Description
Join us at SMA to staff Scripps Mercy Hospital’s psychiatry program as we transition to the health system's first hospitalist coverage model for psychiatry. We're hiring for in-person psychiatrists who are passionate about underserved care. Enjoy a balanced career at a health system that supports psychiatry like no other in San Diego. Open roles include consultation-liaison psychiatrists and inpatient adult psychiatrists for in-person daytime coverage of weekdays, weekends or vacation coverage roles.
Scripps is America's top-ranked health system to work for (Fortune, 2026), with physician satisfaction written directly into its vision statement, and it leads San Diego in workplace violence prevention. Scripps Mercy Hospital is San Diego's longest-established hospital and one of only two adult Level I trauma centers in the County, providing safety-net care to vulnerable populations, set in one of the city's most walkable and vibrant neighborhoods.
SMA Psychiatry is a local multi-specialty medical group dedicated to caring for complex, underserved populations, known for great job satisfaction across nearly every level of behavioral healthcare in San Diego.
Roles
We're transitioning from an independent practitioner model to one of close integration between a team of psychiatrists and the rest of the health system — creating a real opportunity for work-life balance within an inpatient psychiatry career. You'll join a team backed by a high level of ancillary staff support, in a hospital where other departments and leadership are, in their own words, "excited for collaboration with psychiatry." The current roles are designed to include time for significant interdisciplinary collaboration aiming at long term patient success.
EMR: Epic
Consultation-Liaison Service
This service focuses on an integrated partnership of psychiatric care to support the mission of the 395 bed medical-surgical units and 51 bed emergency department. The psychiatrists’ efforts are aided by a genuinely exceptional & engaged Psychiatric Liaison Team of clinicians. The service is shared by two psychiatrists working 8-hour days and one working a 10-hour day, each managing roughly 2–3 new patients and 5–7 follow-ups along with meaningful interdisciplinary engagement. The psychiatrist on the 10-hour CL day has their two additional hours built in to help absorb surges on both the CL service and the inpatient unit. No overnight call!
Inpatient Unit
Two psychiatrists each manage up to 15–16 follow-up visits and 1 admission over a 10-hour day, with support from a consultation-liaison psychiatrist on busier days, and interdisciplinary team meetings 3 times weekly. No overnight call ! Still hiring for part time, weekend & per diem roles on this service.
Overnight call
This coverage runs 5 p.m.–7 a.m from home, this role is fully staffed and will be ready to provide overnight coverage so you have time off to recharge.
Requirements
-ABPN Board Certified in Psychiatry or residency graduation within the past 5 years
-Active unrestricted California medical license in hand at time of application, Medicare & Medi-Cal eligibility.
Schedule
We are currently hiring psychiatrists for weekday, weekends or vacation coverage roles. Vacation coverage could sum to a 1/2 time role. Current available roles are in-person, onsite during daytime hours to deliver care and interdisciplinary collaboration * the entire shift *
Apply now for a January - February 2027 start date.
Compensation
In-person daytime roles: $240/hr as an independent contractor, or $396,000/year as an employed full-time psychiatrist with excellent benefits and PTO. +20% daily compensation for all roles while caring for our team’s patients on holidays. These roles are Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) eligible. Malpractice, including tail coverage, provided. Additional compensation is available to help with surges in consult volumes & court appearances for psychiatric holds
