintain currency in and apply knowledge of treatment modalities, medications and laws governing psychiatric practice.

Determine and evaluate levels of achievement and performance; secure cooperation and teamwork among professional and/or support staff; plan and conduct effective in-service training programs.

Maintain confidentiality of information.

Deal firmly and fairly with clients of various socio-economic backgrounds and temperaments; understand program objectives in relation to departmental goals and procedures; collect and analyze data to establish/identify needs and evaluate program effectiveness; develop goals and objectives.

Communicate effectively both verbally and in writing with people of diverse socio-economic backgrounds and temperaments.

Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships.

Education and Experience

Experience: 

Considerable experience as a practicing psychiatrist in a community mental health environment

Education/Training: 

Medical Doctor degree from an accredited college or university with completion of a residency in  Psychiatry.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Possession of a valid Physicians and Surgeons License issued by the California Board of Medical Quality Assurance and written evidence of successful completion of a psychiatry residency.

Possession of or ability to obtain a valid class C California driver's license may be required.

CLASS: 337160; EST: 12/1/1990; REV: 2/1/2003;