Geriatric Psychiatrist - Kern County, CA

Must have board certification or board eligibility in Geriatric Psychiatry or proof of extensive geriatric psychiatry training. Greenlife Healthcare Staffing is seeking a Geriatric Psychiatrist to fill an opening in the KernBHRS department that provides specialty behavioral health services to Medi-Cal recipients and uninsured, located in Kern County, CA.

Schedule of the Geriatric Psychiatrist:

1. Full-Time (FTE)
   • Shift: 8-hour day, with time allocated for coordination with primary care providers.
   • Activities: 1214 medication reviews, 34 geriatric assessments, and palliative care consultations.
2. Part-Time (PTE)
   • Shift: 46 hours, often focused on morning sessions for residential facility visits.

Job Description:

The Geriatric Psychiatrists address the intersection of aging, neurocognitive decline, and psychiatric conditions in patients aged 65+. This role emphasizes collaboration with primary care providers and memory care facilities to manage complex polypharmacy and dementia-related behavioral disturbances.

Job Responsibilities:

• Perform neuropsychiatric assessments for Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, and late-life mood disorders using standardized tools (e.g., MoCA, Geriatric Depression Scale).
• Coordinate with neurologists and palliative care teams to optimize treatment plans for patients with Parkinson's disease, Lewy body dementia, and terminal illnesses, balancing efficacy with quality-of-life considerations.
• Conduct polypharmacy reviews, deprescribing unnecessary medications while initiating therapies for agitation (e.g., pimavanserin for Parkinson's psychosis).
• Provide guidance to residential care facilities on non-pharmacological interventions for sundowning and wandering behaviors.