Special Commitment Center Jobs (NOW HIRING)

The Special Commitment Center (SCC) (part of the Behavioral Health & Habilitation Administration) is seeking a Psychiatrist with experience or desire to work with individuals with various paraphilias and personality disorders to join their dedicated team on McNeil Island. The Special Commitment Center is committed to providing evidence-based treatment to reduce recidivism and increase public safety. We are looking for teammates who share our vision and who are committed to an equitable and inclusive culture that fosters growth while promoting engagement and safety, leading to better outcomes for our agency, our clients, and our community.

The Psychiatrist 4 reports directly to the SCC Medical Director who is a direct report to the Chief Executive Officer. This position provides psychiatric services to the SCC population including those residing in Less Restrictive Alternative (LRA) settings of the Secure Community Transition Facilities in King and Pierce Counties. In addition, the SCC Psychiatrist will provide care and consultation to those residents in community placements through conditional release to a LRA.

Basic duties include diagnosing and treating psychiatric conditions of the residents, prescribing and reviewing appropriate medication and treatment, performing ongoing assessments of the patient's response to treatments, and developing and reviewing a release plan or justification for continued civil commitment.

The position requires traveling to and from McNeil Island on a ferry. The ferry ride is considered commute time and not a paid portion of the work day. The ferry schedule may be impacted by severe weather and/or tides.

Pierce County employees are eligible to receive a free ORCA card for transportation use. Opportunities performed on-site at this work location at least three days a week may be eligible for an additional 5% premium pay in addition to the advertised salary.

Duties include:

• Providing routine psychiatric care to all residents in need at the Special Commitment Center. This includes assessment and evaluations, prescribing and monitoring medications, suggesting behavioral interventions, overall condition monitoring and documentation.
• Ensuring that all psychiatric care is integrated into the overall service provision for the resident to include medical, clinical, and residential.
• Responding to psychiatric emergencies and providing follow up care as required for acute psychiatric and behavioral issues.
• Consulting with clinical treatment providers and Residential Program Managers and other residential staff to ensure continuity of care and appropriate monitoring in the living unit.
• Acting as the primary licensed provider for all seclusion and restraint admissions and discharges.
• Reviewing, assessing, and evaluating residents new to the SCC.
• Assisting in the development of and tracking of performance metrics for all psychiatric services.

We are most interested in applicants who meet the following:

• A valid license to practice medicine and surgery in Washington State and successful completion of ACGME approved residency in Psychiatry.
• Strong psychopharmacology skills and the ability to work collaboratively with other professionals are essential.

As an employer, the Department of Social and Health Services offers the following to Psychiatrists:

• Relocation assistance
• $10,000 for Board Certification
• $10,000 incentive for psychiatrists newly hired to DSHS
• Loan forgiveness program available up to $25,000 for qualifying employees
• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and pharmacy plans
• $6,500 annual allowance for CME courses
• Employee legal representation and/or indemnification
• Eligible for benefits immediately
• Deferred compensation program
• Five-year retirement vestment
• Career advancement
• Optimal work/life balance
• No mandatory call; 1.25 times regular pay for extra duty, such as voluntary on-call
• Opportunity to work on complex cases
• Free ORCA cards are available for Pierce County employees
• Opportunities performed on-site at this work location at least three days a week may be eligible for an additional 5% premium pay in addition to the advertised salary.

Questions about this opportunity? Please contact Grant Grady at grant.grady@dshs.wa.gov and reference project number 02172.