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Lead Advanced practice Provider - Behavioral Health

Lead Nurse Practitioner (NP) / Physician Assistant (PA)

Inpatient Behavioral Health Unit

New Orleans East Hospital | LCMC Health

12-Hour Shifts | Rotating Days & Nights | Weekends & Holidays Included

Lead the Future of Behavioral Health Care in New Orleans East

LCMC Health is making a significant investment in behavioral health services 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.

We are seeking an experienced and compassionate Lead Nurse Practitioner (NP) or Physician Assistant (PA) to help launch and lead our new inpatient behavioral health program. This unique opportunity combines direct patient care with leadership responsibilities, allowing you to shape clinical practice, mentor advanced practice providers, and contribute to the development of a transformative service line that will have a lasting impact on our community.

Position Summary

The Lead Advanced Practice Provider serves as an expert clinician and leader within the Inpatient Behavioral Health Unit. In addition to providing comprehensive psychiatric and medical care to patients with acute behavioral health needs, the Lead APP oversees the activities of advanced practice providers, supports orientation and training, and promotes the safe and effective delivery of evidence-based patient care.

Working collaboratively with psychiatrists, nursing leadership, therapists, social workers, and other interdisciplinary team members, the Lead APP plays a critical role in establishing clinical excellence, supporting professional development, and ensuring quality outcomes across the program.

Key Responsibilities

Clinical Leadership

• Provide leadership and support to Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants within the Behavioral Health Unit.
• Assist with the development and implementation of clinical policies, procedures, and best practices.
• Serve as a mentor, preceptor, and resource for APPs, nursing staff, students, and healthcare team members.
• Support onboarding, orientation, education, and competency development for APP staff.
• Promote adherence to regulatory requirements, quality standards, and evidence-based practice.

Assessment & Diagnosis

• 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 findings and diagnostic data to develop evidence-based treatment plans.

Clinical Interventions

• Provide therapeutic and diagnostic interventions within approved credentialing and scope of practice.
• Manage psychiatric and co-occurring medical conditions in collaboration with psychiatrists and interdisciplinary team members.
• Analyze risks, benefits, and outcomes of treatment interventions and adjust care accordingly.

Plan of Care

• Develop, implement, monitor, and modify individualized treatment plans.
• Manage changes in patient condition with a focus on improving clinical outcomes.
• Facilitate safe transitions of care within and between healthcare settings.
• Promote health maintenance, injury prevention, and recovery-oriented care.

Education & Consultation

• Serve as an educational resource to patients, families, nursing staff, providers, and support teams.
• Participate in program development, staff education, and quality improvement initiatives.
• Provide consultation and support for multidisciplinary care planning.

Patient Safety & Quality

• Demonstrate a commitment to patient safety and high-reliability healthcare practices.
• Participate in quality improvement, performance improvement, and patient safety initiatives.
• Encourage reporting and resolution of safety concerns while fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

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.

Experience

• Minimum of three (3) years of Advanced Practice Provider experience in inpatient, acute care, behavioral health, psychiatry, hospital medicine, emergency medicine, or a related specialty.
• Previous leadership, mentoring, precepting, charge, or program development experience preferred.
• Experience caring for patients with psychiatric disorders, substance use disorders, and co-occurring medical conditions preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• Behavioral Health or Psychiatry experience strongly preferred.
• Inpatient or Crisis Intervention experience preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, build collaborative relationships, and drive quality outcomes.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

Why New Orleans East Hospital?

This is a rare opportunity to help build a new behavioral health program from the ground up while serving as a clinical leader for a growing team. As part of LCMC Health, you'll play a key role in expanding access to much-needed mental health services, improving patient outcomes, and helping shape the future of behavioral healthcare in eastern New Orleans.

If you are passionate about behavioral health, leadership, and advancing high-quality patient care, we invite you to join us and help lead this exciting new chapter at New Orleans East Hospital.

WORK SHIFT:

Evenings (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. 

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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. 

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