Facility: Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center

The largest and most integrated healthcare system in Georgia, Wellstar is a 11-hospital system with over 31k employees and 400 locations. A member of the Mayo Clinic Network, Wellstar is committed to investing in the communities we serve. We continue to develop innovative care models, focused on improving quality and access to healthcare. 

West Georgia - LaGrange GA

Duties/Responsibilities

Day-to-day, the PMHNP will participate in multi-disciplinary team huddles, appraising the needs across various care sites. The clinician should be adept at and comfortable utilizing telepsychiatry as needed to support patients who are being seen in ancillary or geographically-remote Wellstar locations. The patient population includes a range of ages across the lifespan, from children through older adults. Conditions requiring psychiatric interventions may include attempted suicide, substance use disorders, depression, psychosis, violence, or other rapid changes in behavior due to delirium stemming from various etiologies.

Ideal candidates for these roles should possess emotional flexibility, an orientation towards teamwork, a commitment to patient safety, and excellent clinical judgment. (S)He should possess a genuine respect for patients as well as other members of the clinical team, which includes clinical and operational directors of psychiatric emergency services and emergency departments, psychiatrists, emergency physicians, nurses, social workers, psychologists, physician assistants, educators and other professionals involved in emergency psychiatry.

Primary clinical responsibilities include the following:

• Conduct thorough record reviews
• Conduct mental status evaluations and comprehensive psychiatric assessments of patients presenting with acute psychiatric and substance-related conditions – both in-person and virtually
• Render accurate diagnoses
• Conduct collateral interviews with family members and others to ensure accurate understanding of patient history, precipitating events, etc.
• Consult as needed with a supervising psychiatrist
• Assign and/or rescind legal holds, as appropriate, and in accordance with Georgia legal statutes
• Collaborate with the interdisciplinary team to develop individualized treatment plans and ensure optimal care coordination
• Prescribe and manage medications, adjusting treatment plans as necessary to ensure optimal patient outcomes
• Provide crisis intervention, supportive counseling, and psychoeducation to patients and their families
• Perform risk assessments
• Develop evidence-based safety plans and relapse prevention plans for patients at high risk of suicidal self-directed violence or substance-related conditions
• Coordinate care and treatment with social workers, psychologists, and other healthcare professionals to ensure seamless continuity of care
• Provide post-discharge psychiatric follow-up care to patients recently discharged from the emergency department or other inpatient hospital setting
• Collaborate with outpatient mental health providers and primary care physicians to develop and implement individualized care plans
• Monitor patients' progress, identify barriers to recovery, and implement appropriate interventions to promote successful transition to community-based care
• Communicate effectively with external providers, community resources, and social service agencies to facilitate access to necessary support services

Other responsibilities include:

• Collaborate with other departments (e.g., Emergency Medicine, Graduate Medical Education, Hospital Medicine) to provide educational/didactic/consultative opportunities for medical students, medical residents, and other trainees
• Participation in the evening psychiatric call rotation
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date electronic health records, documenting patient assessments, treatment plans, interventions, and outcomes via Epic
• Adhere to all relevant legal and ethical guidelines, ensuring compliance with HIPAA regulations and professional standards
• Collaborate with quality improvement initiatives, participate in case reviews, and contribute to ongoing program improvement

Required Minimum Education/Credentials:

• Graduate of an accredited Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program
• Active Nurse Practitioner License and RN license
• Up-to-date ANCC accreditation as an PMHNP
• Experience working in a professional psychiatric setting.

Application Process: Apply through www.wellstarcareers.org. Please also forward a copy of CV and cover letter to provider recruiter, Beth Guerin, at beth.guerin@wellstar.org.