Physician and IM Rural Track Director

Primary Function

Provides direct care/services to adolescent, adult and geriatric patients. Responsible for providing the full range of care to patients by examining, diagnosing, and treating patients and their families in Internal Medicine. The purpose of the work is to treat a wide range of medical problems, which affect the health, and well-being of patient and families served.

Job Description

• Refers only the very difficult cases to a specialist.
• Provides urgent, preventive, chronic, and progressive care. Instructs patients on specific treatment as well as in general preventive care. Admits patients to Cherokee Hospital as needed. Refers patients to contract hospitals for medical care and surgery not provided at Cherokee Indian Hospital.
• Obtains admitting privileges at local community hospital as requested by the Hospital Authority.
• Provides care, as needed, when scheduled for call and for emergency situations. The Cherokee Hospital provides 24 hours, 7 day per week service to the Cherokee community. Participates in night and weekend coverage as scheduled.
• Functions as Team Leader in multidisciplinary health care setting. Works collaboratively with other health care professionals to improve systems of patient care.
• Participates in Service Unit meetings to develop new, and modify existing, medical policies and procedures relative to patient care with the objective of improving the quality of patient care.
• Participates in community activities and community health planning as necessary. Assists communities in planning community health services projects as needed.
• Maintains patient records in the problem oriented medical record format utilizing the patient care component of the resource and patient management systems. Promptly completes forms directly related to patient care, which must be completed by a physician. This includes inpatient, outpatient, and emergency room records. Completes hospital discharge summaries within allotted time frames.
• Provides appropriate documentation to substantiate third party billing efforts. Follows service unit procedures for third party billing. Abides by facility compliance plan.
• Observes and abides by the bylaws of the Service Unit and the rules and regulations of the medical staff of the Service Unit.
• Maintains professional certification through participation in appropriate programs of continuing medical education.
• The Cherokee Hospital provides 24 hours seven day per week services. Some evening, night, and weekend work is required.
• May be necessary to work when Administrative Leave is granted if patient care is compromised.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

CIHA-MAHEC IM Rural and Tribal Health Track Site Director (0.2 FTE)

Primary Function 

The track director oversees the general curriculum and training of the CIHA-MAHEC IM Rural and Tribal Health track trainees. This oversight includes curriculum and rotation creation (with CIHA team), assessment and feedback (with core faculty and within structures of core program), serving as the primary liaison between CIHA and the IM program, serving as a core advisor for the track residents, and supporting faculty members who teach specifically in the track. The track director reports directly to their clinical institution for clinical responsibilities and reports to the MAHEC IM program director for residency responsibilities.

Job Description/Responsibilities

• Curriculum and rotation development and revision – the track director is responsible for development and oversight of all CIHA and rural-specific rotations as well as for developing and continually revising the entire track curriculum (with CIHA team and coordinator).
• Faculty development and oversight – the track director is responsible for faculty development and faculty oversight for all CIHA and rural-specific rotations. This includes running faculty development programming at least twice annually, meeting with faculty members monthly, and providing feedback to faculty members regularly.
• Trainee assessment and feedback – the track director is responsible (with the CIHA team and coordinator) for ensuring regular resident assessment and feedback processes for all CIHA and rural-based rotations (in line with the core program expectations: at the end of rotations, direct observations, clinic evaluations, multi-source, etc).
• Core advisor – the track director will serve as the core advisor for the track residents and will meet the expectations of the core program for core advisor responsibilities – to include interviewing, attending events, coaching meetings, involvement in core faculty development sessions (see full outline from core program).
• Liaison CIHA-MAHEC IM program – the track director will serve as the liaison between institutions. They will attend regular meetings that support this collaborative work.
• Accreditation, credentialing and funding oversight – the track director will work with the CIHA team, the MAHEC IM program, and the MAHEC GME office to ensure that all structures are consistent with requirements for ACGME accreditation, ABIM credentialing (for each resident) and grant/funding requirements.
• Professional development – the track director will participate and encourage participation of others in professional development, to include membership in relevant organizations. 
• Clinical oversight – the track director will participate in clinical oversight of trainees at CIHA in the clinical setting.
• Cultural humility and awareness – the track director will work with CIHA and the track team to support the trainee’s development in working with indigenous populations, with the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians, and in development cultural humility. This will include participation in Right Way training.
• Recruitment – the track director will help review application to the track, identify key characteristics of applicants, organize the interview day structure and applicant questions with the program faculty and administrator, and facilitate creating the rank list. 
• Scholarly project support - facilitates connections within and external to the track to facilitate scholarly activity of faculty and residents. 
• Administrative leadership: provides support for track administrator, identifies training needs and ongoing professional development of program administrator. The track director may serve as the leader on grants or funding opportunities that involve the track. They will (with coordinator and team members) support all required data collection activities and reporting requirements for grants/funding/other tracking.

