Description

The County of San Diego is currently accepting applications from qualified candidates for:
 
Psychiatrist-Specialist

Interested candidates are encouraged to immediately apply. Interviews will be conducted on an ongoing basis

Reflecting our commitment to attracting and retaining top talent, candidates selected for this classification are hired at the highest step, $329,243.20 annual base salary, within the salary range.

Future Salary Increases

** June 2026  - 5.37% increase to base pay  (3.5% Across-the-Board + 1.87% Market Increase)

** June 2027 – 4.87% increase to base pay  (3.0% Across-the-Board + 1.87% Market Increase)

In addition to the base salary, candidates assigned to the San Diego County Psychiatric Hospital will earn a 5% location premium.

In addition to base salary, candidates may be compensated at an additional 10% for Board Certified Specialty and 5% for relevant Sub-Specialty.

***Effective September 9, 2022, this hard to recruit position qualifies for the Employee Referral Reward Program. If a current County of San Diego employee referred you to apply for this position, please indicate the employee’s name on your job application in the space provided. ***

Psychiatrist-Specialists perform professional psychiatric work involving the examination, diagnosis, and treatment of specialty forensics, children/adolescents and or geriatric patients. This is the specialty journey level class in the series that requires a fellowship or experience in child and adolescent psychiatry or forensic psychiatry. Under general direction, incumbents exercise independent medical judgment in the diagnosis and treatment of children and adolescents, geriatric patients, or provide forensic services to the courts.  Incumbents exercise independent medical judgment in the diagnoses and treatment of patients in the Juvenile Detention facilities, skilled nursing facility, forensic evaluation clinic or in a psychiatric emergency room; act as a lead worker providing technical guidance and leadership to staff; and act in the absence of the Supervising Psychiatrist.

The County of San Diego provides a rich array of services delivered through an integrated community based system of care.  Services include prevention, treatment, and interventions that promote resiliency/recovery and social well-being.

Why choose the County?

Fully paid malpractice insurance
13 paid holidays
13 sick days per year
Vacation: 10 days (1-4 years of service); 15 days (5-14 years of service); 20 days (15+ years)
Defined benefit retirement program
Cafeteria-style health plan with flexible spending
Wellness incentives
Read additional information for Psychiatrist-Specialist including benefits, minimum qualifications, examples of duties, essential functions, etc.

Learn more about the Health and Human Services Agency.

Hiring Process and Timeline

The timeline for this recruitment is outlined below.

• Job Offer and Background Process begins: Shortly after the interviews. 
  Note: Current County employees may be excluded from additional 
  background screening.
• Pre-employment Medical Screening: Approximately 3 days following successful background investigation results.
• Anticipated Start Date: Start date will be based upon successful completion of medical screening or other mutually agreed upon date. 
  If you are not selected for this interview process, you may have the opportunity to compete for future vacancies.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications
Required at time of application:
1.  Valid license to practice medicine in the State of California;

Or,

2.  Graduation from a U.S. accredited medical or osteopathic school or certified foreign studies equivalency equivalent to a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.)
 
Note
Possession of an ECFMG (Educational Commission for Foreign Graduates) certificate may substitute for the certified foreign studies equivalency.
 
And,
 
3.  Completion of a General Psychiatric residency in an ACGME approved residency program;
 
And,
 
Required at time of appointment:
1. Valid license to practice medicine in the State of California (if not submitted at time of application); And,
2. Valid Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) certificate; And,
3.  Completion of fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatry, or Geriatric Psychiatry, OR four (4) years of full time experience working in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatry, or Geriatric Psychiatry*
 
Note
*Applicants may apply within six (6) months of anticipated graduation from an approved fellowship.  An official letter of anticipated graduation from the Residency Director is required at time of application.  Completion of fellowship is required at time of appointment.
 
Some positions in this class may require a valid National Provider Identification Number (NPI) at time of appointment.

Blind Applicant Screening

The Department of Human Resources removes personally identifiable information from all new recruitments. This practice, called Blind Applicant Screening, will hide a candidate’s personal information that could influence or bias a hiring decision. Personal information includes name, phone number, address, gender, age and race. This process will help contribute to a fair and equitable selection process leading to a more diverse and inclusive workforce.

The most highly qualified candidates, based on the evaluation results, will be referred for an interview. Be sure to include your experience in meeting the minimum requirements in both the Work Experience section and the Supplemental Questionnaire section of the Application.

Condition of Employment
As part of the County of San Diego’s pre-employment process, prospective candidates will undergo a background check (including fingerprinting) and a pre-employment medical screening prior to beginning County employment. Additional types of background investigations may be conducted based on the job-related activities of the position. Current County employees may be excluded from this process.
 

Evaluation
The names of qualified applicants will be placed on a six (6) month employment list based on scores received during the evaluation of information contained in their employment application and supplemental Questionnaire. 

Accommodation
Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable a qualified individual with a disability to perform the essential functions of a job, on a case-by-case basis.