Paediatrician or General Practitioner in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Department of Psychiatry, Inpatient
BC Children’s Hospital
Vancouver, BC Canada

As per the current Public Health Order, full vaccination against COVID-19 is a condition of employment with PHSA as of October 26, 2021.

BC Children’s Hospital Department of Psychiatry is seeking a General Practitioner and/ or a General Pediatrician to work in the Emergency Department (ED) Mental Health Team and in the Inpatient psychiatry service based at BC Children’s Hospital (BCCH).  

The ED Mental Health Team is a multidisciplinary team composed of a psychiatric nurse clinician, social workers, and psychiatrist. The team is based in the Emergency Department and provides consultative mental health assessment and recommendations to patients who present to the Emergency Department with mental health challenges.

The Inpatient psychiatry program consists of 6 short-stay emergency/crisis beds for children and youth ages 5-16, and 10 longer-stay beds for youth ages 12 – 18 years requiring psychiatric assessment and treatment. Units are staffed by multi-disciplinary teams including social work, psychology, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, youth and family counsellors, special education teachers and nursing. The units follow a Trauma-Informed Practice philosophy and families are actively engaged throughout the assessment and treatment process.

As a consulting physician, you will work collaboratively with a psychiatrist, within a multidisciplinary team assessing and treating complex mental health presentations for families across British Columbia and Yukon. Consulting psychiatrists provide psychiatric assessments and trauma informed care to children and families. In the Consulting Physician associate role, you will work with the psychiatrist and the team to support assessment and implement treatment plans. You will be primarily working with the ED Mental Health Team, but may be supporting the inpatient team instead if there is clinical demand. Care is provided in-person, via virtual modalities, or a combination of both. The work is primarily clinical and is remunerated by a service contract. Previous experience in the assessment and treatment of children and youth with acute presentations of psychiatric disorders is desirable. This is an ideal experience for a recent graduate, or other physician wanting to develop further expertise in the area of child and adolescent mental health and substance use. BC Children’s Hospital Department of Psychiatry is an active teaching program and supervision of medical students, pediatric and psychiatry residents, and adolescent medicine fellows is expected.

As the successful candidate for this position, you will have demonstrated a commitment to academic and clinical excellence as well as patient- and family-centred care. You required registration will have passed or be eligible for membership with Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) or the Canadian College of Family Physicians (CCFP) and the College of Physician and Surgeons of British Columbia (CPSBC). The successful candidate will have a demonstrated ability to work successfully in a multidisciplinary team environment and will demonstrate a trauma informed approach in their clinical work and professional relationships. Excellent communication skills and experience working with rural and remote communities are assets.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Interested individuals should submit their most current CV; covering letter and the names, academic rank and contact information of 4 referees to:

Roberto Britto Sassi, MD, FRCPC
Associate Professor, Partner Track, UBC Department of Psychiatry
Psychiatrist-in-Chief, British Columbia Children’s Hospital
Head, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, UBC
Email: roberto.sassi@cw.bc.ca

BC Children’s Hospital (BCCH) cares for the province’s most acutely ill or injured children and youth, provides developmental and rehabilitation services to children and youth throughout BC, and offers a broad range of health services. BCCH also operates a wide number of specialized health programs, is a leading acute care teaching facility, and conducts research to advance health and care through the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute and in partnership with the University of British Columbia.

BCCH is part of the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) which plans, manages and evaluates specialty and province-wide health care services across BC. PHSA embodies values that reflect a commitment to excellence. These include: Respect people • Be compassionate • Dare to innovate • Cultivate partnerships • Serve with purpose

PHSA and BCCH are committed to employment equity, encouraging all qualified individuals to apply. We recognize that our ability to provide the best care for our diverse patient populations relies on a rich diversity of skills, knowledge, background and experience, and values a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment.