Addictions Medicine Psychiatrist

Job Description

The Mental Health and Addiction Program (MHAP) is seeking up to a 0.6 FTE addiction psychiatrist to work within collaborative inter-professional clinical teams, supporting and providing evidence-informed care for people living with concurrent disorders. 

The Physician (s) will work up to a total of 22.5 hrs/week. This is a 1-year assignment ideally starting September 2026 until end of September 2027.

This role is provincial working with MHAP teams across Nova Scotia. The role will focus on the provision of direct and indirect clinical care of adults living with concurrent disorders. The role provides input into the development of supports and services for people living with concurrent disorders, and capacity-building with physician and non-physician MHAP team members. Some travel will be required. This FTE could be shared among multiple physicians.

This position reports to the Physician Lead, Addiction Medicine.

Example work settings:

Link to Recovery Support Centre site: https://mha.nshealth.ca/en/services/recovery-support-centre

Link to Community Mental Health and Addictions site: Community Mental health and Addictions

Join Nova Scotia's thriving healthcare ecosystem, where your expertise is valued and your contributions drive innovative, compassionate care for generations to come.

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical decision support to physicians and clinicians related to concurrent disorders care and treatment.
• Conduct patient-centred comprehensive assessments.
• Provide consultant physician support to patients in MHAP clinics such as Community Mental Health and Addictions and the Recovery Support Centres.
• Inform the process of appropriate patient psychiatric assessments, psychosocial and laboratory investigations, and pharmacological and psychosocial interventions as per current standard practice.
• Provide consultant case formulation and working diagnosis, where required, and establish goals of care co-creating with patients, clinical team, and family with consent.
• Make pharmacotherapeutic recommendations as part of the overall care plan.
• Facilitate connection to additional services and supports.
• Provide patients with support and encouragement to participate and make decisions in their own care, using a trauma-informed approach. Care is directed in a culturally relevant and appropriate manner.
• Occasional community outreach may be required to support integrated and transcultural care.
• Participate in collaborative activities focused on developing recommendations for evidence-informed care for people living with concurrent disorders.
• Help develop and deliver education and training related to evidence-informed care for people living with concurrent disorders.
• Provide clinical teaching and mentorship of team members working in these settings.
• Operate within the Bylaws and Rules and Regulations of Nova Scotia Health Authority. 
• Participate in quality improvement and evaluation activities. 

Expected Hours

• 22.5hrs/week P/T

Remuneration

• Sessional hourly rate $236.01/hour 

Incentives 

Nova Scotia Health offers a variety of incentives designed to relieve some of the pressure, cost, and difficulty that comes with relocation. 

View Incentive Details Here

Benefits

Successful candidates may be eligible for our benefits package including health and dental, EMR grants, funded locum coverage, CME funding, parental leave, and more!

Visit www.doctorsns.com for more information.

Qualifications

• All applicants must be eligible for licensure with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia (CPSNS). 
• All specialists must be eligible for certification with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada(RCPSC)
• Coverage with the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA), or proof of alternative coverage.
• Must hold, or be willing to obtain, active credentials and privileges with Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA).
• Experience working in a variety of Addiction Medicine settings.
• Experience working within an interdisciplinary team to provide care and treatment for persons with moderate to severe psychiatric disorders an asset.
• Previous academic experience an asset.
• Fellowship in Psychiatry, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, or equivalent e.g. MRCPsych with Certificate of Completion of Training in General Adult Psychiatry or American Board of Psychiatry Certified by Examination as determined by the Department of Psychiatry.

Additional Information

Practicing in Nova Scotia

Physicians in Nova Scotia provide fulfilling patient care which embraces family life, professional development and community involvement. That's what makes practicing medicine in Nova Scotia unique. Physicians are increasingly attracted to practices that offer team-based care to their patients and allow them to consult with their peers. The size and scale of Nova Scotia allows for better connections across the health care system. Your practice of medicine and your life is richer here. Nova Scotia is more than medicine. 

Building a Diverse Workforce

The Physician Recruitment Team at Nova Scotia Health lives and works in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people. We are dedicated to equity, diversity, inclusion, and truth and reconciliation, and we are working to support medical communities that are reflective of and responsive to the diverse populations they serve in Nova Scotia. We welcome physicians from diverse backgrounds and experiences to join us in building healthier, more equitable communities across the province.