Physician Assistant

ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS,
REHABILITATION & REENTRY
Our mission is to enhance public safety across Arizona through modern, effective correctional practices and meaningful engagements.

The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry (ADCRR) is committed to creating a safe, secure, and humane correctional system. With public safety top of mind, ADCRR and its more than 8,000 officers and professional staff are driven by a heart for public service and a commitment to deliver perfect effort each day. ADCRR is redefining itself as an agency whose daily work centers on transparency, accountability, and fairness.

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT

Job Location:

HEALTH CARE SERVICES
1831 West Jefferson Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85007

Posting Details:

Salary: $115,596.00 

Grade: 29

Closing Date: Open Until Filled

Job Summary:

The Physician Assistant (PA) will work in close collaboration with the Arizona Department of Corrections Rehabilitation and Reentry (ADCRR) Medical and Mental Health Director to help ensure the provision of comprehensive healthcare to the incarcerated population in Arizona State Prisons. The PA will assist in developing and implementing a high standard of quality patient care and confidentiality. This role is critical in delivering quality healthcare and supporting the overall team in patient management.

Job Duties:

-Reviews and evaluates inmates-patients' medical and psychiatric conditions to assign them to appropriate facilities both at entry and throughout their incarceration
-Provides guidance on facility capabilities to meet individual patient needs, assess resources and oversee the management of infirmary care, assisted living and mental health housing
-Enhances appropriate and timely medical/psychiatric designations and allocates institutional resources by monitoring bed utilization
-Tracks length of stays and discharges planning
-Directs the development, implementation, and assessment of utilization management strategies to support agency goals
-Evaluates and identifies critical utilization trends and patterns, assess their impact, and provides insight to ADCRR leadership
-Oversees the development, execution and evaluation of utilization management strategies to achieve agency objectives
-Conducts educational training for medical, mental health, and custody staff on topics related to utilization management
-Updates and maintains clinical policies and procedures, ensuring consistency with ACA (American Correctional Association) and NCCHC (National Commission on Correctional Health Care) standards
-Identifies significant utilization trends, patterns and impact and reports these findings to ADCRR leadership
-Conducts interviews with Transgender inmate-patients, leads monthly multidisciplinary committee meetings to address their concerns
-Collaborates with HSD and CHP representatives to ensure accountability and appropriate care
-Conducts charts reviews for non-formulary diet requests, infectious disease management, referrals to specialty care and other related topics
-Participate in meetings with ADCRR Medical Service Contract Monitoring Bureau and ADCRR custody operations for the purpose of facilitating communications within ADCRR and other agencies including health care vendors, hospitals, rehabilitation facilities and specialties
-Drives on State Business
-Other duties assigned as related to the position

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities (KSAs):

Knowledge:

-Principles and practices of correctional healthcare management and supervision as set forth by the United States Constitution, the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, and the American Correctional Association
-Law (State and Federal) relative to licensed and/or certified healthcare staff, as well as general staff
-Procedure analysis and policy development
-Laws, rules regulations, policies and procedures pertaining to the privatization and administration of inmate medical, mental health, and dental care
-Action plan development
-Principles and practices of quality assurance
-Project planning, development and implementation strategies
-Advanced knowledge of the principles of fiscal management, including budget, procurement and outside contracting
-Computer skills and general working knowledge of Department's standardized databases

Skills:

-Verbal and written communications
-Organizational and time management
-Decision making
-Interpersonal relations as applied to contracts with internal and external officials, managers and representatives
-Research and analysis
-Delegation
-Leadership
-Motivation/mentoring
-Counseling
-Interviewing
-Budgeting/expenditures
-Synthesizing and presenting information in support of project objectives
-Interpreting contractual language
-Data gathering
-Public relations

Ability:

-Direct, manage, and evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of medical, mental health, and dental programs
-Study and analyze policies, procedures, contracts/reports and recommend effective/efficient means of implementing goals and objectives
-Compose correspondence and reports
-Multitask
-Build and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external entities
-Compile information and reports
-Manage a diverse group of professionals
-Make decisions
-Meet deadlines
-Travel

Selective Preference(s):

Graduate of an accredited nurse practitioner program or an accredited physician assistant program.

Three years of correctional healthcare clinical experience, including the treatment of patients with medical and psychiatric disorders

Five years of clinical experience in primary care field (e.g. family medicine, internal medicine, emergency care.)

Pre-Employment Requirements:

A valid, unrestricted nurse practitioner or physician assistant license issued by the State of Arizona; Certification by a Nurse Practitioner certifying body (ANCC) as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Adult/Geriatric Nurse Practitioner (AGNP), or a closely related field, OR certification by a Physician Assistant certifying body (NCCPA); For physician assistant, a Certificate of Added Qualification if Psychiatry is preferred; Must be able to obtain Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certification and maintain certification.

Employment is contingent on the selected applicant passing a background investigation and drug test.

In an effort to maintain a safe environment, all employees are required to take a Tuberculosis (TB) test during their New Employee Orientation and every year thereafter.

If this position requires driving or the use of a vehicle as an essential function of the job, then the following requirements apply. Any employee operating a motor vehicle on State business must possess and retain a current, valid class-appropriate driver's license, complete all required training, and successfully pass all necessary driver's license record checks. The license must be current, unexpired, and neither revoked nor suspended. Employees who drive on state business are subject to driver's license record checks, must maintain acceptable driving records, and must complete all required driver training. An employee who operates a personally owned vehicle on state business shall maintain the statutorily required liability insurance (see Arizona Administrative Code (A.A.C.) R

If this position requires driving or the use of a vehicle as an essential function of the job to conduct State business, then the following requirements apply: Driver's License Requirements.

All newly hired State employees are subject to and must successfully complete the Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify).

Benefits:

We offer an excellent and affordable comprehensive benefits package to meet the needs of our employees:
- Vacation and sick days with 10 paid holidays per year
- Paid Parental Leave-Up to 12 weeks per year paid leave for newborn or newly-placed foster/adopted child (pilot program).
- Robust and affordable insurance plan to include medical, dental, life, short-term and long-term disability options
- Exceptional retirement program
- Optional employee benefits such as deferred compensation plans, credit union membership, and a wellness program
- An incentivized commuter club and public transportation subsidy program

Learn more about the Paid Parental Leave pilot program here. For a complete list of benefits provided by The State of Arizona, please visit our benefits page

Retirement:

Positions in this classification participate in the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS).

Enrollment eligibility will become effective after 27 weeks of employment.

Contact Us:

The State of Arizona is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation such as a sign language interpreter or an alternative format by calling Requests should be made as early as possible to allow sufficient time to arrange the accommodation.

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