Staff Specialist – Emergency Psychiatry

Position Title: Staff Specialist – Emergency Psychiatry

Employment Type: Permanent Full Time

Hours per week: 1.0 FTE

Position Grade: Staff Specialist

Salary: As per the award

Enterprise Agreement: The Named NSW (Non-Declared) Affiliated Health Organisations’ Staff Specialist Agreement 2021

Department Name: Mental Health

About us

St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney is a leading not-for-profit organisation providing health services to our community. Guided by our values of compassion, excellence, integrity and justice, we promote a culture of diversity and inclusion and empower our people to learn, grow and innovate.

Benefits of working at St Vincent’s

• Generous salary packaging and Fitness Passport for eligible staff
• Opportunity to access a wide range of clinical and non‑clinical education programs
• Supported post graduate opportunities within applicable fields
• Career development opportunities across the St Vincent’s Health Australia Network
• Employee Assistance Program
• Work/Life balance

About the role

This Staff Specialist position will work within the Emergency Psychiatry service at St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney. The incumbent will provide short‑term clinical care to patients admitted to the Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre as well as consultation‑liaison services to the Emergency Department (ED), and the Psychiatric, Alcohol and Non‑prescription Drug Assessment (PANDA) Unit. The service specialises in assessment of undifferentiated mental health presentations and crisis interventions for symptoms including suicidal ideation and attempts, non‑suicidal self‑injury, drug and alcohol intoxication and sequelae of overdose, brief psychotic episodes and management of emotional dysregulation and behavioural disturbance. This position will work within, and lead a multidisciplinary team to provide psychiatric assessment, treatment, care planning and clinical oversight using person‑centred, recovery‑oriented, family/carer‑inclusive and trauma‑informed principles of care. There is capacity for the incumbent to work in other positions across the Mental Health and Homeless Health service on mutual agreement.

Diversity and Inclusion at St Vincent's

St Vincent's is committed to employing a workforce that reflects the community we care for. We strongly encourage applications from people that are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, culturally diverse, sexuality or gender diverse and/or living with disability.

Employment with St Vincent's is subject to you having current immunity status that complies with the Occupational Assessment, Screening & Vaccination against Specified Infectious Diseases - NSW Health Policy Directive (PD2023_022) or subsequent revisions in force. Appointment and ongoing employment will be subject to continued compliance with this policy directive.

Application Instructions

To have your application considered you are required to upload a current CV/Resume as well as a separate cover letter/document addressing the ‘Selection Criteria’ as below. Internal applicants i.e. current employees of St Vincent’s Hospital or an entity of SVHA are required to apply via their Workday account.

Selection Criteria

• Personal integrity and demonstrated commitment to the Philosophy, Mission and Values of Mary Aikenhead Ministries and St Vincent’s Health Australia.
• Possess, or be eligible to possess, specialist registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), including via the Expedited Specialist Pathway; Fellowship of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (FRANZCP) or equivalent as provided for in the Staff Specialist’s State Award, and a MPsychiatryedicare provider number.
• Demonstrated knowledge, skills and high standards of clinical practice in Acute Psychiatry commensurate to experience which is appropriate to the requirements of the position. Experience and expertise in the provision of services in Emergency Psychiatry is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated expertise and commitment to person‑centred, recovery‑oriented, family/carer‑inclusive and trauma‑informed principles of care.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and work in collaborative interprofessional contexts that include lived‑experience professions to support the delivery of an effective, high quality mental health service.
• Demonstrated commitment to teaching and supervision of specialist trainees, junior medical officers and medical students and non‑medical colleagues.
• Demonstrated leadership skills that support and foster a culture of safety and learning, with proven ability to improve the quality of services and patient care outcomes.
• Demonstrated ongoing contribution to the development, dissemination, and translation of new knowledge and practices commensurate with work in an academic teaching hospital environment.

For more information, please contact Dr Lyn Chiem - lyn.chiem@svha.org.au

For a copy of the position description, please email svhs.smoadmin@svha.org.au

To apply for this position, please click HERE

This job advertisement will close 17 April 2026