Emergency Room Physician

About the Role

Provide emergency medical services within the Emergency Room Department at Fort Leonard Wood, MO Medical Treatment Facility (MTF). This includes care for both inpatients (as part of code team response) and outpatients, coordination with specialists, and management of medical emergencies.

Responsibilities

• Collect and record medical and social historical data appropriate to the patient’s condition in proper format.
• Provide emergency medical care, summon on-call specialists as necessary, and continue management until specialist arrival.
• Respond to “Code Blue” (cardiac or respiratory arrest) alerts, provide resuscitation, and pronounce death if efforts are unsuccessful, including notifying next-of-kin if present.
• Triage and treat non-acute patients based on medical priority.
• Provide emergency care in the holding area when necessary.
• Prepare narrative summaries, patient profile changes, and document history, physical examinations, and preoperative diagnoses.
• Maintain treatment documentation in accordance with established procedures using an electronic medical record system.
• Respond to staff nurse requests for assistance with hospitalized patients, perform procedures, and write orders until the patient’s staff physician arrives.
• Dispatch and provide medical control for ambulances per MTF procedures; accompany emergency room technicians on ambulance runs when indicated, including disaster response.
• Perform emergency room procedures compatible with the facility’s capacity and equipment.
• Respond to mass casualty situations following hospital procedures.
• Attend required meetings, including quarterly staff meetings scheduled by the Chief, Emergency Department (ED).
• Prescribe pharmaceuticals using DA 1289 prescription forms stamped for MTF use; dispense medications after pharmacy hours.
• Remain in or immediately available to the emergency room throughout the tour of duty, except during emergencies or disaster runs, and stay until relieved by appropriate replacement.
• Maintain medical records in accordance with DHA-AI 5015.01; records are subject to review by the Chief, Emergency Medical Services, and a medical records review committee.
• Use standardized, templated patient encounter sheets as supplements to SF 558 for documentation.
• Verify and sign all prepared and transcribed reports, validating content and correctness.
• Document patient history, physical examinations, lab/x-ray orders, and preliminary diagnoses prior to treatment.
• Refer patients to civilian practitioners only after notifying MTF staff per emergency room procedures.
• Provide house staff teaching, prepare and deliver lectures, attend grand rounds, and participate in academic activities.
• Train and assist PA students, special forces members, and students on rotations.
• Treat patients from other provider panels and perform general physical examinations.
• Plan and initiate treatment within defined privileges and facility scope of practice.
• Provide limited general medical care, diagnosis, treatment, and prescriptions as described in HSC Pam 40-7-7.
• Identify and report public health situations and carry out control measures.
• Obtain patient history, perform physical assessments, and develop treatment plans in a timely manner.
• Utilize paraprofessionals appropriately and manage cardiopulmonary arrests with EMS backup.
• Make preliminary interpretations of radiographic films, including CAT scans, and electrocardiograms.
• Document patient care in accordance with Joint Commission (JC) guidelines.
• Communicate findings, diagnoses, and treatment plans clearly to other health personnel.
• Code patient encounters using HCPCS, ICD, and CPT in the Electronic Medical Record; close or transfer all encounters before shift end.
• Follow up on lab and radiology orders, contact patients and primary care managers with results, and address abnormal findings.
• Stabilize and manage patients in medical or surgical emergencies and arrange transfers as needed.
• Facilitate patient access to medical care through appropriate referrals per MTF policies.
• Determine evacuation means for emergency patients, prepare patients for evacuation, and arrange support.
• Maintain inpatient and outpatient medical records per DHA-AI 5015.01; records are subject to review by designated committees.
• Participate in clinics or programs to meet JC standards.
• Attend patient care reports, conferences, and professional activities as required.
• Quarterly or as required, review a percentage of another ER physician’s charts using a provided checklist and report deficiencies.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Graduation from a medical school in the U.S., Canada, or one approved by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education of the AMA; or graduation from an osteopathic college approved by the AOA; or graduation from a foreign medical school with ECFMG certification.
• Completion of an accredited emergency medicine residency approved by the ACGME and board certification in emergency medicine by the American Board of Emergency Medicine.
• OR completion of an ACGME-approved emergency medicine residency and board eligibility in emergency medicine with a minimum of 2,000 hours of ER experience post-residency.
• OR completion of an ACGME-approved family practice, pediatrics, or internal medicine residency with board certification in the respective specialty, plus a minimum of 20 hours per week for the past 12 consecutive months in a similar or higher level III emergency care institution, and at least two years’ experience within the last three years post-residency.
• Current, valid, unrestricted medical license in one of the 50 U.S. states or territories.
• Current certifications: Basic Life Support (BLS) from the American Heart Association or American Red Cross, Advanced Traumatic Life Support (ATLS), Advanced Life Support (ALS), Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS).

Skills

• Knowledge of medical record procedures, regulations, and principles for data compilation, analysis, coding, and quality assurance.
• Ability to become familiar with the hospital formulary.
• Skilled in coding medical data using HCPCS, ICD, and CPT.
• Experience consulting with specialists, providing telephone medical advice, and completing required paperwork.
• Documented competence in the required specialty.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described are representative of those required to perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made for individuals with disabilities.

• Regularly required to sit, talk, or hear; use repeated motions involving arms, wrists, hands, and/or fingers.
• Occasionally required to walk, stand, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• Must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required include close vision.