How to hire an adult psychiatrist

How to hire an adult psychiatrist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step adult psychiatrist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an adult psychiatrist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new adult psychiatrist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an adult psychiatrist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an adult psychiatrist, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An adult psychiatrist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, adult psychiatrists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of adult psychiatrist salaries for various roles:

   Type of Adult Psychiatrist	Description	Hourly rate
   Adult Psychiatrist	Physicians and surgeons diagnose and treat injuries or illnesses. Physicians examine patients; take medical histories; prescribe medications; and order, perform, and interpret diagnostic tests... Show more	$75-196
   Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist	Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists are mental health professionals who deal with children and adolescent individuals. Much like most psychiatrists, they are trained to handle individuals with mental health concerns... Show more	$76-195
   Outpatient Psychiatrist	Outpatient psychiatrists are medical professionals who are responsible for providing diagnosis, treatment, and prevention plans for outpatients with mental health problems as well as substance use disorders. These psychiatrists are required to supervise psychiatry residents with outpatient psychotherapy and medication management while working with patients at the psychiatry wards... Show more	$75-195

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Mental Health
   • EMR
   • Mental Illness
   • Private Practice
   • Treatment Services
   • Inpatient Care
   • Client Care

   Responsibilities:

   • Research of medical management using motivational interviewing and psychotherapy with Hispanic patients treating depression and anxiety disorders.
   • Conduct full neurological evaluation, including lab, MRI & /or EEG.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the adult psychiatrist job description is a good way to get more applicants. An adult psychiatrist salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for an adult psychiatrist in Alabama may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level adult psychiatrist. Additionally, an adult psychiatrist with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average adult psychiatrist salary

   $252,704yearly

   $121.49 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level adult psychiatrist salary

   $156,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average adult psychiatrist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$267,673	$129
   2	New Hampshire	$266,835	$128
   3	Indiana	$264,364	$127
   4	Missouri	$263,525	$127
   5	Oregon	$260,936	$125
   6	Utah	$255,557	$123
   7	California	$248,487	$119
   8	Illinois	$242,057	$116
   9	Florida	$234,410	$113
   10	Ohio	$232,318	$112
   11	Arizona	$230,895	$111
   12	Michigan	$229,556	$110
   13	Colorado	$226,619	$109
   14	Minnesota	$225,359	$108
   15	Connecticut	$223,055	$107
   16	Delaware	$221,514	$107
   17	Pennsylvania	$221,169	$106
   18	District of Columbia	$220,422	$106
   19	Nebraska	$220,212	$106
   20	Virginia	$219,334	$105

   Average adult psychiatrist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Allina Health	$335,477	$161.29	25
   2	Trinity Health	$327,360	$157.38	238
   3	MaineGeneral Health	$322,554	$155.07	17
   4	RWJBarnabas Health	$310,743	$149.40	6
   5	Alameda Health System	$310,671	$149.36	2
   6	Northwestern Medicine	$293,100	$140.91	20
   7	St. Peter's Health Partners	$291,446	$140.12	3
   8	Bon Secours Community Hospital	$289,232	$139.05	9
   9	BayCare Health System	$275,774	$132.58	34
   10	Mission Regional Medical Center	$273,576	$131.53	43
   11	SSM Health	$272,547	$131.03	5
   12	PIH Health	$272,492	$131.01
   13	Prime Healthcare	$272,445	$130.98	49
   14	Indian Rivers Behavioral Health	$270,200	$129.90
   15	Mayo Clinic	$269,041	$129.35	237
   16	Kaiser Permanente	$268,966	$129.31	143
   17	The Moses H Cone Memorial Hospital	$267,528	$128.62	7
   18	Legacy Community Health	$266,016	$127.89	7
   19	Riverside Medical Center	$265,885	$127.83
   20	Emory Healthcare	$262,146	$126.03	34

4. Writing an adult psychiatrist job description

   An adult psychiatrist job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an adult psychiatrist job description:

   Adult psychiatrist job description example

   Outstanding Academic opportunity to join one of the Top 5 Public Universities in the nation and the ranked medical school in Florida ! The Department of Psychiatry at the University of Florida is one of the largest multifaceted programs, centered within a major academic health center. They are seeking a consult-liaison psychiatrist with demonstrated potential for developing strong Adult Consultation-Liaison Services to help grow the service line within UF Shands Hospital.

   You can look forward to:

   • Income potential up to $280,000 including sign on and relocation packages.

   • Comprehensive academic benefits including employer paid medical, supplement & life insurance, and retirement savings plans.

   • Work/Life Balance with only 9 days of call per year and 43 days PTO!

   • Eligible for Paid Family Leave on first day of employment!

   • Work in one of the top hospitals and psychiatry programs in the US!

   • Extensive opportunities for teaching, research, and program development.

   • No State Income Tax!

   • Eligible for student loan forgiveness through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program.

   
   

   
   

   Gainesville is ranked "One of the Top 50 Cities to Live in the Nation and Top ranked city in Florida" by and offers big-city attractions with a small-town feel.

   • "Top 10 College Town", "Best Place to Live", and "Best Place to Retire" accolades with a world-class research institution, outstanding academic programs, and competitive Division 1 Athletics

   • Cost of living in Gainesville is 10% lower than the national average with no state income taxes!

   • Offers 30+ miles of biking and hiking trails and 1.5 hours away from some of Florida's best beaches!

   • An array of theatres, museums, sporting events, restaurants, and cultural events

   • Under two hours away from Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville FL!

   
   

   Please reference: PSY 7961

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right adult psychiatrist for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with adult psychiatrists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit adult psychiatrists who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your adult psychiatrist job on Zippia to find and recruit adult psychiatrist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting adult psychiatrists requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new adult psychiatrist

   Once you have selected a candidate for the adult psychiatrist position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new adult psychiatrist. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an adult psychiatrist?