Physician, Medical Asset Support Team (O-6 Billet) Non-Supervisory

Summary

The Physician, Medical Asset Support Team (MAST), provides direct patient care during ICE removal missions and DHS operations, including emergency response and medical oversight in austere environments. The role requires advanced medical expertise, adaptability, readiness for rapid deployment, and collaboration with multiple agencies and stakeholders.

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

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Duties

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DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Physician Support Duties:

1. Serves at various IHSC medical facilities on temporary duty (TDY) as assigned providing direct patient care, with at least 50% travel. Provides specialized medical services to outpatients and provides medical care to inpatients in facilities with a medical housing unit. Specific duties involve all aspects of health care delivery. The incumbent will work in concert with both facility staff and consultant specialists in various clinical areas and is governed by medical privileges granted as outlined in the IHSC Clinical Staff Bylaws. Promotes health, disease prevention, and comprehensive health care in accordance with current accepted medical practices and procedures.
2. Clinical services may be provided via virtual means.
3. Collects comprehensive medical and social history to include a review of all body systems.
4. Conducts physical examinations, initial and follow-up assessments for acute and chronic medical conditions.
5. Examines, orders, and performs appropriate diagnostic testing and provides necessary treatment and/or medications and other therapeutic interventions as required.
6. Administers or directs administration of both curative and preventative inoculations.
7. Provides clinical assessment and treatment.
8. Ensures that proper evaluations and treatments are carried out and documented.
9. Assures proper maintenance of medical records and preparation of reports as related to the area of responsibility.
10. Fully utilizes health services for treatment, rehabilitative, and diagnostic modalities.
11. Refers selected cases to consultant specialists when necessary.
12. Renders emergency medical/surgical/mental health services as required.
13. Refers detainees requiring hospitalization to a local hospital and to an appropriate admitting physician.
14. The incumbent provides clinical oversight and is responsible for all health care delivered.
15. Acts as a consultant for Advanced Practice Providers (APP), nurses, and clinical staff in the performance of their duties providing clinical oversight and direction.
16. The incumbent may have other licensed professionals (staff physicians, APPs, etc.) functioning under their license or privileging depending upon the situation.
17. Incumbent is responsible for the clinical oversight of provider teams and will provide input to the Clinical Director regarding team member's performance.
18. It is the incumbent's responsibility to consult with other health care providers to provide training and mentoring and to be directly involved with the evaluation and treatment of severely ill and medically complex patient care problems.
19. Consults with the Health Services Administrator /Clinical Director /Regional Clinical Director and other providers and specialists for complex medical and/or psychiatric patients as required by IHSC policy.
20. For facilities with a medical housing unit, the incumbent will make rounds on detainees admitted under their care with APPs and nursing personnel, as described in applicable local procedures. Additionally, the incumbent may see detainees who are in locked/segregated status in their designated housing area or are housed in segregation units.
21. The incumbent will be required to provide on-call medical duty coverage as needed after regular work hours and may need to return to the facility to provide medical care if appropriate.
22. The incumbent shall constantly monitor and evaluate the quality of patient care, providing data to the departmental Continuous Quality Improvement, other agency units and, other agencies or committees as required.
23. May be asked to see patients on an interim basis who are not in the category of his/her expertise.
24. Incumbent must possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform his/her duties within a varied work setting. Both the medical and security designations of detainees under the incumbent's care will vary depending upon site, with the work performed in detention settings.
25. May be asked to function as the Clinical Director in his/her absence.
26. Makes recommendations on matters of policy, procedures, training, personnel, and equipment as related to specific area of responsibility.
27. Follows supervisory chain of command.
28. Other duties as assigned

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.
• 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

ADDITIONAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Clinical Services Division Support Duties:

