Physician 2 (35 Hour)

Join the Infectious Diseases Section at the State of Connecticut, Department of Public Health (DPH) in the role of the Physician Coordinator (Physician 2) for the Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance (HAI-AR) Program! This exciting position plays a critical role in the surveillance, prevention, and response for healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial resistance (AR), including DPH’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This Physician 2 position will coordinate activities of the HAI-AR Program, which provides subject matter expertise and technical assistance to nursing homes, assisted living facilities, congregate care facilities, hospitals, healthcare providers and other state agencies. This position will have a variety of responsibilities including:

• Providing consultation to healthcare providers directly managing drug resistant infections and their patients
• Leading response to outbreaks of HAI and AR
• Overseeing both the healthcare associated infections (HAI) and antimicrobial resistance (AR) public health surveillance systems
• Managing the budget and activities covered in several federal cooperative agreements

The HAI-AR Program is responsible for surveillance, prevention, and response to healthcare-associated infections (HAI) and antimicrobial resistance (AR) in Connecticut. We are composed of Epidemiologists and staff with expertise in healthcare infection prevention and control (IPC). We collaborate with healthcare organizations, governmental agencies, non-governmental healthcare quality organizations, and clinicians to detect, prevent, and contain HAI and AR. We work closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Yale School of Public Health, Connecticut Hospital Association, long-term care industry partners, clinical laboratories, and others to conduct surveillance for, to prevent, and to reduce the burden of HAI and AR. Funded largely by cooperative agreements with CDC, the HAI-AR Program supports healthcare facilities in reducing morbidity and mortality associated with infection control breaches and outbreaks of infectious disease.  

The Mission of the Department of Public Health (DPH) is to protect and improve the health and safety of the people of Connecticut by assuring the conditions in which people can be healthy, preventing disease, injury, and disability, and promoting the equal enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, which is a human right and a priority of the state.

DPH accomplishes this through the implementation of its Strategic Plan which outlines the actions that DPH is taking to accomplish its Mission.  

Are you interested in joining our team as a Physician 2? We encourage you to apply today! This is a full-time position centrally located in Hartford, CT. The work schedule for this position is typically Monday - Friday, 35 hours per week. There may be opportunities for flex schedule, alternate work schedule, or teleworking, in accordance with State policies.  

We offer a competitive benefits package, excellent health care, generous leave policies, retirement plan, and more!  We also encourage a healthy work-life balance to all employees.

The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified. This position will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules. In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening. You must specify your qualifications on your application.  

Due to the volume of applications anticipated, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process. Updates will be provided through your JobAps portal account. 

Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience most closely meet the preferred requirements of the position. At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include:  a cover letter, resume, transcripts, diplomas, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency. Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications as indicated to apply for this position.

In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process.  

Please Note: You will be unable to make revisions once you submit your application for this posting to the JobAps system.

This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the question's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam. 

Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process. 

The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class. 

All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period.  It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception.  Requests should be made to DAS.SHRM@ct.gov.

This position may be subject to Federal requirements for COVID 19 Vaccination Immunization.

Should you have questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Chelsea Moore at Chelsea.Moore@ct.gov.

In a hospital, correctional institute or other state facility, this class is accountable for performing the full range of diagnosis and treatments of clients or for acting as a medical consultant on a variety of programs operated by the State.

Participates in treatment of patients in an assigned service; manages daily rounds; examines patients; requests laboratory tests and interprets results; contacts other hospitals and physicians regarding patient welfare; treats emergency cases; obtains medical histories from patients and relatives; maintains and reviews patient records; makes diagnoses; examines employees of facility for sickness or injuries incurred on the job; pronounces deaths and issues death certificates; participates in medical/dental staff committees; attends seminars and conferences; determines appropriate treatment and reviews work of physicians of lower grade, residents, nurses and other staff members; instructs paraprofessional and professional staff with respect to regimens for individual patients and general medical management; provides professional guidance to assure that treatment plans are carried out; explains diagnoses, techniques and medications; assigns clinical duties; supervises training of the staff; may serve as an advanced clinician to specialized statewide health programs; performs related duties as required.

Considerable knowledge of principles and practices of medicine with particular reference to mentally ill, handicapped, chronically ill and imprisoned patients; knowledge of treatment of acute emergency cases; knowledge of recent developments in field of medicine; considerable skill in mental and physical diagnosis; interpersonal skills; oral and written communication skills; ability to train and lead staff.

• Experience with the microbiology and pathogenesis of healthcare associated infections and antimicrobial resistance, including experience in clinical care in inpatient and outpatient settings
• Experience with public health programs and surveillance systems designed to monitor and prevent healthcare associated infections (HAI) and antimicrobial resistance (AR), including the National Healthcare Safety Network, (NHSN) or similar national surveillance systems
• Experience conducting infectious disease surveillance and analytic epidemiologic studies, including: (1) experience with the management and analysis of infectious disease event data, and (2) experience using several statistical packages, including SAS, GIS, Excel or Access
• Experience with the presentation of epidemiological data and analyses in both written and oral formats
• Experience in public health program administration and management including experience: (1) managing federal cooperative agreements, budgets, contracts; (2) supervising epidemiologists and other public health professionals; and (3) collaborating with internal and external partners

Incumbents in this class must possess and retain a license to practice medicine and surgery in Connecticut. A temporary license may be granted for a period not to exceed one (1) year.

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.