Psychiatrist – Scripps Mercy Hospital | San Diego, CA

Senior Medical Associates is hiring psychiatrists to help launch a new, integrated hospitalist psychiatry coverage model at Scripps Mercy Hospital. This is an opportunity to join a collaborative team with meaningful interdisciplinary involvement, strong ancillary support, flexible scheduling options, and no overnight call for daytime inpatient and consultation-liaison roles.

Why Psychiatrists Are Choosing This Opportunity

• $240/hour for independent contractor daytime positions
• $396,000/year for employed full-time psychiatrists + excellent benefits and PTO
• No overnight call for daytime inpatient and consultation-liaison positions
• Work-from-home overnight call: $650/shift
• Full-time, part-time and weekend opportunities
• 8- and 10-hour daytime shifts
• Epic EMR
• Meaningful interdisciplinary collaboration built into the workday
• Strong ancillary and Psychiatric Liaison Team support
• PSLF eligible
• Malpractice insurance + tail coverage provided
• 25 days PTO for employed W2 physicians
• 4% 401(k) match for W2 physicians
• $1,000 annual CME for full-time W2 physicians, prorated for part-time
• Additional compensation for consult-volume surges and court appearances
• 20% additional daily compensation for holidays

Choose the Practice Model That Fits You

Inpatient Psychiatry

Work alongside a team of psychiatrists providing care on the inpatient psychiatric unit.

• 10-hour daytime shifts
• Two psychiatrists each manage approximately 15–16 follow-up visits and 1 admission
• Support from a consultation-liaison psychiatrist on busier days
• Interdisciplinary team meetings three times per week
• No overnight call
• 36-bed inpatient psychiatric unit
• Opportunity for meaningful collaboration with the broader hospital team

Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry

Join an integrated consultation-liaison service supporting patients throughout the medical-surgical units and Emergency Department.

• 8- and 10-hour daytime shifts
• Approximately 2–3 new patients and 5–7 follow-ups per day
• Dedicated Psychiatric Liaison Team support
• Meaningful interdisciplinary engagement
• The 10-hour CL shift includes additional time to help absorb surges across the CL and inpatient services
• No overnight call

Overnight Call – Work From Home

Prefer a flexible home-call model?

• 5 p.m.–7 a.m.
• $650/shift
• Work entirely from home
• Secure messaging, phone and remote Epic access
• Support inpatient admissions, existing patients and provide brief curbside consultation
• No in-person patient contact
• No telepsychiatry/video visits

Schedule & Flexibility

SMA is hiring for full-time, part-time and weekend psychiatrists. A 7-on/7-off schedule is optional.

Daytime inpatient and consultation-liaison positions are onsite for the entire shift to provide direct patient care and participate in interdisciplinary collaboration.

Start date: December 2026 or January 2027   

About the Hospital

Scripps Mercy Hospital is San Diego's longest-established hospital and one of only two adult Level I trauma centers in the county. The hospital provides safety-net care to vulnerable populations and is located in one of San Diego's most walkable and vibrant neighborhoods.

The hospital includes a 36-bed inpatient psychiatric unit, along with a 395-bed medical-surgical service and 51-bed Emergency Department.

About SMA Psychiatry

Senior Medical Associates is a local multi-specialty medical group dedicated to caring for complex and underserved populations throughout San Diego. SMA is transitioning psychiatry at Scripps Mercy from a model of independent practitioners to an integrated team of psychiatrists working closely with the health system and other specialties.

The goal is simple: create a sustainable psychiatry practice where physicians have the support, collaboration and flexibility needed to provide excellent patient care.

Psychiatrists joining SMA will work alongside a team of 40+ physicians and 20+ APPs, with access to all major specialties throughout the health system.

People love working here because the environment is supportive, collaborative and physician-focused—with no venture-capital ownership.

What We're Looking For

• Board Certified in Psychiatry through ABPN, or
• Psychiatry graduates within the past 5 years
• Active, unrestricted California medical license in hand at the time of application
• Medicare and Medi-Cal eligibility
• Recent hospital experience is ideal
• California license required

Employment options:
W2 or independent contractor
1099: Available
Locums: Not available

Ready for a Different Kind of Hospital Psychiatry Career?

Join SMA Psychiatry as we build a more integrated model for psychiatric care at Scripps Mercy Hospital—one designed around collaboration, physician support and sustainable practice.

Apply today for a December 2026 or January 2027 start.