Jail Health Psychiatrist

Jail Health Psychiatrist

Public Health Seattle & King County Jail Health Services (JHS) Division's Psychiatric Services team is seeking a Short-term Temporary (STT) part-time Jail Health Psychiatrist. The Psychiatric Services team provides behavioral health care to detained residents at the King County Correctional Facility (KCCF) Maleng Regional Justice Center (MRJC). Jail Health Psychiatrists are responsible for providing psychiatric care as part of a team of other mental health/psychiatry professionals (Psychiatrists, ARNPs, and independently Licensed Mental Health Counselors or Social Workers) within the larger Jail Health Services division of Public Health.

Jail Health Services (JHS) provides needed health and social services to the incarcerated population located in the King County jails King County Correctional Facility (KCCF) in Seattle, WA and Maleng Regional Justice Center (MRJC) in Kent, WA. The primary services we provide include medical, dental, mental health, social and release planning services, treatment of substance use disorders, and pharmaceutical services. We care about the patients we serve and their health outcomes. Our division includes over 250 employees and an annual budget of over $60 million. The purpose of JHS is to assure that high-quality health and human services are available to the incarcerated population in the King County adult correctional facilities: the King County Correctional Facility (KCCF) in Seattle and the Maleng Regional Justice Center (MRJC) in Kent. The JHS vision is Opening doors to healthier, happier lives, and the mission is to assess and stabilize serious health problems for the detained population of the King County Correctional Facility and the Maleng Regional Justice Center with a focus on transition from jail.

Staffed 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year, JHS provides a broad range of health care to all individuals booked into the jails. For patients with serious mental health or medical conditions, special housing units (psychiatric and infirmary) along with a higher level of services and medical monitoring are provided. Since the patient population varies both in numbers as well as in acuity of health conditions, staffing is adapted and flexed to meet the constantly changing needs of the population. JHS staff manage the complex health needs of underserved populations many of whom come to the facility without access to care in the community and with decompensated acute and chronic health conditions.

This posting will create a list of qualified candidates that may be considered for selection of additional vacancies of the same position type over the next 6 months.

King County is a vibrant international community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the traditions of many cultures. The county government has a deep commitment to equity and social justice and advancing practices, strategies, and policies that promote fairness, justice, and opportunity for all in our workplaces and our communities. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda to advance regional change and ensure that residents from all communities are incorporated into our emergency planning and public outreach efforts.

This position is part-time with potential for day and evening shifts throughout the week.

This position will be assigned shifts at both the King County Correctional Facility (KCCF) located at 500 5th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104 and the Maleng Regional Justice Center (MRJC) located at 620 W James St, Kent, WA 98032.

Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

Job Duties

• Provide psychiatric services as an independent psychiatric health care provider based on Public Health - Seattle & King County clinical practice guidelines, CDC guidelines, mental health care standards as well as the current community standards.
• Assess patients and establish diagnoses by performing psychiatric evaluation. This includes gathering patient history, performing a physical examination, and other methods of assessment.
• Order or perform appropriate diagnostic and screening tests and collect additional data for evaluation of illness/wellness. This work may be done in a clinic setting or within psychiatric housing as required.
• Develop differential diagnosis and identify risk through assessment and interpretation of data.
• Provide managed patient health care by developing and implementing an individual treatment plan, prescribe/dispense medication, and provide counseling and case management.
• Complete documentation in Epic electronic health record, communicate care through electronic charting and verbal interactions with your patient and health care team, providing them with leadership and direction where necessary.
• Respond to medical or psychiatric emergencies as part of the jail healthcare team.
• Ensure quality of professional practice by practicing within professional, legal, and ethical standards and by participating in and providing continuing education, peer review, chart review, development of practice guidelines, and community work.
• Provide leadership and collaboration within the health care team to ensure quality patient care.
• Provide training, orientation, and education to resident patients, staff, and students.
• Participate in continuing education and staff development.
• Participate in quality assurance activities to demonstrate compliance with standards, laws, regulations, policies, and procedures.
• Act as a consultant to the health care team, other staff, and the community including advocating for patients.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

Minimum Qualifications:

• Washington State medical license in good standing.
• At least two (2) years of experience prescribing psychotropic medications.
• Current Board certification or board eligibility in Psychiatry, or current participation in a Psychiatry Residency or Fellowship Training program.
• Federal Drug Enforcement certificate.
• Must possess a current Basic Life Support CPR for Healthcare Providers with AED certification before hire.
• This position requires in person work in correctional facilities.
• Washington State Driver's License or the ability to utilize transportation to and from assigned work locations.
• Security clearance and/or background check.
• Willing to provide options counseling and possible referral for pregnancy termination.
• Interest in treatment of substance use disorders.
• Advanced knowledge of human systems, including wellness/illness, growth and development, basic nutrition, behavioral health, psycho-social and family systems.
• Knowledge of diagnostic testing and interpretation of results.
• Knowledge of diagnostic reasoning and clinical decision-making.
• Knowledge of alternative treatment modalities.
• Knowledge of health promotion, risk assessment, and education techniques and principles.
• Knowledge of community, professional, and educational resources.
• Knowledge of health care system structure and function.
• Knowledge of therapeutic client interventions and group dynamics.
• Knowledge/experience of electronic health record medical records documentation.
• Ability to effectively engage in, and sustain, relationships with people from diverse cultures and socio-economic backgrounds.
• Ability to work independently and as a team member.
• Demonstrated proficiency with business applications, such as Microsoft Office suite and Office 365 systems.

Desired Qualifications:

• Two or more years of experience providing adult psychiatric services.
• Experience and/or training in addiction psychiatry and/or addiction medicine.
• Correctional or inpatient psychiatric care experience.
• Bi or multilingual language skill desired.
• Demonstrated commitment to diverse cultural and socio-economic populations, providing therapeutic patient interventions and group dynamics.

Application Process

If you are interested in pursuing this position and supporting King County's vision for unified, equitable, and high-performing government, please follow the application instructions carefully. Provide us with your work history as applicable, ensuring that you provide details that highlight your ability to fulfill the requirements for this position.

If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, or you would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process, please contact Salyse Duckworth at View email address on click.appcast.io.

King County serves residents with a relentless sense of urgency, delivering on commitments with transparency and accountability. We are action-oriented, creative problem solvers who collaborate across roles, engage directly with communities, and challenge the status quo to achieve meaningful impact. As a unified team, we uphold high ethical and stewardship standards, embrace change, stay curious, and continuously improve. Across all interactions, we listen first, act quickly, and stay aligned as a team to earn and sustain public trust. Learn more about our Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values here and visit our Why work at King County page here