Senior Psychiatrist
Company: NYC Health + Hospitals/Correctional Health Service
Location: New York City
Posted on: January 10, 2026
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Job Description:
Job Description Since 2016, Correctional Health Services (CHS)
has been the direct provider of health care in the New York City
jails. Deeply committed to human dignity and patient rights, CHS is
part of the NYC Health Hospitals system and is a key partner in the
City’s efforts to reform the criminal-legal system. Our in-jail
clinical services include medical, nursing, and mental health care;
pharmacy services; substance-use treatment; social work; dental and
vision care; discharge planning; and reentry support. Given the
high visibility of this initiative, we are seeking the highest
caliber health care professionals in key clinical services to staff
our Outposted Therapeutic Housing Units (OTxHU). To be located in
three NYC Health Hospital acute care facilities, the OTxHU is a
pioneering approach to safely increasing access to high quality
clinical care for patients in custody who have complicated health
conditions. OTxHUs will bridge the gap in the continuum between
care provided in the jails and inpatient hospitalization, with
admission to and discharge from the OTxHU in accordance with a
patient’s clinical needs. CHS will be the primary health care
providers on these units and the NYC Department of Correction will
provide security and custody management. The OTxHU at NYC Health
Hospitals/Bellevue in Manhattan will be the first of this unique,
groundbreaking project to open with a planned completion date as
early as the end of 2024. This is an incredible opportunity to be
part of a passionate and motivated team providing care to some of
the City’s most marginalized, vulnerable people. *To help support
continuity of operations and care, staff selected to work in the
OTxHU may also be required to work in CHS locations within the
jails. Additionally, while CHS seeks the most qualified individuals
for these positions, preference will be given to equally qualified,
internal candidates. Under general supervision of the Medical
Director, the Senior Psychiatrist is the psychiatric leader of the
facility or program and works in close collaboration with other
discipline leadership to ensure that safe, holistic, and
evidence-based psychiatric care is provided to incarcerated
patients with varying levels of mental health needs. A team-based
approach to care is critical; one that incorporates all relevant
mental health and medical disciplines as well as security staff. A
major component of this position will be training, recruiting and
retaining high quality staff and providing strong clinical support
and oversight, leadership and mentorship for existing staff.
Responsibilities Develops workflows, policies and quality metrics
for their dedicated area in close coordination with the Medical
Director and Chief of Mental Health Recruits, hires and trains
staff to provide care in their dedicated area Ensure the highest
possible quality of mental health care both in the facility and in
collaboration with the other jail facilities in the system. This
includes active participation in quality improvement, staff and
patient safety initiatives, treatment supervision, and personnel
mentorship and management. In coordination with other leadership:
design, implementation, ongoing review, and monitoring of relevant
clinical facility-specific procedures, policies and operating
manuals Direct clinical individual and group supervision of the
relevant psychiatric prescribing staff, including psychiatrists,
psychiatric nurse practitioners, and psychiatric physician
assistants. This supervision must include both in vivo reviews of
clinical skills as well as chart review. Close collaboration,
including regularly scheduled meetings, with other relevant
disciplines within the mental health, medical, nursing and
operations departments, as well as the Department of Correction
Ensure that medication renewals are completed in a timely manner
Ensure that the standard of care is being met or exceeded in all
patient care Educate clinical staff about new developments
regarding best practices in all aspects of psychiatric care, with
specific attention to the challenges and issues facing a jail
setting (e.g., influence of legal case, dual loyalty, medication
diversion) Ensure compliance with all regulatory standards In
collaboration with other leadership, oversee the orientation of new
staff to the facility or program Conduct regular multi-disciplinary
case conferences and/or other educational programming Report on an
as-needed basis to the CHS Morbidity and Mortality review committee
Work in collaboration with other mental health leadership to manage
clinical schedules, vacation requests, CME activities and other
relevant activities as they pertain to psychiatric staffing and
education Participate in policy revision and creation, and practice
guideline creations, related to psychiatric care, including input
into the psychiatric medication formulary Lead interdisciplinary
mental health staff meetings in coordination with local MH
leadership. Personnel management of clinical staff, including
setting quality standards, establishing effective recruitment and
retention strategies, and managing workforce complaints
Administrative tasks, including coordinating scheduling and
assignment of patient care appointments, scheduling of staff, and
management of referrals to mental health service Direct clinical
care, amount determined by facility needs, which may include direct
supervision of psychiatric trainees. On-call responsibilities for 2
weeks at a time, one to two times/year, for off-hours issues that
require high level clinical intervention Other duties at the
discretion of the Medical Director of Mental Health or the Chief of
Service. Personnel management of the clinical staff, with
assistance from the Clinical and/or Medical Directors as needed,
including recruiting, mentorship, supervision, and disciplinary
procedures Meet regularly with assigned supervisor to provide
meaningful input into program design and policy formation Minimum
Qualifications Applicants must have all of the following: 1.
Graduation from a medical school approved by the Council on Medical
Education and Hospitals of the American Medical Association. 2.
Completion of an acceptable internship in an approved hospital. 3.
A license to practice medicine in the State of New York. 4.
Certification by American Board in field of specialization or a
faculty appointment of Associate Professor or higher in a medical
school recognized by the American Medical Association. 5. Eight (8)
years of satisfactory full-time paid experience in field of
specialization including at least three (3) years in a supervisory
or administrative capacity.(Training and experience required for
certification will be credited toward required specialized
experience.) Department Preferences Completion of a 4-year
psychiatric residency training program Completion of a forensic
psychiatry fellowship Active certification by the American Board of
Psychiatry and Neurology in Psychiatry and Forensic Psychiatry At
least two years of post-residency experience working with
individuals with mental illness in a criminal justice setting
(jail, prison, probation and/or parole) or public health community
setting At least one year of post-residency experience in a
supervisory role in psychiatry At least one year of post-residency
experience working with individuals with serious mental illness
Excellent diagnostic and treatment skills with particular attention
to issues of psychopharmacology, safe administration of medication
in a variety of settings, medical complications of mental illness
and therapeutic resistance Excellent interpersonal communication
skills and ability to work collaboratively with other disciplines,
including DOC staff Strong leadership skills with ability to
identify staff needs and provide mentorship and education to suit
those needs Buprenorphine waiver training NYC Health and Hospitals
offers a competitive benefits package that includes: Comprehensive
Health Benefits for employees hired to work 20 hrs. per week
Retirement Savings and Pension Plans Paid Holidays and Vacation in
accordance with employees' Collectively bargained contracts Loan
Forgiveness Programs for eligible employees College tuition
discounts and professional development opportunities College
Savings Program Union Benefits for eligible titles Multiple
employee discounts programs Commuter Benefits Programs
Keywords: NYC Health + Hospitals/Correctional Health Service, New York , Senior Psychiatrist, Healthcare , New York City, New York