Family Medicine Residency Program Director

 Our Mission

All of us, for each of you, every time.

Our Vision

Together, serving as the trusted regional healthcare partner.

Our Values 

Listen~Love~Respect~Excel~Innovate

At Samaritan Healthcare we are dedicated to providing healthcare services to the community that we serve. We are committed to providing the very best work environment for our professionals and the very best care to our patients. The Program Director is a physician position and has authority and accountability for the Family Medicine residency program located at Samaritan Health, in Moses Lake, Washington. This includes compliance with all applicable ACGME and other program requirements. The Program Director has responsibility, authority, and accountability for program administration and operations, teaching and scholarly activity, resident recruitment and selection, evaluation, and promotion of residents, and disciplinary action, supervision of residents, and resident education in the context of patient care.

In this unique role, the position is directly involved in the development of a Family Medicine residency program. In addition to the responsibility for the creation of ACGME program application and supporting documents, this person will develop the infrastructure, curriculum, rotations, and relationships for a robust training environment in Family Medicine.

The position is a combination of administrative duties (0.4 FTE) as Program Director and direct patient care within Samaritan Health (0.6 FTE). Once residents start the program, these FTE amounts will be changed to 0.5 FTE each.

This is a full-time salary exempt position.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Initial Program Development 

The program director is responsible for the development of the residency program per ACGME requirements. Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to: 

• Identify core faculty and teaching faculty.
• Identify clinical partners / participating sites and work with the Sponsoring Institution in solidifying agreements with these entities. Identify gaps in clinical needs and education.
• Develop the residency continuity clinic and required resources.
• Develop Mission and Vision of program in-line with the Sponsoring Institution
• Develop curriculum and didactics according to need and ACGME requirements.
• Develop schedules for the continuity clinic and resident rotations.
• Assist in the recruitment and hiring of the Program Administrator.
• Create a faculty development plan for the program.
• Create required policies and procedures and obtain approval from the GMEC.
• Complete the ACGME new program application and assure alignment with the Sponsoring Institution and ACGME requirements.
• Support resident recruitment efforts including resident interviews, rank list discussions and Match participation.
• Prepare the program for review by the ACGME for accreditation

The program director has responsibility, authority, and accountability for the overall program, including compliance with all applicable program requirements. This includes oversight of: 

• Administration and operations
• Teaching and scholarly activity
• Trainee recruitment and selection
• Curriculum and the clinical learning environment
• Evaluation and promotion of trainees
• Supervision of trainees, including clinical and educational work hours
• Faculty, as teachers, mentors, advisors, coaches, and role models
• Program management (continuous quality improvement, program evaluations, accreditation, use of program resources)

The program director will establish a leadership team to assist in the accomplishment of program goals. The leadership team may include physician and non-physician personnel with varying levels of education, training, and experience. 

The program director must ensure initial and continuing accreditation of the program by being familiar with and complying with the ACGME Institutional Requirements, Common Program Requirements, and Specialty-Specific Program Requirements, as well as ACGME and Review Committee Policies and Procedures and Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine (ESFCOM) GME Policies and Procedures.

The program director is expected to attend and participate in national and ESFCOM educational opportunities, the Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC) meetings, and specialty society educational programs.

The program director must: 

• be a role model of professionalism;
• design and conduct the program in a fashion consistent with the needs of the community, the mission(s) of the Sponsoring Institution, and the mission(s) of the program;
• administer and maintain a learning environment conducive to educating the trainees in each of the ACGME Competency domains;
• develop and oversee a process to evaluate candidates prior to approval as program faculty members for participation in the program education and at least annually thereafter;
• have the authority to approve program faculty members for participation in the training program education at all sites;
• have the authority to remove program faculty members from participation in the training program education at all sites;
• have the authority to remove trainees from supervising interactions and/or learning environments that do not meet the standards of the program;
• not appoint more residents than approved by the Review Committee;
• submit accurate and complete information required and requested by the DIO, GMEC, and ACGME;
• provide applicants who are offered an interview with information related to the applicant’s eligibility for the relevant specialty board examination(s);
• provide a learning and working environment in which trainees have the opportunity to raise concerns and provide feedback in a confidential manner as appropriate, without fear of intimidation or retaliation;
• ensure the program’s compliance with the Sponsoring Institution’s policies and procedures related to grievances and due process;
• ensure the program’s compliance with the Sponsoring Institution’s policies and procedures for due process when action is taken to suspend or dismiss, not to promote, or not to renew the appointment of a trainee;
• ensure the program’s compliance with the Sponsoring Institution’s policies and procedures on employment and non-discrimination;
  • trainees must not be required to sign a non-competition guarantee or restrictive covenant;
• document verification of program completion for all graduating residents within 30 days;
• provide verification of an individual trainee’s completion upon the trainee’s request, within 30 days; and,
• obtain review and approval of the Sponsoring Institution’s DIO before submitting information or requests to the ACGME, as required in the Institutional Requirements and outlined in the ACGME Program Director’s Guide to the Common Program Requirements.

Educational Program 

The program director has the responsibility to ensure that the educational program supports the development of knowledgeable, skillful physicians who provide compassionate care. The program is expected to define specific program aims consistent with the overall mission of its Sponsoring Institution, the needs of the community it serves and that its graduates will serve, and the distinctive capabilities of physicians it intends to graduate. These program aims must be made available to program applicants, current trainees, and faculty. 

