Medical Director, Inpatients and Psychiatrist

Position Profile

The Department of Psychiatry and Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at Western University is inviting applications for a full-time clinical academic faculty position as a Medical Director, Inpatients and Psychiatrist at the Parkwood Institute Mental Health Building, part of St. Joseph’s Health Care London. Parkwood Institute is an academic centre with a strong mandate for excellence in care, education and research. It is also a core training site for undergraduate, postgraduate and subspecialty trainees, and has an active research program. The program is affiliated with the Lawson Health Research Institute and Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Academic and/or Clinical Expectations

The Medical Director, Inpatients will provide strategic leadership to physicians and staff congruent with the clinical and academic goals and mission of St. Joseph’s Health Care London, the Department of Psychiatry and the Divisions of General Adult Psychiatry and Geriatric Psychiatry. The Medical Director, Inpatients will serve as a direct report to the Site Chief of St. Joseph’s Mental Health Care program. They will be responsible for providing leadership to implement high quality and efficient clinical in a collegial, cooperative and collaborative environment. The Medical Director, Inpatients will work closely with the division chairs for matters that require division advocacy, support, validation or approval. The Medical Director provides leadership to the Program’s researchers along with the division chairs. The Medical Director participates and collaborates on St. Joseph’s Foundation initiatives.

Parkwood Institute Mental Health Building is a 150-bed specialized facility that provides care for patients with serious mental illness across a continuum from short-term consultation, collaborative care, intensive assertive community treatment and inpatient care. Our organization is recovery oriented with a strong focus on the use of psychiatric rehabilitation, evidence-informed psychotherapies, complex psychopharmacology and other evidence-based modalities (e.g. ECT and TMS). Our Inpatient services include 102 adult inpatient beds spread over 5 wards, a 24-bed complex geriatric psychiatry ward, and an 18-bed dementia unit. It also includes our Therapeutic Brain Stimulation service, providing ambulatory and inpatient ECT and rTMS.

Qualifications or Experience and Skills Required

We are looking for a dynamic and experienced Medical Director to provide medical leadership to our inpatient programs at the Parkwood Institute Mental Health Building. The Medical Director, Inpatients works collaboratively in a leadership dyad with the Clinical Director, Inpatients and will be responsible for the quality of care and performance of all inpatient physician services. They will be supported in their work by up to four Physician Clinical Leads, responsible for day to day operational leadership. The applicant will have an established career in rehabilitation psychiatry and a proven academic, administrative and clinical track record with a minimum of 3-5 years’ experience in a leadership position. Administrative leadership skills are required to assist in strategic planning, physician management, program planning, quality improvement, and capacity building and collaboration both within the program, the department and across the region. The desired candidate will also have the skills and expertise to contribute to a culture of continuous learning and education, along with evidence of impact in the areas of research and innovation. Knowledge of, and dedication to, a recovery-oriented treatment philosophy is required. Knowledge of the Canadian and Ontario legal and mental health systems and legislation is preferred.

Academic rank (Assistant, Associate or Professor) and appointment status (limited term or continuing) will be determined by experience and qualifications at the time of appointment. Candidates must hold an MD or equivalent and be eligible for licensure in the Province of Ontario. The successful candidate must have, or be willing to work toward, a specialist certification in Psychiatry from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

This position is a 0.2 FTE administrative position with 0.8 FTE clinical duties to be negotiated.

Term

The term for this medical director leadership role is five years, once renewable, and the base clinical appointment will be determined by rank and qualifications. The successful candidate’s clinical privileges and academic affiliation can extend beyond the tenure for this role.

Compensation Details

Remuneration will be based on qualifications and experience and will be composed primarily on the following sources; salary, fee for service, alternative funding plan, and academic support.