Geriatric Psychiatrist

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Job Description

A geriatric psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues common in older patients.

There are certain mental disorders that occur later in life, such as dementias and Alzheimer’s disease.

Older patients frequently have to deal with multiple health issues simultaneously, including:

Intense grief over the loss of a spouse or lifetime friends
Feeling as though they have no purpose or feeling isolated
Stressing over financial concerns
Fears of disease, death or fears of injury from accidents, such as falling
Emotional difficulties related to health issues, such as coping with pain or a devastating disease such as cancer
Difficulty coping with changes around them

A geriatric psychiatrist is trained to help patients with the above concerns as well as provide diagnosis and treatment for specific mental disorders that may occur at any age, such as:

Depression
Anxiety
Schizophrenia
Bipolar disorder
Alcohol/substance abuse

The geriatric psychiatrist begins the process by taking a complete history of the patient’s health, the support system available through the family, the patient’s living situation and general mental status.

They can then order any tests required to aid in determining a diagnosis.

In many cases, the family members are consulted to obtain information about the patient’s situation and to ensure that they understand the diagnosis and are able to follow the treatment plan.

If the family needs assistance to support the patient, the geriatric psychiatrist may also recommend resources that can help.

Responsibilities

Many patients who consult a geriatric psychiatrist are also seeing other health care providers. A geriatric psychiatrist consults with other health care providers to devise a plan to manage other health issues or medications that may be impacting the patient’s mental status.

Geriatric psychiatrists also engage in research, in teaching other psychiatrists and other health care professionals, and consult with businesses and institutions that work to develop medications to treat metal illnesses that affect the elderly.

Skills

A geriatric psychiatrist is a physician who specializes is the human psyche, so they have a long list of skills.

They must be able to engage with people and use their medical expertise to make a comprehensive assessment of patients.

They combine medication along with therapy sessions to develop treatment plans and help people overcome mental disorders.

Perception	Psychiatrists must be able to gauge how people react and read their body language to decipher their feelings and predict their actions. They must be able to determine if people could be a risk to themselves or others and to distinguish truths from lies.
Reasoning	Psychiatrists must be able to apply facts and principles to issues to determine conclusions and solve problems. They must use knowledge and logic to find patters in happenings and determine causes and provide solutions.
Communication	Must be very compassionate and able to empathize with a patient's pain and other difficulties. They are able to make people feel comfortable and meet them at their emotional level to humanize themselves and let people know they care.
Empathy	Must be very compassionate and able to empathize with a patient's pain and other difficulties. They are able to make people feel comfortable and meet them at their emotional level to humanize themselves and let people know they care.
Stress Management	Must be emotionally stable and deal with stress effectively, so they can help others who cannot deal with their emotions or stress. Must be a solid foundation and be able to handle stress and separate personal emotion so as to stay objective and be effective in treatment.
Ethics	Psychiatrists must have a solid ethical code and keep sessions with patients confidential as they can greatly affect people's lives. Must know that there could be consequences for error.
Open-Mindedness	Psychiatrists interact with a range of people from all walks of life, therefore they must be open-minded and tolerant of different cultures and circumstances. Since they are in a research field, they must be open to new studies and findings as to adapt with changing times.
Patience	Psychiatrists need to be very patient, because of the long sessions with patients and while doing research to become a better professional. They must understand it takes time to see results and be willing to put in that time.
Trustworthiness	People have to trust psychiatrists. The job is all about inspiring patients to confide in you and trust you with their problems. If you aren't trustworthy, you will never make it as a psychiatrist.

Working Conditions

Employment opportunities for geriatric psychiatrists may be found in any or all of the following:

Long-term care facilities
Private or group practices
Assisted living centers
Veteran’s hospitals or general hospitals
Academic institutions

Geriatric psychiatrists who work in inpatient facilities may have to work on-call, nights and weekend assignments.

A geriatric psychiatrist can greatly improve the quality of life for the patients suffering from mental illnesses and their families.

The work can be challenging and richly rewarding. Varied and multiple health concerns must be considered in the treatment plan when providing care to elderly patients.

Geriatric psychiatrists work in close conjunction with patients and their family members and caregivers.

