Clinical Ethicist - Oregon Health & Science University
Portland, OR
About the Job
OHSU is proud to be designated a Magnet hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Just 9 percent of U.S. healthcare organizations hold this designation. We pride ourselves in not only serving our community with the highest of accolades but also pushing a multifaceted mission that strives for excellence within the OHSU Culture.
OHSU is hiring! We offer a variety of benefits on top of joining a thriving organization:
- Medical, dental and vision coverage at low or no cost to employees
- Covered 100% for full-time employees and 88% for dependents
- Several retirement plans to choose from! – Oregon Public Service Retirement Plan and University Pension Plan, voluntary savings plans (403b, 401a and 457b)
- Up to 200 hours (equal to 25 full days) a year of paid time off
- 96 hours of sick leave a year (prorated by FTE status)
- Commuter subsidies
- Tuition reimbursement
- Access to group life insurance, disability insurance and other supplemental benefits
- Annual Raises
- Employee discounts to local and major businesses
- Childcare service discounts
- Growth/Development Opportunities
We want you, apply and work with us today! https://www.ohsu.edu/
The Clinical Ethicist uses expertise in clinical ethics and clinical ethics consultation to improve patient care, mitigate employee morale distress, and support the healthcare mission. This position will be responsible for clinical ethics consultation and, oversight of the OHSU Ethics Consultation Service (ECS). The Clinical Ethicist will develop and implement quality metrics for clinical ethics consultation; recruit, train and retain ethics consultants including volunteer staff; grow the Ethics Consultation Service so that both unmet needs and higher quality can be achieved; increase the integration of the ECS in the healthcare mission; liaise with ethics colleagues at OHSU affiliates to increase regional clinical ethics quality; support ethical practice at a system level by supporting the Institutional Ethics Committee. The Clinical Ethicist reports to the Director of Patient Relations with a dotted line to the Chief Medical Officer. The Clinical Ethics Consult Service is sponsored by the CMO.
The Program Manager functions as a clinical ethics resource for OHSU staff, learners, patients and families. Innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration are expected functions of this role, with long-term aims including development of a clinical ethics rotation for learners, as well as a preventive ethics program that seeks to proactively identify and address clinical ethics concerns.
Function/Duties of Position:- Responsible for the administrative management of the OHSU Clinical Ethics Consultation Service. Ensure on-call coverage during the week, conduct monthly QI meetings, oversee data collection processes, and respond to any non-consult requests for ethics assistance or oversight. Develop and implement quality metrics, evaluate the performance of the ECS on those metrics, develop plans for continuous improvement.
- Develop and implement departmental policies, procedures and resources related to the service, including recruiting and onboarding ethics consultants, as well as preparation for growth of the program. Develops a plan for recruitment, retention and ongoing competency evaluation of ECS personnel.
- Provide effective clinical consultation to assist healthcare team members to resolve ethical dilemmas in individual patient cases and facilitate communication between patients, family members, clinicians and administrators to optimize the patient experience of care, address moral distress of staff/providers and mitigate risk to the organization.
- Develop and implement ethics training/education initiatives to enhance staff knowledge and skill level. Develop training materials to socialize and integrate new and existing ethics policies and practices.
- Collaborate with Institutional Ethics Committee to identify and articulate ethical issues throughout the healthcare mission, and develop reflective analysis of identified issues to facilitate intervention and resolution.
- Manage resources responsibly and implements measurements to evaluate improvements of quality ethical health care service and budgetary compliance for area of responsibility.
- Maintain the Clinical Ethics Consultation Service database and prepare periodic reports required by OPEx, Quality Improvement, accrediting agencies and OHSU leadership.
- Develop a plan for a clinical rotation with the CECS to enhance learning for clinicians, students, faculty and staff to socialize ethical analysis and decision making throughout the healthcare mission.
- Promote collaborative integration of services through attendance of interdisciplinary and interdepartmental meetings. Serve on various committees as requested and represents OHSU and Ethics Services in community and professional meetings and conferences. Develop relationships with ethics personnel at all OHSU partner sites in order to enhance integration and standardization across the health system.
- Participate in educational and training activities to maintain HEC-C certification and stay current on latest developments in the field of bioethics.
Masters Degree with advanced training in biomedical ethics or related field and/or 2 years of postdoctoral coursework in clinical ethics.
Experience in a mentoring, teaching or leadership role in a health care facility.
Current experience, within last three years, serving on an ethics consultation service, taking lead call, and conducting ethics consultation in a healthcare setting averaging at least 100 hours per year.
Familiarity with healthcare quality standards & quality improvement methodology.
- Demonstrated knowledge, skills and attributes as defined in the ASBH Core Competencies for Health Care Ethics Consultation including but not limited to proven skills in competently facilitating multidisciplinary clinical ethics consultation.
- Demonstrated skills and reputation for exhibiting OHSU Core Competencies including respectful, collaborative and inclusive communication.
- Demonstrated ability to document ethics consultations in the electronic medical record.
- Strong communication skills and knowledge of diversity of cultural beliefs as related to health care.
- Familiarity with OHSU mission, vision and values, working knowledge of organizational culture and structure.
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively with a diverse group of staff, patients and families.
- Knowledge of technology and software used for data tracking, basic computer skills (Outlook, Word, Excel, video conferencing platforms). Basic understanding of statistics.
- Demonstrated competence to perform assigned and general customer assistance responsibilities in a manner that meets the age-specific and developmental needs of customers encountered.
- Demonstrated ability to appropriately adapt work and customer assistance methods to accommodate the unique physical, psychosocial, cultural, age-specific and other developmental needs of customers.
- HEC-C certification and ongoing continuing education to maintain certification.
Compliance with Code of Conduct, Respect in the workplace and Applicable policies, procedures and agreements related to position, department or OHSU as a whole
Must be able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without accommodation
- Current position on an institutional ethics committee or ethics consultation service.
- Demonstrated proficiency in knowledge of OHSU policies that relate often to ethics consults such as informed consent, decision making capacity assessment, end-of-life decision making, resolution process for disagreements, patient hold policies.
- Experience with database software.
Salary Range: $89,793.60 - $143,416.00 per year (Commensurate with qualifications, experience and internal equity)
- Assigned a normal workspace, but functions in all areas of the hospital. Working hours are generally Monday through Friday. May be required to travel to OHSU partner sites within the Portland metropolitan area. Will encounter conditions and hazards usual to patient care. Critical function employee.
- Ability to manage significant existential weight.