Summary This role involves coordinating medical, mental health, dental, and durable medical equipment services for detained non-citizens at non-IHSC facilities, ensuring compliance with ICE standards, conducting site visits, case monitoring, and providing medical expertise. Travel and 24/7 availability are required. This is a non-supervisory position.
This position is only open to current USPHS officers.
USPHS Call to Active Duty (CAD) candidates are not eligible for this position. Duties Help
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: - Provides medical consultation services for the incumbent's assigned area of responsibility (AOR) Field Office Director (FOD) and relevant field office staff regarding the health care of incoming or detained non-citizens in the custody of ICE at non-IHSC facilities.
- Serves as the medical subject matter expert and medical liaison for the FOD and field office, contract facility medical staff, and IHSC headquarters.
- Recommends and assists with determination and coordination of alternative placement options for detained non-citizens with complex medical and mental health care needs.
- Conducts routine and ad hoc site visits at ICE/ERO designated facilities within the Field Office Director's AOR and formally reports site visit findings to ICE/ERO and IHSC for review and approval of medical compliance findings related to ICE National Detention Standards (NDS) and Performance-Based NDS (PBNDS) standards.
- Evaluates ongoing non-IHSC facility medical compliance with ICE NDS, and PBNDS through tracking and trending facility performance and internal and external site visit findings.
- Initiates, monitors, and evaluates success action plan (SAP) for areas of noncompliance with ICE NDS and PBNDS standards.
- Conducts independent medical reviews as requested by IHSC headquarters or the FOD.
- Investigates complaints, conducts formal medical record reviews, and devises formal response reports related to detained non-citizen health care in response to inquiries as assigned by IHSC Taskings and Program Support Unit or IHSC leadership.
- Provides AOR case monitoring and reporting.
- Ensures appropriate safe release plan for continuity of care is established prior to release or removal of ICE detained non-citizens with complex health care needs.
- Provides orientation and ongoing training and guidance to respective custody and medical staff in non-IHSC facilities regarding medical standards and any relevant IHSC policies, procedures, and directives.
- Notifies and updates IHSC and ICE/ERO via the Unified Patient Tracking System (UPTS) on reportable incidents to include emergency department referral, hospital admission/discharge, psychiatric emergency, death, pregnancy, transgender, hunger strike, suicide attempt, abuse or neglect, and sexual assault per designated process.
- Reviews and assists in adjudicating specialty appointment requests for outside medical, mental health, dental, and DME services.
- Provides guidance, recommendations, and support to ICE regarding appropriate placement of detained non-citizens with special/complex medical and mental health needs.
- Assists contract medical facilities with the provider recruitment approval process for detained non-citizens in the custody of ICE.
- Liaises with the FOD/field office, medical staff at non-IHSC staffed detention facilities and IHSC headquarters on Serious Mental Illnesses (SMI), serious mental disorders/conditions, and patients deemed incompetent per designated process.
- Collaborates with the Behavioral Health Unit (BHU) for notification and ongoing monitoring for suicide watches.
- Collaborates with the BHU to coordinate safe release planning for SMI cases.
- Provides AOR case monitoring and reporting on all Serious Detainee Illnesses (SDI) cases per designated process.
- Provides tracking notifications and updates via IHSC PHSP tracking sources on infectious disease cases.
- Notifies and updates IHSC and ICE on AOR reportable incidents regarding detained non-citizens via the IHSC Incident Reporting System and other designated processes.
- Devises and submits formal reports and responds to non-routine and informal requests from leadership/ IHSC Taskings and Program Support Unit.
- Accesses interpretation and/or translation services as needed to ensure optimal communication with detained non-citizens or others who are not proficient in the English language.
- Liaises with non-IHSC facility/IHSC and outside pharmacies to acquire medications for detained non-citizens to include travel packs, transfer medications, vaccines, and specialty medications through designated processes.
- Provides cross coverage and support for other AORs/Field Medical Coordinators, RFMCs, DRFMCs, and Regional Program Managers (RPM) as needed (e.g., annual leave, TDY assignments, illness).
- Available 24/7 to address urgent or emergent issues related to detained non-citizen health care, provide updates to the Field Office and IHSC Headquarters on non-citizens in the hospital, and respond to other significant event notifications as needed.
