Assistant Chief (MD/DO) - Department of Emergency Medicine

Job description

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.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
• Clinical Leadership and Patient Safety

• Promote evidence-based emergency medicine practices and adherence to established clinical policies, procedures, and protocols.
• Support consistent clinical decision-making, appropriate resource utilization, and timely evaluation and treatment of emergency patients.
• Collaborate with medical staff and nursing leadership to address clinical concerns, adverse events, near misses, and opportunities for improvement.
• Participate in clinical case reviews, morbidity and mortality conferences, peer review, and other patient safety activities.
• Support emergency preparedness, disaster response, and implementation of applicable regulatory and accreditation standards.
• Promote a culture of safety, accountability, transparency, and continuous learning.

• Emergency Department Operations and Throughput

• 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.

• Quality Improvement and Regulatory Compliance

• Lead or co-lead departmental quality improvement initiatives aligned with hospital priorities and national emergency medicine standards.
• Review clinical quality indicators, patient safety trends, documentation compliance, and opportunities for improvement.
• Support performance improvement activities related to sepsis, stroke, acute coronary syndromes, trauma, behavioral health, and other high-priority clinical conditions.
• Active participant in HRO, Quality, Patient Satisfaction and Risk Meetings.
• Collaborate with the hospital's Quality, Risk Management, Infection Prevention, and Compliance departments.
• Assist with regulatory readiness, policy review, chart audits, and corrective action plans.
• Use data and outcome measures to evaluate the effectiveness of improvement initiatives and sustain results.

• Provider Leadership and Medical Staff Engagement

• Support the recruitment, onboarding, orientation, and retention of emergency physicians and advanced practice providers.
• Promote professional accountability, collegiality, clinical excellence, and respectful communication.
• Assist with provider scheduling, coverage planning, performance feedback, and resolution of operational concerns.
• Support peer review, professional practice evaluation, and appropriate follow-up on clinical performance concerns.
• Encourage provider participation in departmental committees, educational activities, and quality improvement projects.
• Help develop future physician leaders and foster a collaborative relationship between medical and nursing staff.

• Patient Experience and Service Excellence

• Promote compassionate, respectful, and patient-centered emergency care.
• Collaborate with nursing leadership to improve communication with patients and families, particularly during prolonged waits and boarding.
• Review patient experience results, complaints, compliments, and service recovery opportunities.
• Implement initiatives to improve patient communication, staff responsiveness, care transitions, and discharge instructions.
• Promote equitable care for patients with behavioral health needs, substance use disorders, limited English proficiency, disabilities, and other complex needs.

• Financial Stewardship and Resource Management

• Support efficient use of departmental resources while maintaining appropriate standards of patient care.
• Partner with the Chief and hospital leadership to evaluate staffing models, productivity, provider coverage, and operational costs.
• Identify opportunities to improve resource utilization, reduce avoidable delays, and enhance departmental sustainability.
• Assist in evaluating new equipment, clinical programs, staffing requests, and service expansion opportunities.
• Participate in budget planning and business cases for initiatives that support quality, access, and operational performance.

• Strategic Growth and Community Engagement

• Support development of emergency medicine services that respond to the needs of the local community.
• Identify opportunities to improve emergency care access, develop clinical pathways, and strengthen relationships with referring providers and emergency medical services (EMS).
• Collaborate with EMS leadership on prehospital protocols, transfer processes, and community emergency preparedness.
• Participate in initiatives to improve care for high-utilization populations and patients with complex medical or social needs.
• Support recruitment, community outreach, and development of programs that strengthen the hospital's role as a trusted community healthcare provider.

• Education, Communication, and Interdisciplinary Collaboration

• Participate in departmental meetings, hospital committees, leadership rounds, and multidisciplinary quality initiatives.
• Support education and professional development for physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, residents, students, and other healthcare professionals, as applicable.
• Maintain effective communication with hospital leadership regarding departmental performance, operational challenges, and improvement opportunities.
• Model professionalism, emotional intelligence, accountability, and constructive conflict resolution.
• Promote a high-reliability culture focused on standardization, teamwork, learning, and prevention of harm.

