Physician Assistant - Seattle - Downtown Emergency Service Center

Description

Schedule: Three hour shifts with at least a 30-minute lunch break, 7:00 pm ? 7:30 am, over a two-week period.

Supervised by: ORCA Center Senior Medical Lead Physician

FTE: 0.5

Insurance Benefits: Medical, Dental, Life, Long-term Disability

Other Benefits: Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), ORCA card subsidy, Paid Time Off (255 hours per year, pro-rated for part-time staff), Retirement Plan

Union Representation: This position is a part of a union and is represented by SEIU Healthcare 1199NW.

JOB OVERVIEW:

This role will provide direct clinical care within the DESC Opioid Recovery and Care Access (ORCA) Center. The ORCA Center is open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, including holidays. It will offer four overlapping types of services, delivered by a team of prescribers, nurses, medical assistants and peer specialists, with operational leadership support:

• Care to individuals in stable condition who have experienced an opioid overdose, brought to the ORCA Center by first responders or transferred from local emergency departments.
• Rapid initiation of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), including buprenorphine (sublingual and long-acting injectable) and methadone (under the ?72-hour rule?, or Code of Federal regulations Title 21 § b)), for people with opioid use disorder (OUD), regardless of whether an opioid overdose has recently occurred.
• Harm reduction counseling and OUD-related physical and behavioral health services, such as hepatitis C testing and treatment and HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis.
• Follow-up care, at the ORCA Center or at times field-based, with individuals who have started MOUD to ensure support in MOUD continuation.

This is a clinical role without administrative or supervisory duties.

About DESC:

DESC is a multi-service agency that specializes in providing permanent supportive housing, emergency shelter, residential crisis services, and comprehensive behavioral health outpatient services for people with long-time experiences of homelessness and serious behavioral health disabilities. We utilize harm reduction, trauma informed care, and housing first practices, striving to deliver high-quality, outcomes-oriented, flexible services that accommodate consumers? unique needs. The ORCA Center builds upon DESC?s successful and innovative clinic- and field-based outpatient OUD treatment team and will collaborate closely with this team.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Clinical Care

• Provide evidence-based treatment for OUD, including initiation and management of buprenorphine (sublingual and long-acting injectable) and, according to DESC protocols, methadone initiation.
• Conduct harm reduction counseling and provide services related to infectious diseases such as syphilis, hepatitis C, and HIV (including PrEP).
• Manage and treat conditions commonly seen in individuals with OUD, such as skin and soft tissue infections and linkage to mental health care.
• Perform initial health assessments and follow-up visits for individuals starting or continuing MOUD.
• Educate patients on health-related topics, treatment plans, and harm reduction strategies.
• Document clinical care in accordance with DESC and regulatory standards.

Care Coordination

• Collaborate with an interdisciplinary team of clinicians, peer specialists, and social workers to provide holistic care.
• Ensure continuity of care for individuals transitioning between ORCA Center services and other health care providers.

Professional Development

• Stay updated on best practices in addiction medicine and harm reduction through continuing education.
• Participate in in-service training and case discussions to maintain high clinical standards.

Requirements:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Licensed as a Nurse Practitioner (Family or Adult NP) or Physician Assistant in the State of Washington.
• Registration with the Drug Enforcement Agency.
• Experience or training in addiction medicine and harm reduction.
• Strong commitment to serving individuals with complex needs, including homelessness and co-occurring behavioral health conditions.
• Familiarity with trauma-informed care, harm reduction principles, and equity frameworks.
• Ability to remain open and receptive to constructive feedback.
• Strong ability to approach those with differing opinions with curiosity & active listening.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team environment.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience in low-barrier buprenorphine programs or Federal Opioid Treatment Programs.
• Experience in an acute care setting (e.g., emergency department or overdose prevention center).
• Skills in addressing co-occurring mental health conditions and physical health needs.
• Proficiency with electronic health records and clinical documentation.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee will be required to sit, communicate with other employees and clients, is required to lift and carry items weighing up to 25 pounds and to operate computer hardware systems. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. Considerable stress may occur.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:

DESC is committed to diversity in the workplace and promotes equal employment opportunities for all staff members and applicants. The Agency will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, caste, marital status, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability in any employment practice, unless based on a bona fide occupational qualification. Minorities and veterans are encouraged to apply.

IND123

Compensation details: Yearly Salary

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