Job Abstract

This Psychologist (Addiction) is responsible for the delivery of clinical diagnostic services in the area of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and it comorbidities to transplant candidates and recipients in an outpatient setting. This position works closely with patients, family members, and a wide range of professionals to plan, deliver, and improve patient care. Working independently, manages a high volume of needs for patients in varying stages of the transplant process. The Psychologist (Addiction) is a subject matter expert and serves as a resource for a wide variety of stakeholders including families, patients, nurses, pharmacists, financial specialists, and medical directors.

Essential Duties:

• Conduct comprehensive substance abuse evaluations to identify how the substance use relates to transplant candidacy. This includes careful review of medical records to identify health status, risk factors, and potential barriers to treatment.
• Provide ongoing education and counseling to patients and families throughout all phases of the process and help to facilitate navigation through family dynamics and/or substance abuse issues as they arise.
• Provide presentations of objective assessment to the interdisciplinary committee who reviews transplant candidacy.
• Provide education and information to patients and families to ensure informed patient choice and ability to participate actively in the process.
• Initiate and maintain strong communication and collaboration with physicians, surgeons, transplant coordinators, social workers, RN’s, and other disciplines inside and outside of Keck Medicine in order to develop and implement a plan of care.
• Develop, implement and maintain appropriate tools to assist with care planning and include naturally occurring resources and support from patients’ home communities.
• Work with all members of the interdisciplinary team to facilitate substance abuse treatment care coordination and treatment.
• Work closely with the transplant coordinator to address substance abuse issues as they arise in order to collaboratively implement a plan for intervention.
• Provide goal-oriented substance abuse treatment which includes family members as indicated, including crisis intervention.
• Closely monitor clinical outcomes and communicate with the staff on status.
• Provide referrals to outside services as needed, as well as to self-help programs and other resources.
• Develop and maintain educational materials and implement screening tools pre- and post-transplant.
• Maintain excellent documentation and participate in regulatory requirements, including audits.
• Track clinic patient flow in TRAIL clinic (specialized transplant for alcohol clinic) and also own separate clinics
• Lead multidisciplinary meetings
• Help organize patient groups along with social worker
• Attend weekly transplant selection meetings
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Doctorate in Clinical or Counseling Psychology from an accredited school of Psychology, California license eligible OR licensed in three years or less.

• 5 years Experience in treating patients with substance use disorders (primarily alcohol)

• Knowledge of regulatory guidelines and processes
• Effective communication skills with a wide range of individuals including patients, donors, family members, and other professionals
• Ability to create a patient-centered treatment plan and to tailor education and interventions to the needs of the patient
• Ability to make complex clinical decisions
• Proficient in MS Office and applicable computer applications.

Preferred Qualifications:

•  2 years Prior experience in an Accredited Transplant Program

• Bilingual in Spanish and English

Required Licenses/Certifications:

• Licensed Psychologist (CA DCA) Must receive CA license within 180 days of CA license application.
• Fire Life Safety Training (LA City) If no card upon hire, one must be obtained within 30 days of hire and maintained by renewal before expiration date. (Required within LA City only)

USC is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring ordinance. We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at (213) 821-8100, or by email at uschr@usc.edu.  Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

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