1. When not on travel TDY status, will support the IHSC Medical Director or designee and the DAD Health Systems Support with special projects. As a member of the IHSC Clinical Services Division team the incumbent will assist with:
   • Actively participate in the execution of all Clinical Services Mission Action Plans as delineated in the IHSC Strategic Action Plan. Formulating short and long-range objectives for programs within the clinical services division to ensure alignment with overall objectives of IHSC;
   • Assessing and validating the current patient care delivery system;
   • Ensuring clinical and staffing standards for clinical practice are consistent with current evidence-based research and professional standards;
   • Offering recommendations regarding improvements needed in clinic administrative operations and clinical operations;
   • Offering recommendations to improve patient outcomes;
   • Planning, directing, coordinating, and evaluating clinical services policy, guidance, and training. Development and contributions to annual revisions of national, evidence-based Clinical Practice Guidelines/Guides as needed;
   • Participates actively in Health Services medical training programs. Assists with training for clinical staff, support services personnel, and peer professional staff;
   • Works with, and is assigned to various committees and serves as a team leader for specified functions as needed;
   • Provide remote and/or on site continuing medical education standing curriculum and relevant clinical issues;
   • Participates in the development and implementation of clinical activities, initiatives, and strategies for new medical and other clinical projects and initiatives, as well as modifications of ongoing activities;
   • Assist with physician interviews, orientation and mentoring, peer reviews and other duties requiring medical expertise;
   • Serves as a professional advisor to physician colleagues from medical schools, graduate training programs in medicine and osteopathy, boards of licensure, and professional organizations relating to the medical profession and other health professions.
   • Serves as a Medical Officer with responsibility for providing technical assistance and professional guidance on all aspects of the medical profession, including philosophy, practice, and theories of medicine
2. The purposes of work contacts are to explain, coordinate, interpret, and seek support for policies, procedures, programs, plans or individual actions (often of a controversial and complex nature), demanding careful communications, tact, and diplomacy. Periodically reports to appropriate senior level officials on the status of the medical goals and objectives.
3. Assist with IHSC facility clinical discipline specific quality of care investigations and assessments.

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 situation, such as running short distance, prolonged standing and working in an austere environment.
5. Sitting and/or standing for extended periods of time (i.e., 6-8 hours)
6. Average manual dexterity for computer operation
7. Phone or computer use for extended periods of time

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 is certified by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG).
3. Evidence of board eligibility/certification is required in an appropriate primary care specialty (Internal medicine or family medicine) by an American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) or American Osteopathic Association (AOA) approved board.
4. 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.
5. Minimum of five years clinical practice with direct patient care preferred.
6. Basic Life Support/CPR for Healthcare Providers certification is required.
7. Correctional/detention clinical experience preferred.
8. The incumbent operates under well-established practices and principles of medical/surgical care providers and has knowledge of a wide range of complex patient care concepts, principles, and practices to perform assessments of considerable diversity to include mental health, medical, surgical, ambulatory, and emergency care.
9. Must have a thorough knowledge of standard treatment practices in a multi-disciplinary treatment center and be able to apply fundamental management practices with available resources to the delivery of quality health care.
10. Continuing education requirements must be met as required for licensing and board certification maintenance. The incumbent receives clinical guidance from medical/surgical technical books, journals, and continuing medical education training.
11. Additionally, the incumbent must have a working knowledge of policy, procedures, and standards prescribed by the American Correctional Association (ACA), National Commission on Certification of Health Care (NCCHC), Performance-Based National Detention Standards (PBNDS), Family Residential Standards (FRS) and the National Detention Standards for Non-Dedicated Facilities.
12. Interact effectively and collaboratively with interdisciplinary teams to ensure the provision of medical care of individuals in ICE custody and development of program initiatives.
13. Flexibility and ability to adapt to sudden changes in schedules and work requirements. Assignments are usually of a long-term, recurring, or broadly defined nature.
14. Highly effective interpersonal and organizational skills; strong writing skills to include document formulation, editing, and review.
15. U.S. Public Health Service Officers must comply with and obey all federal rules, regulations, policies, guidance, and established procedures that includes professional competence, readiness, and suitability.
16. Experience in a leadership role(s) of a national health care program.

Additional information

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 Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) of Clinical Services in collaboration with Office of the Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) for Health Systems Support. The incumbent will report directly to the IHSC Medical Director or designee. This is a non-supervisory position.

The incumbent serves as the Medical Asset Support Team (MAST) Physician for the IHSC Clinical Services Division. The incumbents' primary duty will be to provide direct medical care to detainees at IHSC facilities as assigned. The incumbent will also work with the IHSC Medical Director or designee to complete special projects to improve the delivery of clinical care at IHSC facilities.

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 20 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.

SUPERVISORY CONTROLS:

The MAST Physician works under the general supervision of the IHSC Medical Director or designee with oversight provided by the Regional Clinical Director at a TDY site.

Work is evaluated on the basis of program and division objectives within broad policy guidelines, and agency work priorities. Administrative supervision is provided by an appropriate senior level management official on non-professional matters. Professional medical guidance may be occasionally provided by other outside expert medical consultants, a Chief Medical Officer or designee.

Incumbent plans and organizes own work, determines sequence of assignments, selects, and develops methods, and seeks assistance from experts only rarely.

Judgmental failure is of great importance because it can seriously impair medical programs and initiatives, affect the health status of one or more individuals, and comprise the total overall health care provided to large numbers of individuals served by medical programs

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.

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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.

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