Salary Outlook

$185,554 25^th Percentile

$207,067 50^th Percentile

$231,626 75^th Percentile

$89.21 Hourly

$99.55 Hourly

$111.36 Hourly

Estimated Annual Salary	Average Hourly Wage	Positions Nationwide
$182,700.00	$87.84	25,080

Resources

American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP)

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)

American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (AMPN)

Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)

Title	Company	Location	Posted
GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRIST- DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY	University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics	Iowa City, IA	08.23.2016
CLINICAL TRACK GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRIST - DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY The Department of Psychiatry in the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) is seeking a Geriatric Psychiatrist to join...
Inpatient Geriatric Psychiatrist	Hallmark Health System	Melrose, MA	07.18.2018
Full-time or part-time position available in our 34-bed geriatric inpatient psychiatry unit at Lawrence Memorial Hospital of Medford, a full service community hospital 7 miles north of Boston. The geriatric psychiatry program includes both open...
Attending Psychiatrist	MaineHealth	Portland, ME	07.18.2018
Inpatient Psychiatrist The Department of Psychiatry at Maine Medical Center (MMC) is seeking a BC/BE Psychiatrist to join our Inpatient Medical Psychiatry Unit as a faculty clinician-educator. This is an inpatient unit of 21 beds...
Psychiatrist	NC Department of Health and Human Services	Burke County, NC	07.18.2018
Psychiatrist Recruitment Range: $200,000.00 - $266,328.00 Broughton Hospital is currently recruiting permanent full-time Psychiatrists for multiple positions. Our 24 hour in-patient facility serves adolescent, adult, deaf, and geriatric...
Psychiatrist-Adult	Southwestern Medical Center	Lawton, OK	05.04.2017
Board Eligible or Board Certified Psychiatrist. All necessary
Adult Psychiatrist	Mayo Clinic Campus in Minnesota	Mankato, MN	05.23.2018
The Mayo Clinic Department of Psychiatry and Psychology is seeking an outstanding adult psychiatrist to participate in an innovative new program delivering care to a large primary care population in Mankato and surrounding communities in...
Attending Psychiatrist	MaineHealth	Biddeford, ME	07.18.2018
Attending Psychiatrist Maine Behavioral Healthcare (MBH) is seeking a BC/BE Psychiatrist for an Inpatient Psychiatric Services attending position located at Southern Maine Health Care (SMHC), in Biddeford, Maine. Southern Maine Health...
Physician - Geriatric Psychiatry	Community Health Network	Indianapolis, IN	07.18.2018
This physician will join Community Physician Network, an employed physician group of over 600 physicians in Indianapolis, IN. Highlights Community Health Network is currently seeking a BE/BC Geriatric Psychiatrist for an opportunity to...
Adult Psychiatrist	MaineHealth	Rockport, ME	07.18.2018
Adult Psychiatrist Maine Behavioral Healthcare (MBH) is seeking a BC/BE Psychiatrist for a Consult Liaison & Inpatient Psychiatric Services attending position located at Pen Bay Medical Center (PBMC), in Rockport, Maine. The selected...
Psychiatrist - Adol/Childrens	Southwestern Medical Center	Lawton, OK	05.23.2018
Board Eligible or Board Certified Psychiatrist. All necessary
Psychiatrist	Eskenazi Health	Indianapolis, IN	06.21.2018
Midtown Mental Health at Eskenazi Health is the oldest and largest Community Mental Health center in Indiana and offers a variety of practice opportunities and settings. The Psychiatrist engages in patient care and clinical leadership in a...
LPG Pediatric Psychiatrist	Lee Health	Fort Myers, FL	07.18.2018
The Pediatric Behavioral Health team at Golisano Childrens Hospital of Southwest Florida (GCHSWF) is seeking an addition of a pediatric psychiatrist to meet the needs of the children in our community. The Psychiatrist will join a...
Psychiatrist - per diem	MaineHealth	Rockport, ME	07.18.2018
The Psychiatrist provides the medical leadership to the multidisciplinary teams in the treatment of patients in the Maine Behavioral Healthcare continuum of care. He/She directs the treatment team planning process pharmacologic and therapeutic...
Psychiatrist-Psych Adult RKLD	MaineHealth	Rockland, ME	07.18.2018
The Psychiatrist provides the medical leadership to the multidisciplinary teams in the treatment of patients in the Maine Behavioral Healthcare continuum of care. He/She directs the treatment team planning process pharmacologic and therapeutic...
Psychiatrist PD-Contract SMHC	MaineHealth	Biddeford, ME	07.16.2018
The Psychiatrist provides the medical leadership to the multidisciplinary teams in the treatment of patients in the Maine Behavioral Healthcare continuum of care. He/She directs the treatment team planning process pharmacologic and therapeutic...

GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRIST- DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY Iowa City, IA University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
CLINICAL TRACK GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRIST - DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY The Department of Psychiatry in the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) is seeking a Geriatric Psychiatrist to join...
Inpatient Geriatric Psychiatrist Melrose, MA Hallmark Health System
Full-time or part-time position available in our 34-bed geriatric inpatient psychiatry unit at Lawrence Memorial Hospital of Medford, a full service community hospital 7 miles north of Boston. The geriatric psychiatry program includes both open...
Attending Psychiatrist Portland, ME MaineHealth
Inpatient Psychiatrist The Department of Psychiatry at Maine Medical Center (MMC) is seeking a BC/BE Psychiatrist to join our Inpatient Medical Psychiatry Unit as a faculty clinician-educator. This is an inpatient unit of 21 beds...
Psychiatrist Raleigh, NC NC Department of Health and Human Services
Psychiatrist Recruitment Range: $200,000.00 - $266,328.00 Broughton Hospital is currently recruiting permanent full-time Psychiatrists for multiple positions. Our 24 hour in-patient facility serves adolescent, adult, deaf, and geriatric...
Psychiatrist-Adult Lawton, OK Southwestern Medical Center
Board Eligible or Board Certified Psychiatrist. All necessary
Adult Psychiatrist Rochester, MN Mayo Clinic Campus in Minnesota
The Mayo Clinic Department of Psychiatry and Psychology is seeking an outstanding adult psychiatrist to participate in an innovative new program delivering care to a large primary care population in Mankato and surrounding communities in...
Attending Psychiatrist Portland, ME MaineHealth
Attending Psychiatrist Maine Behavioral Healthcare (MBH) is seeking a BC/BE Psychiatrist for an Inpatient Psychiatric Services attending position located at Southern Maine Health Care (SMHC), in Biddeford, Maine. Southern Maine Health...
Physician - Geriatric Psychiatry Indianapolis, IN Community Health Network
This physician will join Community Physician Network, an employed physician group of over 600 physicians in Indianapolis, IN. Highlights Community Health Network is currently seeking a BE/BC Geriatric Psychiatrist for an opportunity to...
Adult Psychiatrist Portland, ME MaineHealth
Adult Psychiatrist Maine Behavioral Healthcare (MBH) is seeking a BC/BE Psychiatrist for a Consult Liaison & Inpatient Psychiatric Services attending position located at Pen Bay Medical Center (PBMC), in Rockport, Maine. The selected...
Psychiatrist - Adol/Childrens Lawton, OK Southwestern Medical Center
Board Eligible or Board Certified Psychiatrist. All necessary
Psychiatrist Indianapolis, IN Eskenazi Health
Midtown Mental Health at Eskenazi Health is the oldest and largest Community Mental Health center in Indiana and offers a variety of practice opportunities and settings. The Psychiatrist engages in patient care and clinical leadership in a...
LPG Pediatric Psychiatrist Fort Myers, FL Lee Health
The Pediatric Behavioral Health team at Golisano Childrens Hospital of Southwest Florida (GCHSWF) is seeking an addition of a pediatric psychiatrist to meet the needs of the children in our community. The Psychiatrist will join a...
Psychiatrist - per diem Portland, ME MaineHealth
The Psychiatrist provides the medical leadership to the multidisciplinary teams in the treatment of patients in the Maine Behavioral Healthcare continuum of care. He/She directs the treatment team planning process pharmacologic and therapeutic...
Psychiatrist-Psych Adult RKLD Portland, ME MaineHealth
The Psychiatrist provides the medical leadership to the multidisciplinary teams in the treatment of patients in the Maine Behavioral Healthcare continuum of care. He/She directs the treatment team planning process pharmacologic and therapeutic...
Psychiatrist PD-Contract SMHC Portland, ME MaineHealth
The Psychiatrist provides the medical leadership to the multidisciplinary teams in the treatment of patients in the Maine Behavioral Healthcare continuum of care. He/She directs the treatment team planning process pharmacologic and therapeutic...