Education/Experience

• Successful completion of 4-year college program, 4-years medical school and 3-4 year approved residency program in Family Medicine or Internal Medicine
• Must have BLS certification. ACLS preferred but not mandatory.
• Will be proficient within 6 months.
• Will obtain ATLS certification within 6 months if working in the Emergency Room.

Job Knowledge

• Professional knowledge of a wide range of concepts, principles, and practices in the field of Family Practice and Internal Medicine and the skill to apply this knowledge to difficult work assignments.
• Knowledge of the culture and medical health profile of the patient population.
• Professional knowledge of wide range of health principles, practices and processes including physical and mental health diagnosis, establishment of care goals, development and implementation of the care program and evaluation of the results.
• Ability to collect, organize, record an communicate in a concise method, data pertinent or primary health assessments including detailed family and medical history, physical examinations and selected laboratory tests.
• Ability to interpret special screening and developmental tests.
• Skills in making appropriate diagnoses, choosing, initiating and modifying current therapies.
• Ability to provide preventive service to healthy individuals including guidance in nutrition, common illnesses, child growth and development and ability to teach individuals and families.
• Skill in working with groups for example guiding families in the development of general problem solving ability regarding health problems, assisting with training health workers, and health counseling.
• Skill in making diagnoses and in choosing, initiating and modifying selected therapies; and ability to provide emergency treatment as appropriate such as in cardiac arrest, shock or hemorrhage.
• Must be specialty board certified or eligible. Must become board certified within one year of accepting position.
• Must have a current license to practice medicine.
• Must obtain North Carolina medical license within 6 months of entry on duty at the Cherokee Hospital.
• Valid driver’s license is required.

Complexity of Duties

The work consists of broad processes and functions in Family Medicine or Internal Medicine involving diagnosis and treatment of patients with an extremely wide variety of physical and emotional problems. The work is characterized by its intensity of effort and involves both episodic and preventive care carried on concurrently in inpatient, outpatient, and emergency room settings. The work is often difficult to perform because of fear and skepticism by patients, undefined problems presenting in advanced stages and often-conflicting data. The work requires continued efforts to establish programs and to resolve chronic medical problems among the population served. The work my require originating new techniques and concepts.

Supervision Received

The Medical Director of Primary Care provides administrative directions with assignments in terms of broadly defined missions and functions. The medical officer has responsibility for planning and carrying out the work independently. Results of the work are considered as technically authoritative. Work is reviewed through a peer process for quality of services provided. The medical officer keeps the supervisor informed on controversial matters or far-reaching implications.

Responsibility for Accuracy

A high degree of accuracy is required in the proper care of patients. Undetected errors could have minimal to life threatening results. Work is reviewed retrospectively through quality audits.

Guidelines include Cherokee Hospital policies and procedures, medical journals and textbooks, and Cherokee Service Unit Medical Staff bylaws, rules, and regulations. Guidelines are broadly stated. Professional judgment must be exercised to determine the proper course to be taken in the care of patients. In nearly all cases, the physician’s judgment is the key factor in determining whether guidelines are to be adhered to or deviated from or whether new guidelines need to be developed.

Contacts with Others

Personal contacts are with patients and their families, other staff at the Service Unit and field health clinics, outside providers and administrative staff of referral hospital, and tribal representatives. Personal contacts are to elicit pertinent medical information from patients and to treat patients. Other contacts are to encourage and promote health regimens in an effort to improve health, to plan, coordinate or advise on work efforts, and to resolve operating problems. Contacts with patients’ families are to provide information on patient’s condition and to counsel family on care required. A significant amount of contacts involve resolution of problems in treatment of patients through discussion with consulting specialists, federal and state health officials, and patients’ families, each with their own set of beliefs, objectives and goals.

Confidential Data

The provision of medical care requires that the incumbent shall maintain strict appropriate confidentiality regarding all patient information. Will have access to patient records and highly confidential information. Must function with utmost integrity to safe guard this information. Complies with EBCI policy on confidentiality of patient records, Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority Confidentiality policy and HIPAA requirements. Violations of confidentiality regulations may result in disciplinary action.

Mental/Visual/Physical

Job duties can be mentally/emotionally stressful at times. Close mental concentration and attention to detail are required. Physical activities require the ability to walk, sit, reach, bend, and lift while assisting patients to walk, transfer, or turn. Some physical exertion and stamina is required. Must have visual acuity, manual dexterity, and the ability to speak and hear. Must be able to lift 30 lbs.

Environment

Works primarily in a hospital environment. The work environment involves moderate risks of exposure to infectious disease, radiation, electrical hazards, and irritant chemical and explosive gases. Employee must strictly adhere to OSHA guidelines and protocol for maintaining sterile conditions.

Customer Service

Consistently demonstrates superior customer service skills to patients/customers by demonstrating characteristics that align with CIHA’s guiding principles and core values. Ensure excellent customer service is provided to all patients/customers by seeking out opportunities to be of service.