Employment

Primary Function    

To enhance the health of elders and provide individualized quality care to help support their focus on maintaining their health and aging gracefully.

Job Description

• Provides outpatient clinic services for elder patients in cooperation with the Geriatric Medical Doctor and gives flexibility as our age range changes.
• Cover patient services at Tsali Care Center (TCC) the 72 bed tribal Skilled Nursing Facility including monthly visits, acute visits, visits in preparation for the admission visit, and discharge visits.
• Provide telephone only on-call services in a divided schedule with Dr. Winchester to ensure 24/7 coverage for residents at TCC.
• Continue to enhance geriatric education by seeking out CME and other educational opportunities in geriatrics.
• Contributes to physician’s effectiveness by identifying short-term and long-range patient care issues that must be addressed; providing information and commentary pertinent to deliberations; recommending options and courses of action; implementing physician directives.
• Assesses patient health by interviewing patients; performing physical examinations; obtaining, updating, and studying medical histories.
• Determine abnormal conditions by administering or ordering diagnostic tests, such as x-rays, electrocardiograms, and laboratory studies; interpreting test results.
• Documents patient care services by charting in patient and department records.
• Performs therapeutic procedures by administering injections and immunizations; suturing; managing wounds and infections.
• Instructs and counsels patients describing therapeutic regimens; providing counseling on emotional problems of daily living; promoting wellness and health maintenance.
• Provides continuity of care by developing and implementing patient management plans.
• Maintains safe and clean working environment by complying with procedures, rules, and regulations.
• Protects patients and employees by adhering to infection-control policies and protocols.
• Complies with federal, state, and local legal and professional requirements by studying existing and new legislation; anticipating future legislation; enforcing adherence to requirements; advising management on needed actions.
• Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops; reviewing professional publications; establishing personal networks; participating in professional societies.
• Develops health care team staff by providing information, educational opportunities, and experiential growth opportunities.
• Contributes to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed.

Education /Experience         

• Satisfactory completion of an accredited Physician’s Assistant (PA) or Nurse Practitioner (NP) (family or geriatric) program.
• Current licensure as a PA or NP in the state of North Carolina (or immediately obtainable).  A current (or immediately obtainable) RN license in North Carolina, if provider is a NP.  If a new graduate, must be able to obtain state licensure within 3 months of employment.
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.
• Ongoing continuing medical education (CME) activities as required to maintain the above credentials and to stay current in geriatric health.
• National certification by the appropriate professional Board (if a new graduate, must obtain within 3 months of employment) is required.
• Cherokee Indian Hospital Medical Staff membership (or immediately obtainable) with full privileges as appropriate for training.
• Proficiency rated at 6 months.

Job Knowledge         

• The incumbent must have the following:
• Professional knowledge of wide range of health principles, practices and processes including physical and mental health diagnosis, establishment of care goals.
• Ability to collect, organize, record and 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.
• Skills 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 and hemorrhage.

Complexity of Duties

Job requires a thorough knowledge of medical diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment commensurate with mid-level provider certification.  Also requires the ability to handle the problems of medically complex patients simultaneously.  Work covers a range of patient care services from assessment through counseling, teaching, and treating the full spectrum of family practice medical care.

Supervision Received           

Works under the medical direction of the Chief of Medical Staff and patient care protocols.  Within these constraints, the provider will evaluate and treat most patients independently.  Physician consultation is available on site for patients not fitting standard protocols or not responding to treatment.  Works with medical staff to develop new patient care approaches, practices and procedures.

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.

Contact with Others

Has frequent contact with coworkers, other health professionals, and patients where tact, courtesy, and diplomacy are required to maintain positive relationships.  Requires sensitivity to others while dealing with patients and their families.  Purpose of contacts is to exchange information, gain assistance, and dispense data.

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 record and highly confidential information.  Must function with utmost integrity to safe guard this information.  Complies with EBCI policy on confidentiality or patient records, Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority Confidentiality policy and HIPAA requirements.  Violations of confidentiality regulations will be subject to 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.  Must have visual acuity, manual dexterity, and the ability to speak and hear.  Must be able to lift 30 lbs.  The Cherokee Hospital provides 24 hour seven day a week services.

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.