Position Overview

Understanding the Role

Lake Charles Memorial Hospital is recruiting a Medical Director of the Geriatric Psychiatry Unit, a leadership role at the center of the hospital's behavioral health rebuild and expansion. The incoming physician will lead a 31-bed inpatient geriatric psychiatry unit, develop referral and community relationships, and help shape the future of behavioral health services across a five-parish region. This is an opportunity to build something, not maintain it.

Role at a Glance

Why This Position Exists

The geriatric psychiatry program experienced significant disruption after a long-tenured psychiatrist retired abruptly due to health issues, followed closely by regional hurricane recovery. Because much of the program's operational infrastructure depended on that single physician, the departure led to a contraction in admissions, referral volume, and nursing home relationships. The hospital has since stabilized operations under new leadership and is now positioned to rebuild.

The incoming physician will step into a role with room to grow, not a ceiling to hit. Leadership has committed to restoring census to 28 active beds, reestablishing nursing home partnerships, and positioning the program as the premier geriatric behavioral health resource for the region.

Core Responsibilities

Clinical Leadership

• Serve as Medical Director of the geriatric psychiatry unit
• Provide inpatient psychiatric evaluation, medication management, and rounding
• Supervise and sign off on advanced practice provider documentation
• Participate in psychiatric consult services for patients on medical floors

Program Development

• Expand nursing home referral relationships across Lake Charles and surrounding communities
• Collaborate with hospital administration to restore and grow the behavioral health service line
• Evaluate opportunities to reintroduce services such as ECT, TMS, and Spravato

Administrative Responsibilities

• Medical director duties are estimated at approximately 30 hours per month
• Includes program oversight, clinical leadership, and participation in service line planning

Practice Model Options

The hospital has designed this role with flexibility to accommodate different practice preferences. Four models are available:

• Inpatient Only — Focus exclusively on the 31-bed geriatric psychiatry unit
• Inpatient + Nursing Home Coverage — Unit responsibilities combined with nursing home rounding
• Inpatient + Outpatient Clinic — Combination of unit and clinic practice
• Inpatient + APP Model — Physician leads inpatient care while APPs manage nursing home visits with physician oversight

Leadership is prepared to discuss and build the right structure with the incoming physician.

Qualifications

• MD or DO with completed psychiatry residency training
• Board certified or board eligible in psychiatry
• Interest in geriatric psychiatry strongly preferred
• Comfort working with medically complex, underserved, and socially challenging patient populations
• Willingness to treat the full geriatric psychiatric spectrum, including patients with dementia, substance use disorders, and significant medical comorbidities
• Interest in program development and clinical leadership