DSHS Fircrest Physician 3

DSHS Physician 3

Are you a task-oriented person looking for a fulfilling opportunity? Washington State Department of Social and Health Services’ (DSHS) Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) is seeking a physician to join the team at Fircrest School/Residential Habilitation Center (RHC). 

Located in Shoreline Washington, it is surrounded by 88 acres of quiet natural beauty, yet easily accessible by car or public transportation. 

We would welcome you to join our community of hard-working professionals. 

We offer competitive benefits, supporting onboarding, meaningful clinical work, and a long-term career opportunity.

We focus on quality--not quantity. 

This is an opportunity where compassionate, detailed primary care is the clinical focus for individuals with intellectual, developmental, behavioral and medical challenges. If you enjoy advocating for patients, and addressing diagnostic challenges, please give us a deeper consideration. 

Fircrest RHC is a Washington State residential facility, where adults with a variety of disabilities are cared for in a residential setting consisting of an intermediate care facility (ICF) as well as a nursing facility (NF) consisting of approximately 100 individuals in each part of the facility. 

The mission of the ICF is to provide care and training to prepare individuals for success in community placement, whereas the nursing facility serves older or more medically fragile residents. 
  
Some of what you will do

This physician will provide medical care to clients with intellectual disabilities in our Residential Habilitation Center (RHC). 

Each provider has a caseload of approximately 50 clients. Provider duties include attending to acute care concerns as well as providing medical management for chronic conditions, performing a physical exam with a comprehensive healthcare assessment for each client on their caseload upon admission, annually, and upon discharge. Providers also evaluate patients for pre-op surgery and are responsible for supervising the postoperative care of those patients when they return to the facility.

Our medical providers make rounds on living units, the Respite Care Unit and the Clinic, examine patients; provide medical care based on current standards of medical practice; maintain appropriate in an electronic health/medical records system (EHR/EMR) as well as some paper documentation. 

Providers work with a support team of nurses, psychologists, clinical pharmacists, and other health professionals providing long-term comprehensive care. We have both visiting consultants and an established referral base. No billing or inpatient hospital work, but coordination of care with consultants is critical. Providers actually have time to call consultants and see patients together when consultants are on grounds.
 
Weekday hours are five 8-hour days with shared phone/call duties on weeknights and weekends. Calls are from our registered nurses regarding familiar patients, but there is no required hands-on presence on grounds after hours. Experience or training with general, geriatric, and psychiatric medical care is preferred, but with our support team—including professional staff—it is easy to develop the additional skills and familiarity required. We offer one of the few supportive working environments without production restraints in Western Washington.

King County employees are eligible to receive an Orca Card for transportation needs. Additionally, opportunities performed on-site at this work location at least three days a week is eligible for an additional 5% premium pay in addition to the advertised salary.

The mission of DDA and Fircrest School/RHC is to make a positive difference in the lives of people served through offering services and resources to individuals and their families in a manner which meets their individual needs, promotes human rights and dignity, and supports everyday activities, routines, and relationships common to most citizens. The goal is for clients to learn the needed skills so that they will succeed in the community. The job of the primary care provider is to empower them to reach this goal by optimizing their health. This is accomplished by providing annual physical exams, sick visits, quarterly medication reviews, discussions with treatment teams and consultants, and communications with guardians and hospitals.

What we’re looking for:

• Skill in the principles and standards of modern medicine and surgery
• Ability to make rounds on living units, examine patients and maintain standards of care
• Ability to maintain records and make reports evaluating progress of clients
• Ability to examine, diagnose, and treat physical and mental illness
• Ability to analyze laboratory and x-ray reports
• Ability to direct and coordinate work of medical and nursing staff
• Ability to relate and explain in understandable language medical and psychological information to staff, parents, guardians and clients
• Ability to establish and maintain effective professional and working relationships with individual practitioners, medical, paramedical and other organizations, other staff members from a variety of disciplines, parents and guardians
• Ability to comprehend and communicate effectively on all issues related to client care
• Ability to interact, plan, consult with, and make recommendations to the Interdisciplinary Team
• Must be able to communicate effectively with management, peers, clients, and the public as required to carry out the assigned duties of the role

Special requirements and/or conditions of employment:

• Maintain a valid license to practice medicine and surgery in the state of Washington
• Annual tuberculosis (TB) screening
• Successful completion of Therapeutic Options training
• Maintain CPR and Blood Bourne Pathogens certification
• Other mandatory training as required
• This role has been designated as emergent under the DSHS Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan. The incumbent in this role is directly responsible for delivery of DSHS Vital Services and for understanding the written local emergency management plan, which describes how Vital Services will be delivered during an emergency or disaster. During a recognized emergency, the duties may be different from normal duties, and will be temporary in nature, lasting only as ling as necessary to resume normal operations. The incumbent may be required to perform the following during a recognized emergency/disaster:
  1. Report for duty on short notice for a specified timeframe;
  2. Report for duty outside of normally scheduled work hours and workdays;
  3. Report to a duty station that is different from the official duty station;
  4. Perform work tasks outside the normal scope of duties reflected in this ad;

Working environment:

• Work takes place in a 24/7 residential habilitation center, serving people a variety of disabilities
• Clinical work with individuals who are intellectually or developmentally disabled and may exhibit challenging behaviors, clients with a dual diagnosis of intellectual disability and mental illness, including aggression and/or community protection issues and/or clients with health issues
• As a direct care provider, the employee’s work involves providing physical support/interventions for clients using program-approved methods which may include moving or transferring
• May need to safely and physically intervene to protect clients from harm to themselves or others by following agency policies and procedures
• May need to intervene during an emergency or any kind of disaster
• Exposure to blood-borne pathogens and hazardous materials
• Must use blood-borne pathogens personal protective equipment per policies
• May work in any Fircrest living unit/cottage
• May have to work limited, on-call evenings, nights, weekends, holidays and extended hours
• Incumbent must hold a valid driver’s license when operating a state or privately-owned vehicle on official state business. Incumbent must also comply with Washington State’s liability laws when operating a privately-owned vehicle on official state business

Who should apply?

Professionals with a valid Washington State license to practice as a physician (MD or DO) 

AND

Completion of an approved residency program and an applicable specialty area (for example, family medicine, internal medicine)

Eligibility for American board certification would be desirable

The Department of Social and Health Services’ (DSHS) vision that people find human services to shape their own lives requires that we come together with a sense of belonging, common purpose, shared values, and meaningful work. It is crucial to our agency’s vision that you bring an equity, anti-racism, and social justice commitment to your work with DSHS. We strive to create greater access and affirming representation of the communities we serve, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, people with physical, behavioral health, and intellectual disabilities, elders, LGBTQIA individuals, immigrants and refugees, and families building financial security.

Questions? Please contact the recruiter at Jourdan.Kovacs@dshs.wa.gov or 360-995-2275 and reference 01633.

Prior to a new hire, a background check including criminal record history may be conducted. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant's suitability and competence to perform in the job. This announcement may be used to fill multiple vacancies. Employees driving on state business must have a valid driver's license. Employees driving a privately owned vehicle on state business must have liability insurance on the privately owned vehicle.
 
Washington State Department of Social and Health Services is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in any area of employment, its programs or services on the basis of age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/expression, marital status, race, creed, color, national origin, religion or beliefs, political affiliation, military status, honorably discharged veteran, Vietnam Era, recently separated or other protect­ed veteran status, the presence of any sensory, mental, physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability, equal pay or genetic information. Persons requiring accommodation in the application process or this job announcement in an alternative format may contact the Recruiter at (360) 725-5810. Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing may call through Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6384.
 

 
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Salary : $213,996 - $287,796