Nurse Practitioner / Physician Assistant - Inpatient Behavioral Health Unit

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Nurse Practitioner (NP) / Physician Assistant (PA)

Inpatient Behavioral Health Unit

New Orleans East Hospital | LCMC Health

Be Part of a Transformative Investment in Behavioral Health Care

LCMC Health is making a significant investment in behavioral health services for the Greater New Orleans community through the development of the first inpatient behavioral health unit at New Orleans East Hospital. This landmark expansion will increase access to critical psychiatric services for more than 120,000 residents in New Orleans East, Gentilly, and the Lower 9th Ward who currently lack a nearby inpatient behavioral health facility. As demand for mental health services continues to grow across Louisiana, this new program represents a vital step toward improving access to compassionate, high-quality care closer to home.

We are seeking an experienced and compassionate Nurse Practitioner (NP) or Physician Assistant (PA) to join our inaugural inpatient behavioral health team. This is a unique opportunity to help establish and shape a new service line, collaborate with multidisciplinary behavioral health professionals, and make a lasting impact on the lives of patients and families throughout our community.

Position Summary

The Advanced Practice Provider (NP or PA) provides advanced healthcare services to individuals, families, and groups within the inpatient behavioral health setting. The APP functions as an expert clinician responsible for assessing patient health status, analyzing clinical data, developing treatment plans, implementing therapeutic interventions, and evaluating patient outcomes. Working in collaboration with psychiatrists and an interdisciplinary treatment team, the APP plays a key role in delivering patient-centered, evidence-based behavioral healthcare.

Key Responsibilities

Assessment

• Conduct comprehensive psychiatric and medical evaluations of patients with acute, chronic, and complex behavioral health conditions.
• Assess for urgent and emergent conditions and identify physiologic instability.
• Utilize clinical data to formulate evidence-based treatment plans and recommendations.

Clinical Interventions

• Perform therapeutic and diagnostic interventions within the scope of practice and approved credentialing privileges.
• Evaluate indications, contraindications, risks, benefits, and outcomes of treatment interventions.
• Manage psychiatric and co-occurring medical conditions in collaboration with the behavioral health team.

Plan of Care

• Develop, implement, evaluate, and modify individualized treatment plans.
• Monitor patient progress and response to interventions.
• Promote health maintenance, illness prevention, and recovery-focused care.
• Facilitate safe patient transitions between levels of care and community-based services.

Education & Consultation

• Educate patients, families, and caregivers regarding diagnoses, treatment plans, medications, and follow-up care.
• Serve as a clinical resource and consultant to nursing staff and interdisciplinary team members.
• Participate in staff education and ongoing program development initiatives.

Professional Development

• Maintain clinical competencies and pursue ongoing professional growth.
• Participate in quality improvement, research, and educational activities.
• Serve as a mentor, preceptor, and role model for team members and healthcare learners.

Patient Safety & Quality

• Demonstrate a commitment to patient safety and high-reliability healthcare practices.
• Report and address safety concerns through established reporting processes.
• Participate in quality improvement initiatives that enhance patient care and outcomes.

Minimum Qualifications

Nurse Practitioner Candidates

Education

• Master's Degree or higher from an accredited Nurse Practitioner program required.

Licensure & Certifications

• Current Louisiana Registered Nurse (RN) license required.
• Current Louisiana Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) license required.
• Current National Nurse Practitioner Certification required.
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification through the American Heart Association required.

Physician Assistant Candidates

Education

• Master's Degree from an accredited Physician Assistant program required.

Licensure & Certifications

• Current Louisiana Physician Assistant license required.
• Current NCCPA Certification (PA-C) required.
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification through the American Heart Association required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Behavioral Health or Psychiatry experience preferred.
• Inpatient, Emergency Department, Hospital Medicine, or Crisis Intervention experience preferred.
• Experience managing patients with psychiatric disorders, substance use disorders, and co-occurring medical conditions.
• Strong collaboration, communication, and patient engagement skills.

Why New Orleans East Hospital?

As part of LCMC Health, New Orleans East Hospital is committed to expanding access to innovative, high-quality healthcare services. Joining our new Inpatient Behavioral Health Unit means becoming part of a historic initiative that will help close longstanding gaps in mental healthcare access across eastern New Orleans while supporting patients through some of their most critical moments of need.

If you are passionate about behavioral health, collaborative care, and helping build a transformative program from the ground up, we invite you to apply and be part of this exciting new chapter for New Orleans East Hospital.

WORK SHIFT:

Days (United States of America)

LCMC Health is a community. 

Our people make health happen. While our NOLA roots run deep, our branches are the vessels that carry our mission of bringing the best possible care to every person and parish in Louisiana and beyond and put a little more heart and soul into healthcare along the way. Celebrating authenticity, originality, equity, inclusion and a little “come on in” attitude is the foundation of LCMC Health’s culture of everyday extraordinary     

About New Orleans East Hospital

New Orleans East Hospital, vital to LCMC Health’s incredible community of care, has been New Orleans East’s and the surrounding community’s trusted healthcare leader since 2014, embodying our mission of not only superior care, but healthcare with heart, courtesy, concern, kindness, and welcoming spirit for everyone. Learn more about New Orleans East Hospital and our Leapfrog “Grade A” Hospital Safety distinction.

Your extras

• Deliver healthcare with heart. 
• Give people a reason to smile. 
• Put a little love in your work. 
• Be honest and real, but with compassion.  
• Bring some lagniappe into everything you do. 
• Forget one-size-fits-all, think one-of-a-kind care. 
• See opportunities, not problems – it’s all about perspective. 
• Cheerlead ideas, differences, and each other. 
• Love what makes you, you - because we do

You are welcome here. 

LCMC Health is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The above job summary is intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by people assigned to this work. This is not an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities.  LCMC Health reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet organizational needs as necessary.

Simple things make the difference. 

1.    To get started, take your time to fully and accurately complete the application for employment. Incomplete applications get bogged down and are often eliminated due to missing information. 

2.    To ensure quality care and service, we may use information on your application to verify your previous employment and background.  

3.    To keep our career applications up-to-date, applications are inactive after 6 months and, therefore, require a new application for employment to be completed. 

4.    To expedite the hiring process, proof of citizenship or immigration status will be required to verify your lawful right to work in the United States.