Urgent Care Physician – Part Time (El Monte)

Overview

Urgent care physicians work in the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services urgent care clinics seeing patients who present for unscheduled and on demand care. The county urgent care clinics provide a vital link to provide patient-centered access to care to meet patients need without the requirement of planning far in advance for an appointment and appearing at the right time.

As part of the integrated health care system of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, our urgent care clinics are not just for “urgent” issues, but rather, seek to use unscheduled and on-demand care as a tool to address population health needs. We serve parts of the patient population who may be unlikely to follow up with scheduled care, providing as a comprehensive source for addressing their health needs. While we address “urgent” health needs, we also serve as a safety net for the broader DHS safety net, picking up the pieces that may have fallen through the cracks. We assist patients in navigating the health care system to best meet their health needs, address routine health maintenance issues, and help connect patients with social services to address social determinants of health.

The urgent care clinic is seen as vital in providing timely access to care, helping patients avoid busy and overburdened emergency departments when they don’t need to be there, and providing an avenue to access care for patients facing complex challenges that prevent them from regularly making it to appointments.

Capabilities of our urgent care clinics including the ability to order laboratory work up; x-ray, CT, and ultrasound imaging; ECG; cardiac monitored beds; on-site RN support to administer po and IV medications; and the ability to perform most bedside procedures that do not require procedural sedation.

Qualifications

Must be a licensed medical doctor. Prefer physicians residency trained in family medicine, emergency medicine, internal medicine, or internal medicine/pediatrics. Will consider other specialties on a limited basis with urgent care experience.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate undifferentiated patients presenting for unscheduled and on-demand care in the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services urgent care clinics. Patients of all ages are seen in our urgent care clinics and providers trained in evaluating all ages are preferred.
• Work up urgent/emergent medical conditions including chest pain, abdominal pain, headaches, respiratory illnesses, orthopedic injuries, and other presentations.
• Perform basic procedures including: laceration repair, suture and staple removal, trephination of subungual hematoma, hernia reduction, abscess incision and drainage, closed fracture reduction and splinting, closed joint dislocation reduction, removal of foreign bodies embedded superficially in skin, Bartholin’s gland cyst incision and drainage, felon/paronychia drainage, joint aspirations and injections, epistaxis control measures, ring removal, low risk nerve blocks, bladder catheterization, superficial hemorrhage control (e.g. bleeding varicose vein), needling and trigger point injections, application of sealant to fractured teeth, ingrown toe nail removal, IUD removal, and other procedures providers may feel comfortable performing.
• Address routine health maintenance needs of patients empaneled to the Los Angeles Department of Health Services, such as administering vaccinations and ensuring appropriate cancer screening.
• Provide continuity care when patients have not been able to access their primary care doctors including refilling and titrating medications and managing chronic health conditions including hypertension, diabetes, heart failure, COPD, asthma, and other health conditions routinely managed by primary care physicians.
• Coordinate referrals for patients to specialty care or other ancillary services including social work, behavioral health, health education, medicolegal services, substance use disorder treatment, and other wrap around services to comprehensively address patient health needs.
• Accurately identify patients who require a higher level of care and assist in organizing transfer of these patients to appropriate care environments, including communicating with EMS staff and/or emergency department staff to facilitate transfers.
• Assess patients for psychiatric emergencies, including identifying when a patient may be a possible danger to themselves, others, or gravely disabled requiring psychiatric evaluation to place the patient on an involuntary hold.
• Full-time physicians are also encouraged to help participate in quality improvement and system improvement work to maximize the efficiency, value, impact, and positive patient experience of the care we deliver
• At select sites, there are opportunities to teach those in training including resident physicians, medical students, and nurse practitioner students

Logistics

Urgent care physicians within Los Angeles County Department of Health Services can be hired as full-time employees in physician specialist positions, but there are also numerous ways to work part-time in Los Angeles County urgent care clinics as well. If you are interested in part-time employment, please reach out to discuss the different options and what might best meet your needs.

El Monte Comprehensive Health Center provides essential primary care services to patients in the San Gabriel Valley and surrounding areas. Services are provided in a safe, patient-centered environment. The center is facilitated by the Health Services Ambulatory Care Network.

The Health Center focuses on primary care for adults and children. The center uses a patient-centered medical home model and patients are provided services by the same team of healthcare providers to support their health needs. The Medical Home is part of a larger network of hospitals, emergency departments, urgent care centers, behavioral health providers, and specialists in Los Angeles County. It is responsible for helping coordinate your care across multiple settings, within and outside your Medical Home location.

El Monte has an estimated population of 115,487 residents. The city’s demographics are as follows: 38.8% White, 4.9% Non-Hispanic White, 0.8% African American, 1% Native American, 25.1 Asian, 31% other races, 0.1% Pacific Islander, and 3.2% two or more races.