Position Overview

Understanding the Role

We are seeking a dedicated and experienced Hospitalist to join our team of two seasoned providers at South Peninsula Hospital. This role is pivotal in delivering exceptional inpatient care, managing admissions and discharges, and collaborating with our multidisciplinary team to ensure the best outcomes for our patients.

South Peninsula Hospital is an 18-bed Critical Access Hospital committed to delivering comprehensive community care in Homer, Alaska. Our state-of-the-art Emergency Department features 9 beds and is equipped to handle a wide range of acute cases, ensuring prompt and effective treatment for all patients. Annually, we serve approximately 6,500 visits, reflecting our dedication to meeting the healthcare needs of our community. In addition to emergency services, South Peninsula Hospital offers a full spectrum of medical services, including Operating Rooms (ORS), General Surgery (GS), Obstetrics (OB), and Respiratory Therapy (RT), all available 24/7 to provide continuous and reliable care.

To further enhance patient outcomes, all imaging and laboratory services are available onsite, facilitating timely diagnoses and treatment. Our two ICU beds are supported by 24/7 E-ICU doctors from Anchorage who monitor patients overnight, ensuring continuous and expert care for those in critical condition. Additionally, South Peninsula Hospital emphasizes streamlined care coordination with a focus on physician-led management, as we operate without midlevel providers. This approach ensures that our medical team can deliver personalized and efficient care, maintaining the highest standards of patient safety and treatment effectiveness. 

  • Patient Care: Provide comprehensive inpatient care, including rounding, managing admissions and discharges, and overseeing post-operative patients
  • Pediatric Coverage: Pediatrics coverage is strongly preferred, but not required and we have people that can provide coverage. The need would be NRP which includes intubation and UVC placement & circumcisions.
  • Vent Management: Handle ventilated patients for 24-48 hours, ensuring optimal respiratory support
  • ICU Management: Manage drips and other critical care interventions in our two ICU beds with support from E-ICU coverage
  • Collaboration: Work closely with ED, ORS, GS, OB, and RT teams to coordinate patient care
  • Procedures: Perform medical procedures as preferred, enhancing patient treatment plans. Cardioversion (more the elective but of course ACLS), Treadmill stress test, Thoracentesis and paracentesis (but typically these are done by radiology), superficial biopsy, I&D, Joint injections (exceedingly rare on inpatient but I have seen for a swing bed patient before), wound care and wound vac knowledge, central line placement (general surgery has also been very good about coming in and doing these if able)
  • Comprehensive Coverage: Benefit from 24/7 support across various departments, including Emergency, Surgery, Obstetrics, and Respiratory Therapy

Current Team
At SPH, you will become part of a dedicated and experienced team committed to providing top-notch medical care. Our current Hospitalist team comprises two seasoned providers who excel in delivering compassionate and effective patient care.

Hospitalist Providers: 2 experienced professionals with a strong background in internal medicine and hospitalist care

Support Staff: Highly trained nurses and support personnel ensuring smooth daily operations and patient management

Our team-oriented approach fosters a supportive environment where each member can thrive and contribute to the well-being of our patients.

Schedule and Work-Life Balance
We understand the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Our scheduling model is designed to provide flexibility and support your personal well-being. Days start at 8 am start with rounding and discharges typically in AM. Some of the hospitalists have been doing team rounding with nursing and pharmacy which is very helpful but not absolutely required. Two days a week there is a multidisciplinary discharge planning meeting.

The afternoon usually is finishing up tasks including notes, documentation and discharge needs follow up. Sprinkled in are admissions from the ED and sometimes an ED consult for patient that needs a good plan for discharge but not admission. The days are sometimes short and sometimes long, which is dependent on service size and admissions but our current team averages 10-hour days in the hospital.

Overnight admissions are typically called to hospitalist from ED physician to discuss and as long as appropriate basic admission orders are placed by ED to the floor and no need to come in and see the patient until the next morning. Our current group has remote access and can sign into Evident to review charts and place orders if needed from home. The nurses call with needs that have to be addressed overnight but try to keep FYI and non-action items until morning when hospitalist returns to the floor. If there is an overnight issue with a patient or an ICU admission the hospitalist comes in to evaluate and admit or come up with a plan.   

Our schedule allows you to balance your professional responsibilities with personal activities, whether it's spending time with family, pursuing hobbies, or exploring the natural beauty of Alaska.

  • Work Schedule: 5 Days on, 10 Days off (approximately 10 days on duty per month)
  • Shift Structure:
    24-Hour Shifts: Begin at 8:00 AM, with nurse changes at 7:00 AM
    End of Shift: Typically conclude around 5:00 PM, allowing you to enjoy your evenings and weekends
    Night Shifts: Managed by our exceptional nursing and ED teams, ensuring minimal need for provider presence overnight
  • Average Daily Census: 10 patients, allowing for focused and high-quality care
    Morning Rounds: Conducted in the morning and completed by early afternoon
    Patient Load:
    Swing Beds: Approximately 2 swing bed patients per day
    Post-Operative Patients: 2-3 patients requiring specialized care
    Admissions: 1-2 new admissions per day, mostly in the afternoon
    Discharges: 1-2 discharges per day, facilitating smooth patient transitions

ICU Management

  • E-ICU Collaboration: Work alongside E-ICU physicians who monitor and support ICU patients overnight
  • Critical Access ICU: Manage our two ICU beds, ensuring high standards of care for critically ill patients
  • Ventilator Support: Provide ventilatory support for patients requiring respiratory assistance for 24-48 hours, mostly managing drips and other critical care interventions in collaboration with E-ICU doctors. Anything that is more complex or would need to be on a vent longer than 24-28 hours would be shipped to Anchorage.

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