Position Overview

Understanding the Role

Blending Medical and Psychiatric Expertise in a Dynamic Role

As a Consultation-Liaison Psychiatrist at Cape Fear Valley Health System, you'll practice at the fascinating intersection of medicine and psychiatry, serving as the critical bridge between these disciplines. Your expertise will be sought throughout the medical center as you evaluate and manage psychiatric aspects of medical illness, provide recommendations to medical teams, and help ensure comprehensive care for patients with complex presentations.

Each day brings intellectually stimulating diagnostic puzzles as you apply your psychiatric expertise across diverse medical settings. You'll experience the satisfaction of helping medical colleagues understand the psychiatric dimensions of their patients' conditions while advocating for appropriate mental health interventions within the medical environment. This dynamic role combines clinical variety, intellectual challenge, and meaningful impact in ways few other psychiatric positions can match.

High-Volume Service with Significant Clinical Variety

Cape Fear Valley's robust Consultation-Liaison (CL) service presents an engaging clinical opportunity with substantial volume and diversity:

  • Average of 18-30 patient consultations daily with APP support
  • Service covering all adult and pediatric inpatient medical units (minimal peds)
  • Wide range of consultation types from capacity evaluations to complex comorbidities
  • Opportunities for both initial evaluations and follow-up interventions
  • High volume of acutely ill patients referred from a busy medical center

This clinical volume ensures your skills remain sharp across the full spectrum of consultation psychiatry while providing the satisfaction of significant daily impact on patient care throughout the medical center.

  • Engage with diverse consultation requests across all medical specialties
  • Apply psychiatric expertise to complex medical-psychiatric presentations
  • Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams in medical settings
  • Develop specialized expertise in psychiatric aspects of medical conditions
  • Experience the variety that comes with a high-volume consultation service

Flexible Practice Models to Suit Your Preferences

The CL service at Cape Fear Valley offers exceptional flexibility in structuring your practice according to your preferences:

  • Option for traditional Monday–Friday schedule approximately 8:00am–5:00pm
  • Alternative 7-days-on/7-days-off schedule available if preferred (approx. 8:00am–7:00pm)
  • Opportunity to combine CL work with other clinical interests
  • Potential for involvement in ECT and TMS services for interested candidates
  • Possibility of incorporating specialized addiction services into your practice mix

This flexibility allows you to create a practice model that aligns with your clinical interests and lifestyle preferences while meeting the needs of the consultation service.

Teaching Opportunities with Psychiatry Residents

As part of an academic healthcare system, your CL role will include valuable teaching opportunities with psychiatry residents:

  • Regular supervision of residents on the CL rotation
  • Opportunity to shape the consultation skills of developing psychiatrists
  • Enhancement of your own knowledge through teaching and case discussions
  • Balance of education and service appropriate for community hospital setting
  • Potential involvement in didactic presentations and formal curriculum

These teaching responsibilities enrich your clinical practice while contributing to the development of future psychiatrists, creating an ideal blend of clinical and academic activities.

Highly Respected Role Within the Medical Center

The Consultation-Liaison service holds a position of high respect within Cape Fear Valley, with your expertise valued across medical specialties:

  • Recognition as the psychiatric expert within the medical setting
  • Appreciation from medical colleagues for your specialized knowledge
  • Opportunity to influence whole-person care throughout the health system
  • Role in shaping hospital protocols for psychiatric aspects of medical care
  • Integration into hospital-wide initiatives related to mental health

This respected position allows you to advocate effectively for patients' psychiatric needs while educating medical colleagues about the importance of integrated care, creating meaningful systemic impact beyond individual consultations.

Expanding Service with Growth Potential

Cape Fear Valley is actively expanding its CL service, creating exciting opportunities for program development:

  • Current recruitment for two full-time CL psychiatrists
  • Planned integration of advanced practice providers to support the service
  • Development of specialized consultation protocols for specific medical units
  • Potential for future involvement with satellite hospitals within the system
  • Opportunity to help shape the evolution of psychiatric consultation services

Rather than joining a rigidly established program, you'll have the chance to influence the development of the CL service, potentially building specialized areas aligned with your clinical interests.

This position offers a unique opportunity to practice psychiatry at the dynamic interface of medicine and mental health, combining clinical variety, intellectual stimulation, and meaningful impact. You'll join a department committed to expanding its consultation services while enjoying the flexibility to shape a practice aligned with your professional goals and personal preferences.

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