Physician | Internal Medicine

Physician | Internal Medicine

Hettinger, ND 58639

Position Summary

The Internal Medicine Physician provides comprehensive adult medical care across inpatient and outpatient settings at West River Health Services (WRHS), a 25-bed Critical Access Hospital and rural health system serving Hettinger and surrounding communities. The physician manages acute and chronic conditions, supports continuity of care, and works within a collaborative medical team intentionally structured to promote excellent patient care and sustainable work-life balance. The position also includes meaningful opportunities to teach residents and rural medical students and to provide backup physician coverage for advanced practice providers staffing the Emergency Department.

Essential Clinical Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide comprehensive outpatient internal medicine services, including preventive care, evaluation and treatment of acute illness, chronic disease management, medication management, and coordination of specialty care.
• Provide inpatient admission, rounding, consultation, co-management, discharge planning, and follow-up services within the physician's training and clinical privileges.
• Maintain continuity between clinic, hospital, emergency, post-acute, and specialty services through timely communication and complete documentation.
• Interpret clinical findings and diagnostic results and develop evidence-based care plans that reflect patient needs, preferences, and available rural healthcare resources.
• Coordinate care with physicians, advanced practice providers, nursing, pharmacy, rehabilitation, behavioral health, case management, visiting specialists, and other members of the care team.
• Complete medical records, orders, results review, patient communication, coding support, and other required documentation accurately and within established timeframes.
• Participate in an equitable call and coverage structure established by WRHS, with team support and scheduling practices intended to preserve physician well-being and work-life balance.
• Provide backup physician consultation and coverage for advanced practice providers staffing the Emergency Department, including escalation support, patient evaluation, admission decisions, and emergency response within the physician's privileges and WRHS protocols.
• Respond appropriately to urgent clinical needs and participate in emergency or inpatient coverage expectations identified in the employment agreement and medical staff schedule.
• Maintain patient confidentiality and comply with HIPAA, medical staff requirements, organizational policies, and applicable laws and regulations.

Teaching and Rural Medical Education

• Participate in the education and supervision of family medicine residents rotating through or assigned to the WRHS training site, consistent with program expectations and the physician's approved faculty role.
• Precept and mentor medical students participating in rural clinical experiences, clerkships, electives, or other educational activities at WRHS.
• Provide bedside, clinic-based, case-based, and informal teaching that supports clinical reasoning, professionalism, patient communication, rural practice readiness, and appropriate use of healthcare resources.
• Model collaborative, compassionate, evidence-based care and foster a respectful learning environment for residents, medical students, advanced practice providers, nursing staff, and other learners.
• Complete learner evaluations, provide timely and constructive feedback, and communicate educational or patient-safety concerns through appropriate program channels.
• Participate in educational conferences, orientation, curriculum activities, recruitment, and program improvement when reasonably requested.
• Support WRHS's role in strengthening the rural healthcare workforce by encouraging learner engagement with rural medicine and community-based practice.

Qualifications

• Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree from an accredited institution.
• Successful completion of an ACGME- or AOA-accredited Internal Medicine residency program.
• Board certified or board eligible in Internal Medicine through the American Board of Internal Medicine or the American Osteopathic Board of Internal Medicine. Board certification must be maintained when required by the employment agreement or medical staff policy.
• Current, unrestricted North Dakota medical license, or eligibility to obtain licensure before beginning practice.
• Current unrestricted DEA registration and ability to meet applicable prescribing requirements.
• Eligible for appointment to the WRHS Medical Staff and able to obtain and maintain all clinical privileges necessary for assigned inpatient, outpatient, and emergency backup responsibilities.
• Current BLS certification; ACLS certification is required or must be obtained within the timeframe established by WRHS.