Each community has health needs that vary based upon location and demographics. Program directors must understand the social determinants of health of the populations they serve and incorporate them in the design and implementation of the program curriculum, with the ultimate goal of addressing these needs and health disparities. The curriculum must be structured to optimize trainee educational experiences, the length of these experiences, and supervisory continuity. The curriculum must contain required elements that meet ACGME requirements and competencies and support residents in achieving board certification in family medicine. This should be achieved through clinical and procedural training and didactic education.

The Program Director is responsible for appointing the Clinical Competency Committee (CCC). The program director or their designee, with input from the Clinical Competency Committee, must: 

• meet with and review with each trainee their documented semi-annual evaluation of performance, including progress along the specialty-specific Milestones;
• assist trainees in developing individualized learning plans to capitalize on their strengths and identify areas for growth; and,
• develop plans for trainees failing to progress, following institutional policies and procedures.

At least annually, the program director must provide a summative evaluation of each trainee that includes their readiness to progress to the next year of the program, if applicable. The program director must also provide a final evaluation for each trainee upon completion of the program.  

Faculty Oversight 

The program director is responsible for the education program and for the faculty members who deliver it. While the term “faculty” may be applied to physicians within a given institution for other reasons, it is applied to training program faculty members only through approval by the program director. Core faculty members as defined by the program director, must have a significant role in the education and supervision of residents and must devote a significant portion of their entire effort to resident education and/or administration, and must, as a component of their activities, teach, evaluate, and provide formative feedback to residents. The program director is responsible for ensuring that faculty meet the expectations and requirements for their roles as defined by the ACGME, program, and ESFCOM.

The program director must evaluate each faculty member’s performance and provide feedback, as it relates to the educational program at least annually. This evaluation must include a review of the faculty member’s clinical teaching abilities, engagement with the educational program, participation in faculty development related to their skills as an educator, clinical performance, professionalism, and scholarly activities. This evaluation must include written, anonymous, and confidential evaluations by the residents. Results of the faculty educational evaluations should be incorporated into program-wide faculty development plans.

The Learning and Working Environment

The program director, in partnership with the Sponsoring Institution, must provide a culture of professionalism that supports patient safety and personal responsibility. The program director must monitor the clinical learning and working environment at all participating sites and ensure that trainee education occurs in the context of a learning and working environment emphasizing the following principles: 

• Excellence in the safety and quality of care rendered to patients by trainees
• Excellence in the safety and quality of care rendered to patients by today’s trainees in their future practice
• Excellence in professionalism through faculty modeling of:
  • the effacement of self-interest in a humanistic environment that supports the professional development of physicians
  • the joy of curiosity, problem-solving, intellectual rigor, and discovery
• Commitment to the well-being of the students, trainees, faculty members, and all members of the health care team

The program director has the responsibility to: 

• designate at each participating site, one faculty member as the site director who is accountable for trainee education at that site, in collaboration with the program director;
• report circumstances when the presence of other learners has interfered with the trainees’ education to the DIO and Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC).

Program Evaluation and Improvement 

The program director must appoint the Program Evaluation Committee (PEC) to conduct and document the Annual Program Evaluation as part of the program’s continuous improvement process. The program director is responsible for ensuring that the Program Evaluation Committee meets the requirements set forth by the ACGME and by the Sponsoring Institution.

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

1. Required Education/Experience/Qualifications
1. Unrestricted WA State Medical License or ability to obtain prior to employment
2. Board-eligible/Board-certified in Family Medicine
3. Current WA DEA certificate or ability to obtain prior to employment
4. Valid drivers license and ability to travel for work purposes
5. Minimum of five years full time professional activity in clinical specialty of Family Medicine post residency
2. Preferred Qualifications
1. Prior leadership experience in Graduate Medical Education
2. Experience in program and curriculum development
3. Skills:
1. Must be an independent decision-maker who possesses excellent organizational skills, maintains a high level of confidentiality, and who is skilled in managing multiple, simultaneous ongoing program demands.
2. Knowledge of Microsoft Software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook).
3. Must possess the ability to write and compose professional correspondence.
4. Must have solid customer service skills, both over the phone and in direct interaction with visitors and staff.
5. Specialized knowledge in GME accreditation and evaluation systems is preferred.
6. Strong decision making and prioritization skills.
7. Ability to work professionally and effectively in a multi-culture environment with the community, faculty, residents, other providers, and staff.

DIRECT REPORTS:

• Direct Reports: Program Residents

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

1. Occasional prolonged standing/walking. Occasional lifting, reaching, kneeling, bending, stooping, pushing and pulling. Mostly sedentary office work.
2. Minimal physical effort, lift/carry up to 25+ lbs. occasionally.
3. Good reading eyesight; full visual acuity, depth perception, and color perception.
4. Ability to communicate using verbal and/or written skills for accurate exchange of information with physicians, nurses, health care professionals, patients and/or family, and the public.

As a Samaritan Healthcare professional, you will be asked to carry out the Mission, Vision, Values, and Strategy of Samaritan Healthcare, personifying service and operational excellence including the creation and maintenance of the best patient, professional, physician, and student experience.