- TDY as needed to provide clinical care support at IHSC-staffed detention facilities with critical staffing needs or other designated missions.
- Assumes additional duties as assigned by supervisory chain of command.
- Travel required - approximately 25%.
- Follows supervisory chain of command.
Requirements Help
Conditions of employment - You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
- You must successfully pass a background investigation.
- You must successfully pass a drug screen.
- Males born after 12/31/59 must certify registration with Selective Service.
- Requirements by Closing Date: Unless otherwise noted, you must meet all requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
- Service Remaining Requirement Agreement: Upon appointment to this position, officers will be required to serve an 18 to 24-month commitment to IHSC.
- ASSIGNMENT PAY AGREEMENT: You must not have a current Assignment Pay Agreement. However, if you have a current Assignment Pay Agreement, it must be fulfilled within 90 days of your application submission.
- Applicants must be a current USPHS Commissioned Corps Officer.
USPHS Call to Active Duty (CAD) candidates are not eligible for this position.
Civilians are not eligible for this position.
Qualifications COMPETENCIES: - Leadership skills.
- Strong interpersonal skills.
- Strong problem solving, judgment and decision-making skills.
- Integrity/Honesty.
- Cultural competency.
- Professional background in health care with extensive direct patient care experience as a registered nurse or advanced practice provider (Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant), preferably in correctional or detention setting.
- Case management and utilization review experience preferred.
- Correctional experience preferred.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS: - Ability to walk unaided at a normal pace for up to 5 minutes and maintain balance.
- Ability to jog/fast walk up to ¼ mile.
- Ability to perform CPR/emergency care standing or kneeling.
- Ability to respond to medical emergencies.
- Sitting and/or standing for extended periods of time (6-8 Hours).
- Performing repeated bending motion.
- Average manual dexterity for computer operation.
- Phone use for extended periods of time.
Education REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES: - Must be an Advanced Practice Provider (Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant) or Registered Nurse who has worked in the clinical setting for at least 2 years.
- Current or obtained proficiency in ICE medical standards.
- Maintains current/documented professional license.
- Maintains current CPR/BLS certification.
- Performs clinical activities with the scope of clinical license in times of critical needs within the agency.
- Achieves and maintains certification as indicated by FMCU leadership.
- Plans and organizes individual workload and travel schedule utilizing IHSC travel policies.
- Flexibility and adaptability to sudden changes in schedules and work requirements.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Strong organizational and time management skills.
- Computer literacy of MS Office applications
Additional information This position is located within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), ICE Health Service Corps (IHSC), Healthcare Compliance Division, Field Medical Coordination Unit. The incumbent will report directly to the Deputy Regional Field Medical Coordinator (DRFMC) with the Regional Field Medical Coordinator (RFMC) as the reviewing official.
As the Field Medical Coordinator for IHSC, the incumbent is responsible for coordinating medical, mental health, dental and durable medical equipment (DME) services for individuals in the custody of ICE at contract facilities that do not have direct oversight by IHSC (non-IHSC facilities); provide case coordination and monitoring of high risk and medically complex cases and inter-facility admissions to Short Stay Units pursuant to IHSC National Policies and Procedures.
IHSC has a multi-sector, multidisciplinary workforce of more than 1,600 employees, including U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) commissioned officers, federal civil servants, and contract staff. IHSC provides on-site direct patient care to ICE detained non-citizens at 18 detention facilities throughout the country and manages the provision of off-site medical care for detained non-citizens housed in approximately 128 additional non-IHSC contract facilities. The ICE detained non-citizen population is approximately 28,000 on a daily basis, with an average length of stay of approximately 30 days, and over 277,000 detained noncitizens annually. IHSC also provides medical support during ICE enforcement operations in the air, on the ground and at sea.
DHS SUPERVISORY CONTROLS: - DHS
- ICE
- ERO
HHS SUPERVISORY CONTROLS: - DHHS
- USPHS CC
SUPERVISORY CONTROLS: The Field Medical Coordinator works under the general supervision of the Deputy Regional Field Medical Coordinator/designee within their AOR.
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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
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