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Nurse Practitioner (NP) / Physician Assistant (PA)

Inpatient Behavioral Health Unit

New Orleans East Hospital | LCMC Health

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.

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