Physician    |    Clinical Decision Unit (CDU)    |  ETC (Evaluation Treatment Center)    Duarte, CA

Department of Medicine | City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, CA

Join  our  rapidly  expanding, nationally  recognized Cancer institute. City of Hope's Duarte campus is recruiting a full-time physician lead for our Clinical Decision Unit (CDU), with additional clinical shifts in the Evaluation and Treatment Center (ETC). The role is primarily clinical and includes day-to-day clinical oversight of the CDU, working with the ETC Medical Director to shape care standards, protocols, and APP practice. Available at the Assistant or Associate Clinical Professor level, reporting to the ETC Medical Director, the Division Chief of Hospital Medicine and the Chair of the Department of Medicine. Final CDU/ETC shift distribution will reflect program needs and the candidate's experience.

     HIGHLIGHTS

• Day-to-day clinical oversight of the CDU, with meaningful influence over protocols, APP practice, and unit performance

• Single location; no nights and limited weekend expectations

• Combination of CDU and ETC shifts; final distribution to be determined

• CDU: average of 8-10 observation patients daily, with 10-12 hours of APP coverage per day

•  ETC: average of 1-1.5 patients per hour; very high acuity with a 60% admission rate

•  215-bed hospital, 10 operating rooms, 4 procedure rooms; 24/7 on-site specialist, surgical, and critical care support

CLINICAL DUTIES 

Clinical Decision Unit

The CDU is a short-stay observation unit overseen by the ETC, where patients requiring 24 to 48 hours of extended evaluation or treatment are managed before discharge or admission. Reporting to the ETC Medical Director and working alongside CDU advanced practice providers (NPs/PAs) and nursing leadership, the physician serves as the day-to-day clinical point person for the unit, with responsibility for:

·       Clinical oversight of the quality, safety, and consistency of care delivered in the unit

·       Guiding the development and ongoing refinement of evidence-based admission criteria, care pathways, and short-stay protocols

·       Clinical direction and mentorship of the CDU APP team, including onboarding, education, and practice standards

·       Monitoring unit performance: length of stay, admission conversion, return visits, and throughput, and leading improvement work informed by those findings

·       Serving as the day-to-day clinical point of contact between the CDU and the ETC, subspecialty services, hospital medicine, nursing, and case management

·       Helping guide the CDU's continued growth as institutional volumes and needs evolve

·        When assigned to a CDU shift, the physician will:

·       Admit appropriate patients from the ETC and round daily during their 24- to 48-hour stay

·       Reassess clinical status, review results, and update treatment plans with the CDU APP team

·       Coordinate with subspecialty teams, case management, supportive care, social work, and outpatient clinicians

·       Determine readiness for discharge or escalate to inpatient admission, and support post-discharge follow-up, including guidance to APPs conducting outreach

Evaluation and Treatment Center Responsibilities

The ETC operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. On ETC shifts, the physician evaluates and manages patients presenting with acute complications of cancer or its treatment: stabilizing high-acuity oncology and hematology patients, initiating diagnostic and therapeutic interventions, collaborating with subspecialty teams, and determining disposition (home, CDU observation, or hospital admission).
We have an exciting opportunity to join the Department of Medicine whose focus is to provide leading-edge, evidence-based clinical care, emphasizing prevention, treatment and research of cancer and cancer-related complications.  For more information please visit here Duarte Cancer Center,  Evaluation and Treatment and Department of Medicine.

PAY & BENEFITS

Base Salary Range: (Assistant Level) $319K-$342K (Assistant Clinical to Associate Clinical Professor levels). 
The range listed is exclusively for base compensation for full-time employment and does not include incentive compensation or benefits.  Actual compensation will be adjusted for experience, training, hospital/community need and other factors.

Benefits information: City of Hope Medical Group Benefits

City of Hope is an equal opportunity employer.

Hospital Background

City of Hope's mission is to make hope a reality for all touched by cancer and diabetes. Founded in 1913,  
City of Hope has grown into one of the largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, and one of the leading research centers for diabetes and other life-threatening illnesses. City of Hope research has been the basis for numerous breakthrough cancer medicines, as well as human synthetic insulin and monoclonal antibodies. With an independent, National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center that is ranked among the nation’s top cancer centers by U.S. News & World Report at its core, City of Hope’s uniquely integrated model spans cancer care, research and development, academics and training, and a broad philanthropy program that powers its work. City of Hope’s growing national system includes its Los Angeles campus, Orange County, California, campus, a network of clinical care locations across Southern California and cancer treatment centers and outpatient facilities in the Atlanta, Chicago and Phoenix areas. City of Hope’s affiliated group of organizations includes Translational Genomics Research Institute and AccessHopeTM. For more information about City of Hope, follow us on Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Qualifications - External

·          M.D. or D.O. from an accredited institution; board certified, with substantial clinical experience in the Emergency Department, Internal Medicine, or ICU

·          Experience in an observation unit, emergency department, or comparable acute care setting; prior protocol development, quality improvement, or advanced practice provider supervision experience is valued

·          Mission-minded, patient-centered clinician comfortable with high-acuity oncology and hematology patients, with strong communication and sound disposition judgment

·          Academic record consistent with appointment at the Assistant or Associate Professor level at City of Hope National Medical Center

·          Possession of, or eligibility for, an unrestricted medical license in the State of California