Facility: Kennestone Hospital

CLINICAL HEALTH PSYCHOLOGIST

Consultation-Liaison Psychology, Inpatient, Generalist

As we continue to expand our health psychology/behavioral medicine program, the Wellstar Medical Group and Behavioral Health Service Line are pleased to announce an opening for a new inpatient consultation-liaison health psychologist. This psychologist will work as a member of a collaborative multi-disciplinary team, comprised of psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, health psychologists, neuropsychologists, etc. (S)He will provide a range of brief assessment and consultative services, including pre-implantation evaluations for patients identified as candidates for Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) as well as consultations to the trauma, women’s, and a range of other services for patients with various medical and/or co-occurring medical-psychiatric-substance abuse presentations.

The psychologist working on this team will function as an integral part of Wellstar’s Health Psychology service, which offers specialty programs in cardiovascular behavioral medicine, metabolic health/bariatrics, psycho-gastroenterology, psychosocial oncology, pain psychology, etc. Whereas the day-to-day clinical functions will occur within the inpatient setting, the health psychologist will collaborate across silos in coordination with the overall health psychology service. (S)He will participate in Wellstar’s Clinical Health Psychology forum, with opportunities to support the training needs of the health psychology post-doctoral fellowship program.

Compensation: Wellstar offers a highly competitive and tiered compensation package based on years of clinical experience. Total compensation is comprised of a base salary and annual quality bonus. Additional financial incentives are offered on attainment of board-certification in clinical health psychology. Please contact Leslie Roberts (leslie.roberts@wellstar.org) in recruitment for additional details.

Setting: Wellstar Health System is a not-for-profit 11-hospital system, recognized as one of the most integrated health system in the United States, and is one of the largest health systems in Georgia, and the first health system in Georgia to be recognized by the American Medical Association as a Joy in Medicine awardee for its commitment to improving the well-being of clinicians. Wellstar Health System is a member of the Mayo Clinic Network and a strategic partner of Augusta University (i.e. Medical College of Georgia). For this position, services will be provided on-site at the Kennestone Regional Medical Center (KRMC) campus. Located in Marietta, Georgia, KRMC is Wellstar’s flagship hospital, a 650+ bed Level I trauma and tertiary hospital providing graduate medical education and other clinical training opportunities.

At Wellstar, a culture of well-being and work-life integration is essential. To that end, Wellstar’s Behavioral Health Service Line established “Clinician Well-Being” as a foundational pillar.

Duties/Responsibilities: The candidate will hold Full Medical Staff privileges at the KRMC. Duties will include consulting with physicians (and other clinicians involved in the care of the patient), interviewing patients and members of their support team, and providing clinical consultation, brief assessments, and brief interventions to a range of clinical populations.

The psychologist will participate in daily rounds with other Kennestone Consultation-Liaison providers, identifying and providing clinical services for patients for whom inpatient psychological consultation is needed. (S)He will document findings in the electronic medical record (Epic). Teaching/Training opportunities may be available with medical students as well as psychology trainees. The psychologist will function as a member of Wellstar’s Clinical Health Psychology Forum (CHPF), a structure that supports the core foundational and functional competencies of Clinical Health Psychology in alignment with the American Board of Professional Psychology.

Skills Needed: The ideal candidate will possess advanced assessment skills in the areas of clinical and clinical health psychology, understand the various presentations of patients admitted to acute medical care, and how various presentations can impact clinical outcomes (S)He will provide education to patients and families, diagnose, and render clinical recommendations to physicians to support optimal patient outcomes.

To function optimally, the C-L health psychologist should possess general and advanced expertise in the evaluation and management of depression, anxiety, suicidality, substance use disorders, psychosis, and neurobehavioral conditions. (S)he should be a collaborator with other clinicians, and should possess a strong grasp of evidence-based health psychology interventions to help patients modify health behaviors that could interfere with their candidacy for life-changing procedures. The candidate should possess fluency with medical nomenclature, and work effectively with medical providers, patients, and families throughout the continuum of care.

Required Minimum Education: (1) a doctorate degree (Ph.D./Psy.D.) in clinical or counseling psychology from a program accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), (2) completion of an APA-accredited internship in a medical setting, (3) completion of a postdoctoral fellowship in Clinical Psychology, Clinical Health Psychology, or Clinical Neuropsychology, and (4) licensure or license-eligibility as a Psychologist in the State of Georgia. Board-certification is not required at the time of hire, but the clinician should possess board-certification in a sub-specialty relevant to the practice of C-L psychology within a medical setting within three years of the hire date.

Application Process: Apply through www.wellstarcareers.org. Please also forward a copy of CV and cover letter to provider recruiter, Leslie Roberts at Leslie.roberts@wellstar.org