Purpose
The Medical Director is responsible for advocating for patient care at all levels of the organization and helping improve the value of care. The Medical Director works proactively with other members of the facility to establish processes and procedures and ensure continuous improvements to patient care.
This position is remote (virtual) with travel to the community clinic setting as required or on a quarterly basis.
Required Qualifications and Certifications
- Licensing and Board Certification: The Medical Director must hold a valid medical license to practice in Saskatchewan and must also be in good standing with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan
- Training in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: Additional certifications or training in psychedelic-assisted therapy approaches, such as MDMA-assisted therapy, psilocybin therapy, or ketamine-assisted therapy, obtained through specialized programs or educational institutions.
- Our Medical Director must have experience (≥ 1 year) prescribing Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy.
- Continuing Education and Workshops: The Medical Director will stay updated with the latest research and techniques in psychedelic therapy through continuing education, workshops, and conferences.
Important Skills
These skills are crucial for navigating the unique landscape of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, ensuring patient safety, and fostering positive therapeutic outcomes:
- Medical Expertise: Strong understanding of psychiatry principles with comprehensive understanding of psychedelic pharmacology, potential side effects, and interactions with other medications.
- Clinical Experience: Extensive experience in psychotherapy and patient care, especially in trauma-informed therapy or working with complex mental health conditions.
- Regulatory Knowledge: Understanding of local and international regulations surrounding psychedelic substances, ensuring compliance and ethical practice within legal frameworks.
- Risk Assessment and Management: Ability to assess patient risk factors and manage potential adverse reactions during psychedelic therapy sessions.
- Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Skill in collaborating with therapists, researchers, and other healthcare professionals to develop comprehensive treatment plans and ensure holistic patient care.
- Ethical Decision-Making: Strong moral compass to navigate the unique ethical considerations of administering psychedelic treatments, including informed consent and confidentiality.
- Communication Skills: Clear communication with patients, families, and staff about treatment protocols, potential risks, and expected outcomes of psychedelic-assisted therapy.
- Leadership and Management: Leadership qualities to oversee a team of therapists, clinicians, and administrative staff within the clinic, fostering a supportive and effective working environment.
- Continued Learning and Adaptability: Willingness to stay updated with the latest research, therapies, and advancements in psychedelic medicine to provide the best possible care.
- Cultural Competence and Sensitivity: Understanding and respecting diverse cultural perspectives and practices related to psychedelic use and mental health treatment.
- Compassion and Empathy: Essential for building trust with patients and supporting them through potentially challenging psychedelic experiences.
- Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving: Ability to assess complex situations during therapy sessions and make informed decisions promptly.
Duties and Responsibilities
The responsibilities of the Medical Director include professional, scientific, consultative or advisory, organizational, administrative, and educational matters relevant to the services offered by the facility.
Specific responsibilities of this role include but are not limited to:
1. Ensuring that quality psychedelic drug treatment services are provided.
2. Ensuring that assessments, including services and diagnostic procedures, and treatment provided are clinically indicated and appropriate.
3. Ensuring that processes are in place to employ adequate numbers of sufficiently trained, qualified, and competent personnel.
4. Supervising the clinical staff and providing effective direction and leadership of the service to all facility personnel engaged to provide psychedelic drug treatment services, including budget planning and financial management, in accordance with the organizational assignment of such responsibilities.
5. Ensuring that methods employed, and equipment used in the facility are selected and performed in accordance with currently accepted best practices, the standards of the provincial accreditation body and other applicable laws and regulations.
6. Ensuring that all personnel who are responsible for obtaining patient consent are aware of and qualified to provide patients with information.
7. Ensuring that patient records, whether physical or electronic, are accurate, available, and retained securely and in accordance with applicable legislation.
8. Assuring an effective quality assurance, management and control program is in place and functioning for all services.
9. Implementing and revising effective and appropriate safety and emergency preparedness procedures to provide for the safety of all patients, personnel and visitors to the facility or other locations where psychedelic drug treatment services are provided.
10. Ensuring that designated psychedelic drugs are appropriately procured, received, stored, secured, handled and disposed of.
11. Overseeing the publishing and review of a policy, process, and procedure manual and ensuring that all such policies and procedures are appropriate and support the provision of quality psychedelic drug treatment services in each facility or other location where psychedelic drug treatment services are provided.
12. Overseeing the clinical aspects of the day-to-day operation of the facility
13. Ensuring that an authorized regulated health professional conducting psychotherapy has the qualifications, training and experience required. Furthermore, ensuring that this professional, or other individual approved by the medical director to provide in-person monitoring, treatment and care, also meets all required qualifications, training and experience.
14. Direct and oversee the specific services offered, including but not limited to their location, addition, or deletion.
15. Ensuring access for the regulatory body to the facility for the inspection of records, manuals, and equipment, including the availability of personnel for interviews, and to any other data and information that may be required for the assessment of the operation and the quality of work.
16. Providing professional development programs for staff and opportunities to participate in scientific research and other activities of professional organizations.
17. Advocating for patients at all levels of the organization to improve the value of care.
18. Implementing a safe environment in compliance with good practice and applicable requirements.
19. Planning and directing research and development, where appropriate.
20. Relating and functioning effectively with applicable accrediting and regulatory agencies, appropriate administrative officials, the healthcare community, the patient population served, and providers of formal agreements, when required.
21. Ensuring the provision of clinical advice with respect to the choice of treatments, use of the service and interpretation of results.
22. Designing and implementing a contingency plan to ensure that essential services are available during emergency situations or other conditions when services are limited or unavailable.
23. Addressing any complaint, request, or suggestion from staff and/or users of the services.
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Saskatoon, SK S7H 0R9
