County Physician #1621 - Primary Care - Health & Social Services Division in Chattanooga, Tennessee at Hamilton County

The Hamilton County Health & Social Services Division has a responsibility to respond quickly and efficiently when public health emergencies occur. All Hamilton County Health & Social Services Division employees are responsible for ensuring their contact information is current and they are accessible should a public health emergency arise. The Hamilton County Health & Social Services Division maintains a call down system to store contact information and mobilize staff in the event of an emergency. During a public health emergency, all staff are required to respond should a call to mobilize be made. During a public health emergency, work hours for any and all Hamilton County Health & Social Services Division employees are subject to modification to meet the needs of the community.

Under general supervision, provides medical care to patients and clinical and/or administrative oversight of health department programs.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: (Essential functions, as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act, may include the following tasks, physical requirements, knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics. This list of tasks is ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY, and is not a comprehensive listing of all functions and tasks performed by incumbents of this class.)

This is a Fair Labor Standards Act defined Exempt Position - Exempt positions are excluded from minimum wage, overtime regulations, and other rights and protections afforded nonexempt workers. The employee in this position is paid a salary rather than an hourly wage for this position. FLSA does not limit the amount of work time an employer may require or expect from any exempt employee, on any schedule. Hamilton County Government expects an employee in this position to complete the work assigned regardless the amount of hours involved in completing the tasks assigned.

Provides focused care for children, adolescents, and adults as well as primary care across all Health Department locations including office care, sick care and well patient checkups; diagnoses and treats diseases and injuries; orders medical tests and reviews test results when appropriate; provides patient counseling; provides appropriate referrals to other health care providers when appropriate.

Supports epidemiological responses to disease events, emergency response events; works with Infection Control and employee post exposure events.

Assists the County Health Officer in clinical and administrative responsibilities of the Health Department.

Maintains all appropriate clinical files, records and credentialing and privileging requirements; performs internal audits of medical charts for completeness and accuracy.

Develops and maintains liaison activities with community health providers, hospital staff and local specialists and practitioners,

Provides medical leadership and support for various Health Department committees.

Provides clinical updates and presentations as appropriate.

Provides medical back-up to the County Health Officer and other county physicians.

Provides medical supervision of nurse practitioners; provides parental counseling; provides counseling to patients on wellness; illness and preventative care; may provide after-hours call coverage if necessary.

Works with the community to promote childhood immunizations and improve vaccination rates.

Perform other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge of professional practice of medicine laws, rules, regulations, practices and procedures.

Knowledge of professional medical practice in area of assignment or specialty.

Knowledge of safety and health laws, rules, regulations, practices and procedures.

Knowledge of public health laws, rules, regulations, practices and procedures.

Knowledge of medical equipment, materials and supplies utilized in the practice of medicine in assigned area.

Knowledge of customer service/public relations practices and procedures.

Knowledge of counseling methods practices and procedures.

Knowledge of maintaining patient medical records.

Skill referring patients for additional medical care or other community resources.

Skill providing medical care and assistance to patients who may be upset, argumentative, or non cooperative.

Skill utilizing verbal and written communication in counseling patients and parents, and family members.

Skill instructing and utilizing universal health and safety precautions in the practice of medicine.

Skill providing oversight to other medical staff.

Skill utilizing customer service techniques in responding to inquiries and complaints.

Skill establishing and maintaining effective working relationships.

Skill effectively communicating in both oral and written form.

Graduation from an accredited school of medicine with State of Tennessee medical license and DEA registration. Must have completed residency in Family Practice or in Internal Medicine and must be board certified or eligible for board certification in Family Practice or Internal Medicine. A valid driver’s license is required.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

Prior to operating a County-owned vehicle, all employees are required to complete the HC Defensive Driving course and/or an Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC) provided at the department level.

This position is deemed essential/situational during inclement weather situations and must report to or remain at work, even when administrative closings are announced, as determined by the Department Head.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Study in the field of Family Practice preferred.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

Work requires risk of exposure to infectious diseases or difficult situations during clinic site inspections or while providing direct medical care services to patients.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of all activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

All positions within Hamilton County Government are considered work in-person and require regular and punctual attendance.

All positions within Hamilton County Government may require work on Holidays or weekends. Additionally, irregular hours and shift work may be required, including possible extension of shift hours, at times with short notice.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
Hamilton County does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, or disability in employment or the provision of services. A copy of Hamilton County's Equal Employment Opportunity Plan (EEOP) & Utilization Report is available on the County’s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Office home page.

https://www.hamiltontn.gov/Department_EqualEmploymentOpportunityOffice.aspx