• Administrative Leadership and Delegated Authority

• Assist the Chief in developing departmental goals, policies, performance standards, and strategic priorities.
• Assume designated leadership responsibilities when the Chief is unavailable.
• Participate in the development and monitoring of departmental dashboards, action plans, and performance improvement initiatives.
• Assist with investigation and resolution of escalated clinical, operational, and personnel concerns within the scope of delegated authority.
• Provide regular updates on departmental performance, barriers to success, and recommendations for improvement.

Performance Expectations and Measures of Success
Performance will be evaluated in collaboration with the Chief of Emergency Medicine and appropriate hospital leadership. Measures may include:
• Improvement in ED throughput, length of stay, and time to disposition.
• Reduction in avoidable boarding delays and left-without-being-seen rates.
• Achievement of established clinical quality and patient safety targets.
• Improvement in patient experience and communication measures.
• Provider engagement, recruitment, retention, and participation in improvement initiatives.
• Completion and sustainability of assigned quality improvement projects.
• Compliance with applicable hospital policies, regulatory requirements, and medical staff expectations.
• Effective collaboration with nursing leadership, hospital administration, and inpatient departments.
• Contribution to departmental strategic goals, financial stewardship, and community service.

Scope of Authority
The Assistant Chief operates within the authority delegated by the Chief of Emergency Medicine and established hospital bylaws, medical staff rules, policies, and procedures. The position supports departmental decision-making and may exercise designated clinical, operational, and administrative authority when acting on behalf of the Chief.
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.
Requirements
• Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO).
• Board certification or board eligibility in Emergency Medicine, consistent with hospital medical staff requirements.
• Current unrestricted medical license in the state of practice.
• Current applicable certifications and credentials required for emergency medicine practice.
• Eligibility for appointment to the hospital's medical staff and emergency medicine clinical privileges.
• Demonstrated clinical experience in emergency medicine with at least two (2) years post-residency independent practice.
• Proven ability to collaborate across disciplines and contribute to quality, safety, or operational improvement.

Preferred
• Previous experience in physician leadership, departmental administration, quality improvement, or medical staff governance.
• Experience in a community hospital or community-based emergency department.
• Demonstrated success in improving patient flow, throughput, clinical quality, or patient experience.
• Experience with performance dashboards, data analysis, regulatory readiness, and change management.
• Formal training or education in healthcare leadership, quality improvement, patient safety, or healthcare administration.

Leadership Competencies
The successful candidate will demonstrate:
• Strong clinical judgment and commitment to evidence-based care.
• Collaborative and inclusive leadership.
• Effective communication and relationship-building skills.
• Commitment to high reliability, patient safety, and continuous improvement.
• Ability to analyze performance data and translate findings into actionable strategies.
• Operational awareness and sound resource stewardship.
• Accountability, professionalism, integrity, and adaptability.
• Ability to influence change and build consensus across physician, nursing, and administrative teams.

About Us
Care New England Health System (CNE) and its member institutions, Butler Hospital, Women & Infants Hospital, Kent Hospital, VNA of Care New England, Integra, The Providence Center, and Care New England Medical Group, is a trusted, integrated health care organization that fuels the latest advances in medical research, attracts the nation’s top specialty-trained doctors, hones renowned services and innovative programs, and engages in the important discussions people need to have about their health and end-of-life wishes. Care New England is helping to transform the future of health care, providing a leading voice in the ongoing effort to ensure the health of the individuals and communities we serve.
EEO Statements
Americans with Disability Act Statement : External and internal applicants, as well as position incumbents who become disabled must be able to perform the essential job-specific functions either unaided or with the assistance of a reasonable accommodation, to be determined by the organization on a case-by-case basis.
EEOC Statement : Care New England is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status
Ethics Statement : Employee conducts himself/herself consistent with the ethical standards of the organization including, but not limited to hospital policy, mission, vision, and values.