Position SummaryThe Medical Director provides clinical leadership, strategic direction, and operational oversight for the Transport, Transfer Center and Outreach Programs This position ensures the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based, and compassionate care during the coordination, stabilization and interfacility transport of high-risk neonatal and pediatric patients and ALS ground transport. The Medical Director establishes clinical protocols, maintains regulatory compliance, and fosters relationships with regional, community-based Emergency Departments (EDs) and referring physicians. The Medical Director also provides oversight and guidance related to pediatric and neonatal outreach to community-based providers.
Key Responsibilities1. Clinical Leadership & Protocol Development- Partner closely with Pediatric Intensivists and Neonatologists to co-develop evidence-based clinical policies, protocols, and practice management guidelines for neonatal and pediatric specialty critical transport.
- Advanced Therapy Alignment: Ensure transport capabilities-including mechanical ventilation modes, inhaled nitric oxide, therapeutic hypothermia, and vasoactive infusions-directly align with the standards of care practiced inside the hospital's NICU and PICU.
- Provide oversight for Transfer Center operations, ensuring adherence to evidence-based protocols and regulatory standards.
- Partner with the CRPC/Trauma Outreach team on education outreach opportunities and on-going development of pediatric readiness across regional referral facilities.
- Reviews Pediatric Protocols from Community EMS agencies for best practice recommendations and current standards.
- Provide clinical feedback to referring providers
- Act as Medical Director for educational opportunities (Conference, NAEMT Training Center, etc.
- Assists with the recruitment of specialty providers for the provision of education.
- Joint Clinical Oversight:
- Foster alignment between ED, PICU, NICU, Transfer Center and Transport teams
- Establish structured communication channels with Neonatology and Pediatric Critical Care divisions to provide cohesive online medical control and unified oversight for the Dolly Children's regional catchment radius
- ALS Autonomy & Authority: Retain complete and independent authority over the design, implementation, and final approval of all policies, clinical protocols, and practice management guidelines governing the ALS transport team.
2. Quality Management & Safety- Lead the Transport team's Quality Assurance/Performance Improvement (QAPI) program to include auditing electronic patient care records (ePCRs) for quality and safety, review all high-risk transport, complications, and adverse events to drive improvements.
- Review Transfer Center data to include:
- Acceptance Rates
- Patient Declines
- Difficult/Problematic Transfers
- Review CRPC and Trauma data to help guide and inform educational offerings and quality improvement projects.
- Clinical Excellence Framework: Enforce operational and clinical safety benchmarks that strictly meet or exceed the national standards set by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section on Transport Medicine guidelines.
3. Staff Training, Education & Competency- EMS-C Compliance Training: Ensure the training curriculum explicitly incorporates state-approved Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMS-C) modules and pediatric medication safety benchmarks satisfying Rule 1200-12-01-.20.
4. Regional Outreach & Administration- State Regulatory Liaison:
- Serve as the legally designated Medical Director of record for the ambulance service, overseeing formal notifications to the state EMS board regarding any adjustments to the scope of practice or intent to utilize advanced emergency medical responders.
- Serve as a member of the State Committee on Pediatric Care.
- Administrative Oversight: Collaborate with hospital leadership on budget planning, equipment selection, and strategic goals.
Qualifications- Education: Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO).
- Licensure: Active, unrestricted medical licensure issued by the State of Tennessee Department of Health.
- Board Certification: Board Certified in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Pediatric Critical Care, or Pediatric Emergency Medicine.
- Experience: Leadership & Administrative Experience, 2+ years preferred.
- EMS or Hospital Committee Leadership: Minimum of 2 years of experience working in clinical oversight roles, such as serving on an EMS Advisory board, a hospital Quality Assurance/Performance Improvement (QAPI) committee, or acting as an assistant medical director.
- Protocol Development: Prior experience drafting, modifying, or implementing evidence-based clinical protocols or practice management guidelines within a hospital network or transport system.
- Skills: Strong communication skills, leadership experience, and familiarity with regional EMS protocols and trauma systems.
Core Competencies- Tennessee EMS System Proficiency: Thorough operational knowledge of the Tennessee Emergency Medical Services Protocol Guidelines and Tennessee Code Annotated (T.C.A.) Title 68, Chapter 140.
- Accreditation Framework Champion: Deep working knowledge of national transport standards, specifically the structural, clinical, and safety requirements mandated by CAMTS and the AAP Section on Transport Medicine.
- Collaborative Governance & Diplomacy: Demonstrated ability to build consensus, bridge clinical gaps, and align protocols between independent hospital divisions (Neonatology, Pediatric Critical Care, and Emergency Medicine).
- Advanced Pediatric Resuscitation Mastery: Active provider or instructor status in Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS). Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) is strongly preferred.
- High-Stress Clinical Decision-Making: Exceptional capacity to deliver rapid, clear, and definitive online medical control directions over radio or phone to transport crews managing unstable, decompensating patients in the field or regional Eds.
- Data-Driven Quality Leadership: strong proficiency in statistical quality methods to analyze electronic Patient Care Records (ePCRs), identify clinical variances, and execute targeted remedial training or protocol adjustments.
