Position Description

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
POSITION DESCRIPTION FOR JOB POSTING
Position Number: 00034596	Description Activated On: 9/23/2025 9:58:56 AM

Position Purpose: Describe the primary purpose of this position and how it contributes to the organization’s objectives. Example: Provides clerical and office support within the Division to ensure its operations are conducted efficiently and effectively.

This position is responsible for overseeing intensive psychiatric treatment of mentally ill patients within any of the units of the hospital. These units provide a multi-disciplinary approach to the psychiatric management and treatment of the acute, chronic, and geriatric emotionally ill persons. Assure that the ward functions in an efficient and professional manner and provides quality psychiatric care to all patients. It is expected that each employee at Wernersville State Hospital will demonstrate respect in behavior that values the thoughts, feelings and opinions of others.

Description of Duties: Describe in detail the duties and responsibilities assigned to this position. Descriptions should include the major end result of the task. Example: Types correspondence, reports, and other various documents from handwritten drafts for review and signature of the supervisor.

1. Write orders for treatment and necessary studies, make daily rounds to observe the patients, perform necessary psychotherapy and counseling and formulate treatment plans with the assistance of the treatment team by utilizing the tools of your training and experience in order to assure individualized quality patient care.

2. Perform competency evaluations and participate in commitment procedures by following the recommended hospital guidelines to aid in quality care.

3. As team director, supervise and correlate all multi-disciplinary data necessary in the care and treatment of patients by conferring with staff and treatment team members, relatives, agencies, attorneys, courts or others interested in the care, treatment, and prognosis of patients in order to facilitate prudent discharge planning with the appropriate community follow-up. As team director, supervise:

Treatment planning conferences;
Discharge planning, and
post-discharge coordination of care by:

- Being knowledgeable of current professional/practice standards, facility regulations and policies, privileging requirements, and clinical skills necessary for the treatment of patients;

- Understanding the skills of team members and their additional discipline obligations in order to implement effective treatment interventions;

- Assuring dignified and humane treatment of patients assigned to the team;

- Assuring collaboration and coordination of service delivery among all service providers through effective communication, including communication with their supervisors, if required;

- Directing the team meeting and facilitating the planning process through defining the agenda, encouraging member input, priority establishment, care implementation, and discharge planning;

- Ensuring participation, as much as possible, of patient, family, and advocate involvement in the treatment and discharge process;

- Assuring the protection and the ongoing clinical appropriateness and monitoring of patients involved in clinical research program(s).

- Identifying care problems, outlining problem resolutions, and summarizing the treatment formulation for members of the treatment team.

- Identifying the need and facilitating outside collaborative care in circumstances where in-house resources are not present for specific consultations, treatments, or development of adaptive services;

- Maintaining a record of points discussed when team members are in disagreement about treatment and after adequate deliberation, making the final clinical and/or administrative decision; and

- Referring matters of substantial disagreement to the Chief Medical Officer.

4. Serve as an active member of the Medical Staff by participating on assigned hospital committees to help provide for quality patient care.

5. Prepare and complete all required reports, by submitting when due to document activities on the ward.

6. Perform other related duties, interim work-duty assignments or reassignments and special projects by assignment to participate in activities related to patient care. The purpose and standards will be provided at the time of assignment.

7. Maintain timely communications with other staff to keep abreast of clinical and non-clinical issues via e-mail and/or interoffice communications.

8. The staff psychiatrist is responsible for the overall treatment of patients and has full authority to make medication selection appropriate for treatment.

9. Utilize a recovery-focused approach with patients.

10. Be familiar with and utilize evidence-based best practices and follow nationally accepted clinical guidelines for quality patient care.

11. Provide continuity of services to patient’s post-discharge if needed.

12. Participate in CSPs (Community Support Plans) and ensure the integration of CSPs in the treatment plan.

Decision Making: Describe the types of decisions made by the incumbent of this position and the types of decisions referred to others. Identify the problems or issues that can be resolved at the level of this position, versus those that must be referred to the supervisor. Example: In response to a customer inquiry, this work involves researching the status of an activity and preparing a formal response for the supervisor’s signature.

This position evaluates and makes psychiatric decisions on all patients under their care. The position is responsible for making appropriate referrals to supervisors or specialist on rendering consultations to peers when asked for second opinions.This position evaluates and makes psychiatric decisions on all patients under their care. The position is responsible for making appropriate referrals to supervisors or specialist on rendering consultations to peers when asked for second opinions.

Requirements Profile: Identify any specific experience or requirements, such as a licensure, registration, or certification, which may be necessary to perform the functions of the position. Position-specific requirements should be consistent with a Special Requirement or other criteria identified in the classification specification covering this position. Example: Experience using Java; Professional Engineer License

Experience:

Licenses, registrations, or certifications:

1.   Medical Physician and Surgeon

2.   Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Certificate

3.   Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Registration

4.

5.

6.

Essential Functions: Provide a list of essential functions for this position. Example: Transports boxes weighing up to 60 pounds.

1.	Effective communicate and express ideas clearly in writing and orally
2.	Maintains Therapeutic relationship with patients
3.	Performs duties as Treatment Team Director
4.	Performs comprehensive psychiatric assessments
5.	Analyzes/interprets observations
6.	Attends meetings
7.	Perform committee/departmental functions
8.	Participate in CSP meetings and integrate recommendations in the treatment plans of the patient
9.	Able to de-escalate a patient in crisis
10.