Clinical Director (O-6 Billet) Supervisory

Summary

As a Clinical Director with ICE Health Service Corps, you will serve as the senior physician leader responsible for overseeing clinical care and healthcare operations within a federal detention facility. Combine clinical leadership, operational management, and public service!

Sites may be eligible for additional assignment pay and National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment.

This position is only open to USPHS officers and Call to Active Duty (CAD) candidates.

Duties

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DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Leads the clinical program for the facility, with direct influence on patient care standards, workflows, and quality outcomes. This role combines direct clinical care with significant administrative and supervisory responsibilities; the balance may vary by site and operational needs.
2. Provides and oversees care appropriate to patient needs, severity of disease, condition, impairment, or disability within the scope of care provided in the detention setting (medical housing unit care vs. ambulatory care) and within the mission, vision, and goals of the organization.
3. Assures appropriate diagnostic services are available, utilized and monitored.
4. Serves as the on-site medical authority within the scope of services provided by IHSC.
5. Responsible for developing and coordinating all aspects of health care delivery at his/her assigned facility.
6. Receives regular support, guidance, and mentoring from the Regional Clinical Director and IHSC central leadership.
7. Serves as chairperson of local performance improvement and pharmacy and therapeutics committee.
8. Coordinates with the Health Service Administrator (HSA) to prepare for the accreditation and survey process for: National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC), American Correctional Association (ACA), ICE Performance Based National Detention Standards
9. Supervises Advanced Practice Providers (nurse practitioners and/or physician assistants). In the event that the on-site HSA is not a clinician, then the Clinical Director will also have clinical supervisory responsibility over the nursing staff and pharmacy.
10. Reviews and signs the medical charts, EKGs, chest X-rays and other medical documents prepared by the Advanced Practice Providers.
11. Keeps abreast of emerging treatment regimens, medical literature, and current medical knowledge and practices.
12. Provides guidance and serves as a subject matter expert for emerging evidence based practices and assists in the development of future medical policies and standard operating procedures.
13. Assures that high quality clinical standards are practiced and maintained at the medical facility.
14. Available to provide on-site medical support to other IHSC facilities or headquarters through a temporary duty assignment (TDY).
15. Collaborates with the Medical Director and other senior staff for the development of budget proposals and programmatic plans as appropriate.
16. Evaluates program goals and objectives, priorities, and activities in terms of current operating activities, program progress, and changing health needs and demands.
17. Develops and monitors an implementation plan in support of overall program goals.
18. Analyzes policies and provides guidance to assure consistent interpretation and application. Assists in identifying successful nursing and medical care strategies and projects that prove particularly successful for information and implementation. Reviews strategy reports on progress toward the achievement of goals.
19. This is primarily a weekday, day-shift clinical position with shared on-call responsibilities. On-call coverage is shared among site physicians and APPs; return-to-facility activations are infrequent but may be required.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• You must successfully pass a background investigation.
• You must successfully pass a drug screen.
• Males born after 12/31/59 must certify registration with Selective Service.
• Requirements by Closing Date: Unless otherwise noted, you must meet all requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
• Service Remaining Requirement Agreement: Upon appointment to this position, officers will be required to serve an 18 to 24-month commitment to IHSC.
• ASSIGNMENT PAY AGREEMENT: You must not have a current Assignment Pay Agreement. However, if you have a current Assignment Pay Agreement, it must be fulfilled within 90 days of your application submission.
• Applicants must be a current USPHS Commissioned Corps Officer or USPHS Call to Active Duty (CAD) candidate.
  Civilians are not eligible for this position.
• Applicants without a USPHS commission must begin the USPHS Commissioned Corps application process before applying to this position. Applicants must review the USPHS application requirements and submit an application at www.usphs.gov/apply-now/.
• Continued employment is contingent upon appointment to, and maintenance of, active-duty status in the USPHS Commissioned Corps.
• PHS officers must participate in IHSC TDY On-Call Schedule (ITOS.) ITOS is either an entire month or two 16-day periods a year where, depending on the needs of the agency, the officer is required to be available to serve.

Qualifications

COMPETENCIES:

1. Demonstrates strong problem solving, judgment, and decision-making skills.
2. Demonstrates strong leadership skills.
3. Demonstrates strong interpersonal skills.
4. Demonstrates strong organizational and time management skills.
5. Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills.
6. Demonstrates integrity and honesty.
7. Demonstrates cultural competency.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

1. Requires physical exertion such as lifting objects greater than 30 pounds.
2. Required to perform CPR/emergency care standing or kneeling.
3. Must have the ability to assist sick, injured or aging detainees or staff exiting the building (may require lifting, dragging, wheeling or carrying someone who weighs significantly more than oneself).
4. The work may necessitate some physical characteristics that will be required when responding to an emergency, such as running short distance, prolonged standing and providing medical care within a secure detention facility environment.

