How to hire a Psychiatrist

How to hire a psychiatrist, step by step

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

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

What does a Psychiatrist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a 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

   A psychiatrist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of psychiatrists and their corresponding salaries.

   Type Of Psychiatrist	Description	Hourly Rate
   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	$63-188
   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:

   • Patients
   • Diagnosis
   • Patient Care
   • Mental Illness
   • Psychiatric Services
   • EMR
   • Substance Abuse
   • Psychiatric Evaluations
   • Veterans
   • Primary Care
   • Psychiatric Care
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Group Therapy
   • Rehabilitation

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Provide psychiatric evaluations, diagnosis and treatment, including prescribing and administering psychotropic medications, conduct individual and group psychotherapy.
   • Case load includes children, adolescents and adults.
   • Provide accurate, timely and complete documentation in the EMR.
   • Conduct full neurological evaluation, including lab, MRI & /or EEG.
   • Work closely with Medicaid in areas of compliance needs and information of the clients.
   • Create multidisciplinary team (psychiatrist, psychologist, nurse, marriage family therapist) to spear head new veterans parenting class.

   More Psychiatrist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your psychiatrist job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A psychiatrist can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, psychiatrists' average salary in hawaii is 48% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level psychiatrists 66% less than senior-level psychiatrists.
   • Certifications. A psychiatrist with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a psychiatrist's salary.

   Average psychiatrist salary

   $229,034yearly

   $110.11 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level psychiatrist salary

   $133,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 15, 2025

   Average psychiatrist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	North Dakota	$335,992	$162
   2	Washington	$315,265	$152
   3	Minnesota	$295,107	$142
   4	Oregon	$283,745	$136
   5	California	$277,210	$133
   6	Maine	$268,451	$129
   7	Missouri	$263,580	$127
   8	Colorado	$261,659	$126
   9	Illinois	$259,712	$125
   10	Pennsylvania	$241,708	$116
   11	Kansas	$237,851	$114
   12	Arizona	$237,255	$114
   13	Indiana	$237,162	$114
   14	Mississippi	$230,169	$111
   15	Georgia	$226,935	$109
   16	Connecticut	$224,402	$108
   17	Nevada	$224,257	$108
   18	West Virginia	$221,902	$107
   19	Texas	$221,358	$106
   20	Ohio	$217,623	$105

   Average psychiatrist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	Yuma Regional Medical Center	$378,639	$182.04
   2	McLeod Health	$366,047	$175.98	6
   3	Trinity Health	$358,631	$172.42	259
   4	Billings Clinic	$355,922	$171.12
   5	Sharon Regional Health System	$354,566	$170.46
   6	BJC HealthCare	$344,322	$165.54	57
   7	OSF HealthCare	$344,139	$165.45	45
   8	Mercy Health	$336,881	$161.96	12
   9	Allina Health	$335,409	$161.25	71
   10	Hennepin Healthcare	$331,401	$159.33	5
   11	Houston Methodist	$329,937	$158.62	48
   12	Dignity Health	$328,556	$157.96	40
   13	Alameda Health System	$326,501	$156.97	3
   14	Genesis Health System	$324,293	$155.91	1
   15	San Juan Regional Medical Center	$323,696	$155.62
   16	Mayo Clinic	$321,114	$154.38	174
   17	Providence Health & Services	$317,004	$152.41	38
   18	MaineGeneral Health	$315,568	$151.72	39
   19	Mercy Regional Medical Center	$312,734	$150.35
   20	Community Healthcare System	$304,822	$146.55

4. Writing a Psychiatrist Job Description

   A good psychiatrist job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a psychiatrist job description:

   Psychiatrist job description example

   US--
   
   Type: Regular Full-Time
   Multiple Locations - Portland Metro
   
   Overview
   
   

   The Legacy mission of making life better for others includes the whole person. Our psychiatrists focus on the mental, emotional and behavioral health of a variety of patients. For some, this is their primary reason for seeking medical attention; for others, a contributing factor has weakened their psychological state. No matter the circumstances, their cases must be viewed with professionalism and compassion. Are you committed to improving the psychological well-being of patients and giving them the best possible chance for strong mental health? If so, we invite you to consider joining the Legacy community.

   Responsibilities

   Provide psychiatric assessment, diagnosis, and treatment recommendations, for patients in primary care clinics who have psychiatric or behavioral health comorbidities.

   The psychiatrist will conduct an examination and order relevant laboratory studies to help determine a diagnosis to make treatment recommendations to the patient and primary care provider. The treatment recommendations might include biological as well as psychotherapeutic modalities and will also include a recommendation for an appropriate setting for the delivery of this care.

   When appropriate, the psychiatrist will initiate treatment and continue to monitor the patient's progress until stabilization. Once stabilized the patient may continue to follow-up with the psychiatrist or may be referred to the primary care provider. The psychiatrist will work in collaboration with multidisciplinary primary care teams to ensure high quality patient care. Provide support and educational training for physicians and non-physician staff in providing care for complex psychiatric patients and their families.

   The psychiatrist remains responsible for the patient throughout the course of the treatment and will determine when the patient will be released from care

   Qualifications

   Education: Graduate of four-year accredited U.S. Medical School or equivalent. Completion of a four-year residency in Psychiatry.

   Licensure

   Board eligible/certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. License to practice Medicine in the State of Oregon. Licensed, or willing to become licensed, in Washington. Active member, in good standing, of all Legacy Hospital's medical staffs. If Board Eligible, must become Board Certified within five years of hire and must maintain current certification.

   LEGACY'S VALUES IN ACTION:

   Follows guidelines set forth in Legacy's Values in Action.

   For additional information, please contact Erin Pendergraft via email: or cell/text: .

   Equal Opportunity Employer/Vet/Disabled.

   
   
   

   PI

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right 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 psychiatrists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit 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 psychiatrist job on Zippia to find and recruit psychiatrist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit psychiatrists, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 psychiatrist

   Once you've selected the best psychiatrist candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing 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.

   To prepare for the new psychiatrist first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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