Physician - Emergency Medicine

Job Summary

The Assistant Chief of the Department of Emergency Medicine supports the Chief in providing strategic, clinical, operational, and administrative leadership for the Emergency Department (ED) at a community-based hospital. This position promotes the delivery of safe, timely, equitable, high-quality, and patient-centered emergency care while advancing departmental goals, operational efficiency, provider engagement, and organizational performance.

The Assistant Chief collaborates closely with emergency physicians, advanced practice providers, nursing leadership, hospitalists, specialists, ancillary departments, and hospital administration to optimize patient flow, improve clinical outcomes, reduce emergency department boarding, enhance patient experience, and strengthen interdisciplinary teamwork.

The Assistant Chief serves as a clinical and operational leader, helps translate organizational priorities into measurable departmental initiatives, and assumes delegated responsibilities for the department in the absence of the Chief.

• Partner with the Chief and ED nursing leadership to optimize patient flow from arrival through discharge, admission, or transfer.
• Monitor key performance indicators (KPI), not limited to, operational metrics, including door-to-provider time, length of stay, left-without-being-seen rates, time to disposition, boarding hours, and patients leaving before treatment is complete.
• Identify operational barriers and lead initiatives to improve access, efficiency, and timely care.
• Collaborate with inpatient units, hospitalists, case management, radiology, laboratory services, and other departments to reduce delays in diagnostic testing, consultation, admission, and transfer.
• Support effective utilization of ED beds, staffing resources, observation services, and alternative care pathways.
• Participate in surge management, capacity planning, and strategies to maintain safe operations during periods of high demand.

1. Patient Experience and Service Excellence

1. Education, Communication, and Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Working Conditions

The position includes clinical practice responsibilities, as applicable, along with administrative duties, meetings, quality reviews, and participation in hospital leadership activities. The Assistant Chief may be required to respond to significant clinical or operational issues outside standard business hours and participate in emergency preparedness or disaster response activities.