Family Practice/Primary Care Physician Assistant

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Job description

Seward Community Health Center is seeking a full-time Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant for our small community health center located in beautiful Seward, Alaska. Candidates with a background in rural family medicine, pediatrics, and women's health are encouraged to apply.

The salary range for this position is $130,000 - $160,000/year, depending on experience and licensure.

• NPs & PAs encouraged to apply
• Hiring bonus of $15,000 (ask HR for details)
• Steady 4x10 schedule during day shift
• 6 weeks of paid time off
• Annual CME allowance
• No on-call hours!

Seward, Alaska is a small, picturesque town located 120 miles south of Anchorage and is surrounded by beautiful snow-capped mountains in the center of Kenai Fjords National Park. Seward offers year-round opportunities for outdoor activities including skiing, kayaking, fishing, hiking, biking, boating, wildlife viewing, and so much more. If you enjoy adventuring up mountains, between glaciers and in waters, or sightseeing, going on wildlife tours or bird watching, Seward is the place for you!

Check out the following link for more information about living and working in Seward:

About Seward Community Health Center:

SCHC is a federally qualified health center. We welcome anyone in need of quality, affordable healthcare by providing integrated, patient-centered primary care for a variety of illnesses and conditions for the entire family. SCHC is the leading provider of healthcare services in the Eastern Kenai Peninsula, with passionate, dedicated staff who work daily to help increase access to services for our community members. We are seeking to hire additional staff who will add to our ability to make our community and SCHC a better place to live and work.

Benefits Summary:

• Health insurance with medical, dental, and vision benefits for staff and spouse/dependents
• Short- and long-term disability insurance paid by employer
• Term life insurance paid by employer
• 3% employer contribution to a 401(k) retirement plan
• 80 hours of paid holidays
• Annual CME allowance
• 6 weeks of paid time off annually

Job Purpose

This position s main function is to provide primary medical care to patients of all ages at Seward Community Health Center (SCHC). There are additional responsibilities that may involve some administrative functions such as overseeing programs, participating in community outreach and education, participating in quality assurance and staff meetings, and generally performing tasks that maximize quality of care provided to SCHC patients. This position operates within the professional standards of care and scope of practice for a Physician Assistant as defined by the State of Alaska and professional associations.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Assess, diagnose and treat acute illnesses
• Manage chronic health problems
• Conduct physical exams, sports physicals and preventive medicine/wellness visits
• Provide urgent/walk-in care and some possible emergency care
• Carry out basic primary medical care procedures (e.g., casting and suturing)
• Order, interpret, and evaluate diagnostic tests
• Assist in the development of a treatment plan and appropriate follow up care
• Consult with and refer to specialists as needed
• Participate with specialty clinics conducted at the health center by specialty physicians
• Maintain and adhere to current written collaborative agreements with collaborative physicians as required
• Educate patients about the diagnosis, treatment plan, and preventive policies and procedures
• Work with members of the SCHC Care Coordination Team to manage patients with chronic/complex illnesses.
• Participate in community outreach and education efforts as requested
• Participate in staff quality assurance meetings, provider meetings and other staff meetings
• Communicate pertinent patient information to the covering physician
• Obtain informed consent for all procedures
• Exercise prescriptive authority as outlined in Alaska statutes
• Document patient visit appropriately in electronic health record (EHR)
• Maintain patient confidentiality per HIPAA requirements
• Keep current on new knowledge gained from conferences, workshops, professional literature, or other training and assimilates this knowledge into clinical practice
• Perform other related duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Education
  • Bachelor s Degree
  • Graduate of an accredited Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant program
• Licensure/Certifications
  • Professional license to practice as a NP or PA with current Alaska license, or ability to obtain an Alaska license.
  • Accreditation from nationally recognized Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant program.
• Must be in good standing with national and/or state professional organizations with current continuing education requirements and professional licensure.
• At least five years minimum work experience in a primary care required.
• At least three years minimum work experience in rural care required.
• Experience working in women's health and with children preferred.
• Orthopedic experience is a plus.
• Current DEA license required (or in application process at time of hire).
• Current BLS certification required; ACLS, PALS and ATLS certification preferred.
• Knowledge and Abilities
  • Absolute understanding of need for patient confidentiality in all Seward Community Health Center matters
  • Knowledge of and commitment to the mission of SCHC as a federally qualified health center serving patients of all ages and socio-economic status regardless of ability to pay with particular concern for those in targeted, under-served populations
  • Commitment to culturally sensitive patient involvement in their own health care decision-making, and supporting patients to establish and accomplish their health care goals and desired outcomes
  • Skill, knowledge and consistently demonstrated professionalism in the practice of primary medical health care following recognized best and evidence based practices
  • Knowledge of the behavioral and social health needs of patients
  • Ability and proficiency in accurately completing patient electronic medical records in a timely manner using the EHR systems chosen by SCHC
  • Ability to effectively order, interpret, track and follow up on lab, imaging and other diagnostic tests and procedures with patients and consultative specialists working with other members of the SCHC clinical team
  • Ability and willingness to take on future leadership roles as requested and appropriate
  • Ability to interact positively and personably with patients, family members and SCHC staff members
  • Ability to become a leading SCHC team member working towards a common goal of delivering high quality health and medical care to the people of Seward and the surrounding area as well as tourists and visitors
  • Ability to work with a wide range of patients of varied socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds, as well as alternative lifestyles
  • Knowledgeable about and proficient in using appropriate coding and billing techniques as required by SCHC, third party payers and clearinghouses and governmental agencies
  • Ability to work independently and use good judgment in prioritizing work demands and managing time in a busy practice environment
  • Ability and commitment to understand and follow SCHC policies, procedures and directives from the Medical Director, Executive Director and Board of Directors while also providing insightful and constructive input and opinion in the development and implementation of such policies, procedures and directives
  • Ability to complete difficult/complex tasks effectively and in a timely manner
  • Ability to listen and communicate effectively using verbal, written and electronic formats

SCHC is an equal opportunity employer.

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