Education

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

1. Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathy from a school in the United States or Canada approved by a recognized accrediting body in the year of the applicant's graduation.
2. Doctor of Medicine or equivalent degree from a foreign medical school that provided education and medical knowledge substantially equivalent to accredited schools in the United States may be demonstrated by permanent certification by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) or a Fifth Pathway Certificate. The Fifth Pathway was a pathway by which certain students who completed four years at a foreign medical school were able to complete their supervised clinical work at a U.S. medical school become eligible for entry to U.S. residency training, and ultimately obtain a license to practice in the United States.
3. Completion of three years of medical specialty training in Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine, or other primary care specialty leading to board eligibility in that field, with board certification preferred, and at least 1 year of directly related, professional experience performing professional or scientific work in a field of medicine that may involve providing direct patient-care services.
4. Certification of American Heart Association Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers is required.
5. Candidates must have a permanent, full, and unrestricted license to practice medicine in a State, District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States. The license must be maintained in a permanent, full, and unrestricted status during the term of employment.
6. Continuing education requirements must be met as required for licensing and board certification maintenance.
7. Flexibility and ability to adapt to sudden changes in schedules and work-related requirements.
8. High degree of independence, initiative, clinical judgment, and follow-through on a wide range of sensitive, complex, and clinical issues.
9. Experience in correctional or detention medicine is preferred.
10. Must be able to obtain and maintain a valid Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration for prescribing controlled substances.

Additional information

As a Clinical Director with ICE Health Service Corps, you will serve as the senior physician leader responsible for overseeing clinical care and healthcare operations within a federal detention facility. Clinical Directors lead multidisciplinary teams to deliver high-quality, ethical, and patient-centered medical services while ensuring compliance with national clinical standards and public health priorities. This role offers experienced physician the opportunity to combine clinical leadership, operational management, and public service while contributing to a mission focused on patient safety, clinical excellence, and humane care.

• Practice meaningful medicine with purpose - serve as senior physician providing mission-driven leadership while strengthening care delivery systems and fostering a culture of accountability and professional excellence
• Work-life balance and professional stability - predictable schedules, the support of a team-based care model, and many sites qualify for additional assignment pay and loan repayment
• Lead and innovate - drive quality improvement, patient safety initiatives, and clinical program development that influence facility operations and contribute to broader ICE Health Service Corps healthcare priorities nationwide.

This position is located within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), ICE Health Service Corps (IHSC), Office of the Deputy Assistant Director of Clinical Services. The incumbent serves as the Clinical Director for one of the health care facilities located across the nation. The incumbent will report directly to the Regional Clinical Director. This is a supervisory position.

IHSC has a multi-sector, multidisciplinary workforce of more than 1400 employees, including U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) commissioned officers, federal civil servants, and contract staff. The IHSC provides on-site direct patient care to ICE detainees at 19 detention facilities throughout the country and manages the provision of off-site medical care for detainees housed in approximately 240 additional Intergovernmental Service Agreement (IGSA) facilities. The ICE detainee population is approximately 34,000 detainees on a daily basis, with an average length of stay of approximately 30 days, and over 400,000 detainees annually. The IHSC also provides medical support during ICE enforcement operations in the air, on the ground and at sea.

DHS SUPERVISORY CONTROLS:

1. DHS
2. ICE
3. ERO

HHS SUPERVISORY CONTROLS:

1. DHHS
2. USPHS CC

SUPERVISORY CONTROLS:

The Clinical Director works under the general supervision of the Regional Clinical Director or designee and coordinates activities with the facility Health Services Administrator.

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

ICE Health Service Corps offers a range of incentives and benefits designed to support physicians throughout their careers in federal service.

• Additional Assignment Pay: Certain hard-to-fill duty locations may qualify for additional assignment pay in accordance with U.S. Public Health Service policies.
• National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment: Many ICE Health Service Corps duty locations qualify for NHSC Loan Repayment Program eligibility, which may provide substantial student loan repayment for eligible physicians who commit to service.
• Career Development: Opportunities exist to grow into leadership roles such as Clinical Director, Regional Clinical Director, or national program leadership positions within the ICE Health Service Corps.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.