Physician (Occupational Medicine)   San Antonio, TX

Time to invest in some new footwear because if you’re San Antonio-bound, you’d better show up in boots! The Alamo City is one of the military’s most envied postings and is often referred to as “Military City USA”. Low cost of living, affordable homes, and the lack of state tax on retirement income are a few financial perks to living and retiring in this Texas city. A robust job market that seems partial to government and defense/security contracting ensures employment opportunities for spouses or transitioning service members. San Antonio is the country’s seventh fastest growing city yet has somehow managed to retain a “small town feel.” Quality schools and friendly locals (most with military ties) are additional  perks to living in San Antonio.

Some things you should know before you get here: trucks are the norm (the bigger, the better), love for The Spurs (NBA) runs deep, the H-E-B obsession is real (it’s a grocery store), rodeos are life, and don’t call it “San Antone”—that’s just wrong. The community boasts a vibrant Hispanic population, and enhances everything from the food, to the music, to community events. You don’t necessarily need to speak Spanish to get around, but you’d better know how to say barbacoa, tamales, and cascarones. Name brand shopping (IKEA is the latest arrival of note), restaurants, and all variety of entertainment all add to San Antonio’s quality of life. SeaWorld, the San Antonio Zoo, Six Flags Fiesta Texas, and downtown museums are all fun outings for kids and families. Tube or kayak down a river, play or fish in the lakes, or relax by San Antonio’s famous downtown River Walk. Museums, art galleries, and historical landmarks—remember The Alamo?—round out San Antonio’s cultural offerings. Tex-mex cuisine arguably originated here, and some up and coming culinary trendsetters are making a name for themselves in the Pearl District downtown, alongside several notable breweries.

San Antonio has over 300 days of sunshine with some hot summers, mild winters and pleasant spring and fall seasons. San Antonio is in Bexar County (it’s pronounced “BEAR”) in south central Texas, and is just south of the gorgeous Hill Country. It’s only about two hours from Austin, the beach, or the desert.

Working for the Department of Defense comes with an abundance of benefits and perks to include competitive compensation packages, paid-time off, medical benefits, student loan repayments, and retirement package with Thrift Savings Plan to include matching employer contributions.

POSITION DUTIES:

MAJOR DUTIES:

1. Serves as a recognized expert in Occupational and Environmental Medicine (OEM) for the SSO. Provides critical guidance in the interpretation and implementation of Occupational Health Program policies. Ensures compliance with DHA issuances, policies, and operations orders. Directs the preparation of and maintains status reports of progress toward meeting OM program objectives. Based on evaluations made from progress reported, determines where objectives are not being met and initiates instructions to correct deficiencies. Serves as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for SSO occupational and environmental health (OEH) matters. Uses knowledge of science, and program management to develop solutions to occupational health issues facing OEM programs, and employs systematic, logical, and critical thinking skills to the full scope of work including organizational goals and objectives. Supports and provides expertise to develop, refine, and integrate data associated with occupational health activities for analysis of historical exposures and forecasting future OEH-related issues. Provides consultative service and support to agency occupational health nurses and providers employed at SSO MTFs in dealing with complex occupational health problems. Supports administrative and technical activities of SSO OEM regarding staff actions, tasker support, document reviews, liaison, and coordination. Assists in the continuing evolution of SSO OEM and the administration of OM activities supporting the Uniformed military Services as defined in enterprise support agreements. Assists in on-going assessments of SSO product needs. May represent the SSO in various forums to include DHA and DoD committees and working groups.

Performs staff coordination of OEH issues within the SSO. Receives requests and coordinates/monitors responses for the SSO. Supports, participates in, and monitors OEH development and promulgation of responses to official taskings regarding SSO OEH. Assists in coordinating, collaborating on, and integrating OEH functions across SSO MTFs.

2. Understands and communicates agency policies and priorities throughout the SSO. Has knowledge of U.S. laws, regulations, policies, standards and instructions that govern medical practices. Advises on the technical soundness and practical implications of a wide variety of documents submitted for review. Advises on related issues involving medical toxicology, human factors assumptions, sensitive populations, OEM policy and law, and other occupational health problems. Able to instruct, guide and advises providers, support staff and/or patients on medical issues. Represents SSO OEM at conferences, meetings, seminars and workshops.

Develops comprehensive written reports, graphics, charts, and oral presentations to clearly and concisely communicate to senior leaders. Uses knowledge of Lean Six Sigma techniques and other performance improvement and business re-engineering methods to help identify best practices and achieve program objectives. Skilled at presenting quantitative and qualitative analysis and data to non-technical audiences to ensure a thorough understanding of the important concepts. Makes and justifies appropriate recommendations to senior leaders.

As an occupational medicine physician, the incumbent must have expertise in and may consult on or provide Occupational and Environmental Medicine services, including: job related medical examinations, treatment of occupational illness and injury, investigations of outbreaks, recommendation for return to work limitations, identification of chronic diseases, vision and hearing evaluations, health promotion, worker hazard education, evaluation of risks to pregnant DoD personnel and employees, and other program elements as outlined in other pertinent regulatory guidelines. Determine procedures necessary to complete medical assessments; interpret results and make diagnosis of disease or disorder and prescribes course of treatment, to include referral when appropriate.

3. Reviews existing theory and state-of-the-art practice together with applicable guidelines to determine appropriate project strategies. Conducts projects, analyzes results and composes and reports interpretations and conclusions as required. Develops, evaluates and recommends new methods and procedures for resolving occupational and environmental health problems and occupational health service delivery challenges. Identifies occupational and environmental safety and health problems requiring in depth investigations. Identifies problem areas, referring to appropriate personnel for investigation as needed. Reviews new and revised occupational health standards.

Develops and maintain a current and comprehensive knowledge of laws, Joint issuances, DoD policy issuances, DoD implementing guidance issuances, and DHA issuances related to military public health, and especially OEH. Helps inform and educate the DoD military public health/OEH communities about Joint and DoD plans, concepts, strategies, policies and implementing guidance for military public health/OEH missions.

4. Collaborates with interdisciplinary teams to ensure synergy of effort and positive teamwork and teambuilding strategies and demonstrates the ability to establish positive professional relationships with those individuals and offices that serve as stakeholders for OEH matters. Demonstrates initiative and ability to analyze organizational and operational problems and develop solutions. Must have strong professional writing and speaking ability, and exhibit strong interpersonal and communication skills across multiple stakeholders. Serves as a role model in upholding OEH laws, policies, and procedures.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Basic Requirements:

US Citizenship required

Board Certified/Eligible

Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathy from a school in the United States or Canada approved by a recognized accrediting body in the year of the applicants graduation. [A Doctor of Medicine or equivalent degree from a foreign medical school that provided education and medical knowledge substantially equivalent to accredited schools in the United States may be demonstrated by permanent certification by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) (or a fifth pathway certificate for Americans who completed premedical education in the United States and graduate education in a foreign country).

Candidates must have a permanent, full, and unrestricted license to practice medicine in a State, District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States.