Physician Assistant - Pediatric Psychiatry

  • Orchard Place
  • Des Moines, Iowa
  • Full Time

At Orchard Place, we are dedicated to building a brighter future for children and their families through compassionate care, early intervention, and community integration. Join our team and be a part of a mission-driven organization that invests in developing strong futures. We are looking to add a Physician Assistant to our psychiatric care team.

The Physician Assistant (PA) provides comprehensive, direct outpatient psychiatric services to children, adolescents, and families. The PA delivers safe, ethical, and evidencebased medication management and adjunct psychiatric care for patients assigned to their caseload.

The Physician Assistant practices under a graduated supervision model aligned with experience in child and adolescent psychiatry. Supervision is provided by the Child Guidance Center (CGC) Medical Director and the Chief Medical Officer (CMO). As clinical experience and demonstrated competency increase, the level of direct supervision decreases; however, ongoing consultation with the CGC Medical Director and the CMO remains an expected and integral component of practice.

The Physician Assistant will actively seek to emulate Orchard Place's integrated, biopsychosocial, and developmentally informed approach to psychiatry and children's mental health.

The Physician Assistant is a core member of a multidisciplinary treatment team and maintains collaborative working relationships with psychiatrists, therapists, nursing staff, care coordinators, and program leadership to ensure coordinated, highquality care.

Orchard Place values diversity, equity and inclusion, and we recognize that people come with a wealth of experience and talent beyond just the technical requirements of a job. Diversity of experience and skills combined with passion is a key to innovation and excellence; therefore, we encourage people from all backgrounds to apply to our positions. Please let us know if you require accommodations during the interview process.

What you will do:

  • Conduct comprehensive psychiatric evaluations, including detailed developmental, family, psychosocial, and medical histories, with sufficient time allocated to support diagnostic accuracy and a strong theraeutic alliance with patients and caregivers.
  • Provide longitudinal psychiatric care that integrates diagnostic formulation, medication management, and nonpharmacologic recommendations within a biopsychosocial and developmentally informed framework.
  • Develop and implement individualized treatment plans that may include psychopharmacologic interventions, dietary and lifestyle recommendations, sleep and activity guidance, parent education, and other evidencebased supports aligned with the child's clinical needs.
  • Apply advanced diagnostic reasoning skills in child and adolescent psychiatry; development of diagnostic acumen is highly valued at Orchard Place and considered a core professional competency.
  • Collaborate closely with supervising psychiatrists and multidisciplinary team members to refine diagnostic understanding and treatment planning over time.
  • Participate proactively in multidisciplinary treatment planning, offering clinical insight, recommendations, and perspective that may extend beyond medicationspecific issues in support of integrated, highquality care.
  • Accurately record medication orders, clinical decisions, and treatment recommendations in the medical record in a timely and professional manner.
  • Complete all required clinical documentation within seventytwo (72) business hours, with limited exceptions as clinically appropriate. Adequate scheduled time is provided to support timely, accurate, and highquality documentation.
  • Prioritize quality and completeness of clinical work, recognizing that careful assessment, sound clinical judgment, and a strong providerpatientfamily relationship are central to effective psychiatric care.
  • Monitor, document, and communicate therapeutic response, side effects, and overall clinical progress to caregivers and treatment team members.
  • Serve as a psychiatric consultant to therapists, nursing staff, clients, and families, contributing to shared clinical understanding and coordinated care.
  • Participate in psychiatric staffings, case conferences, and other multidisciplinary meetings as scheduled.
  • Engage in periodic chart review, peer review, and qualityassurance activities to ensure adherence to standards of care, regulatory requirements, and Orchard Place clinical expectations.
  • Demonstrate initiative and professional judgment in supporting team functioning through consultation, mentoring, and contribution to program development, consistent with role, experience, and scope of practice.
  • Engage in ongoing professional development, including completion of required and selfdirected Continuing Medical Education (CME) relevant to child and adolescent psychiatry.

Sound like a good fit? Requirements include:

  • Graduate of an accredited physician assistant program
  • Certified through the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistant (NCCPA)
  • Two years experience providing psychiatric care in the mental health field preferred.

Criminal, Abuse Registry and Motor Vehicle Record checks completed as required by licensure and accreditation standards.

Job ID: 521479031
Originally Posted on: 5/17/2026

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