Jail Health Physician

Date of first consideration: November 9, 2026
                                                                      

Please note: There are two (2) openings for this posting. 

Jail Health Services (JHS) physicians work collaboratively with a mission-driven team to provide healthcare to patients detained in King County adult jail facilities. This is an opportunity to practice a broad scope of adult family medicine in a public health context, including acute and chronic medical problems, addiction medicine, and prenatal care. Physicians with addiction medicine interest and experience are particularly encouraged to apply.Our Jail Health Physicians provide direct patient care to patients detained in the King County adult jail facilities. Other responsibilities include participation in quality improvement / quality assurance programs to support Jail Health Services care goals, medical oversight, consultation, and management of specialized health care programs for Jail Health Services. The jail is a 24/7 locked facility.

Note: This recruitment will be used to create an eligibility pool to fill additional Career Service, Term-Limited Temporary (TLT), or Special Duty Assignment (SDA) vacancies that may occur over the next six months.

Commitment To Equity and Social Justice

Named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nation's history, King County is a vibrant international community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the traditions of many cultures.

The county government has a deep commitment to equity and social justice and advancing practices, strategies, and policies that promote fairness, justice, and opportunity for all – in our workplaces and our communities. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda to advance regional change and ensure that residents from all communities are incorporated into our emergency planning and public outreach efforts.

We recognize that structural racism consists of principles and practices that cause and justify an inequitable distribution of rights, opportunities, and experiences across racial groups. Since declaring Racism is a Public Health Crisis in June 2020, King County and Public Health committed to being intentionally anti-racist and accountable to Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities.

To learn more, please visit http://www.kingcounty.gov/elected/executive/equity-social-justice.aspx

• Diagnose, manage, educate and counsel residents on a broad scope of personal health care issues; manage care provided to patients with complex medical problems.
• Perform minor surgical procedures, order medications and make referrals for specialty services when necessary.
• Provide women's health care services, including gynecologic examination and prenatal care.
• Manage substance use disorders including treatment of withdrawal syndromes and counseling and prescribing medications for opioid use disorder and alcohol use disorders.
• Provide care to patients in medical emergencies, including responding to medical codes within the facility to maintain life and stabilize conditions.
• Document all medical evaluations, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, treatment outcomes, referrals and consultations.
• Participate in training other staff on clinical and procedural topics and provide technical consultation to other providers and nursing staff.
• Participate in the development, implementation and evaluation of treatment guidelines and service delivery models.
• Work with others within the program to assure compliance with the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) standards and subsequent accreditation.
• Participate in internal and external committees to maintain appropriate standards of care.
• Collaborate with health care team to assure smooth clinic flow.
• Participate in rotating after-hours primary care call, weekend and holiday coverage for the medical provider team.
• Provide testimony when required in various legal proceedings.
• Other duties as assigned. 

Required:

• Graduation from an accredited medical school and residency program.
• Applicants must be board certified or board eligible in Family Medicine or Emergency Medicine. If not certified, incumbents must become certified within two (2) years of hire.
• A Washington State Medical License must be obtained prior to hiring.
• National Provider Identification (NPI) number required prior to hiring.
• Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration required prior to hiring.
• Documentation of current BLS CPR certification with AED training required prior to credentialing.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary care team and with a patient panel with diverse cultures and socio-economic backgrounds.
• Valid Washington State driver's license or have the ability to travel throughout King County in a timely manner.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite; applicant must be comfortable with use of electronic health records and be proficient with data entry using a keyboard.

Desired:

• Two (2) years of experience providing adult primary care, including women's health care and prenatal care. 
• Demonstrated experience and interest working in multidisciplinary teams which may include physicians, ARNPs, nurses, social workers.
• Demonstrated commitment to cultural humility, equity, racial and social justice.
• Lived participatory community experience with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
• Experience managing substance use disorders including treatment of withdrawal syndromes and use of medications for opioid use disorder.
• Proficiency in language other than English.
• Experience in correctional health care environment.

Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Application Process

If you are interested in pursuing this position and supporting King County’s vision for unified, equitable, and high-performing government, please follow the application instructions carefully. Provide us with your work history as applicable, ensuring that you provide details that highlight your ability to fulfill the requirements for this position.

If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, or you would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process, please contact Sarah Dunkinson @ [email protected]. 

King County's Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values unite us.

King County serves residents with a relentless sense of urgency, delivering on commitments with transparency and accountability. We are action-oriented, creative problem solvers who collaborate across roles, engage directly with communities, and challenge the status quo to achieve meaningful impact. As a unified team, we uphold high ethical and stewardship standards, embrace change, stay curious, and continuously improve. Across all interactions, we listen first, act quickly, and stay aligned as a team to earn and sustain public trust. Learn more about our Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values here and visit our Why work at King County page here.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on sex, race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religious affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age except by minimum age and retirement provisions, pregnancy, status as a family caregiver, parental status, marital status, military status or status as a veteran who was honorably discharged or who was discharged solely as a result of the person's sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, citizenship or immigration status, genetic information, or other protected class. However, to the extent that distinction or differential treatment on the basis of citizenship or immigration status is authorized by either federal or state law, regulation, or government contract, it is not an unfair practice.

Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

The following items are required to be considered for this vacancy:

• NEOGOV Job Application (The responses on your job application should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
• Supplemental Questions (The responses to the supplemental questions should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
• Cover Letter 
• Resume

Your application may be rejected as incomplete if you do not include the relevant information in the application. Cover letters and/or resumes are not accepted in lieu of a completed application. Applications and/or Supplemental Questionnaires that state "see my resume" or "see my personnel file" are considered incomplete and will not be accepted.

Necessary Special Requirements

Additional Information 
Public Health - Jail Health Services follows and maintains federal and state requirements standards including, but not limited to, Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) standards which apply to all public and private institutions that house adult or juvenile offenders. PREA standards preclude the department from hiring or promoting anyone who has engaged in, or been convicted of any conduct which would violate PREA standards related to sexual assault including:

• Sexual abuse in a prison, jail, lockup, community confinement facility, juvenile facility, or other institution.
• Convicted of engaging or attempting to engage in sexual activity in the community facilitated by force, overt or implied threats of force, or coercion, or if the victim did not consent or was unable to consent or refuse; or,
• Has been civilly or administratively adjudicated to have engaged in the activity described above.

Additionally, PREA standards require that the department consider any incidents of sexual harassment involving an inmate or detainee in determining whether or not to hire or promote anyone.
 
The above is in compliance with PREA and its implementing regulations, 28 C.F.R. Part 115, Subpart A, Section 115.17, Hiring and Promotion Decisions.

Work Schedule

This position will be Monday-Friday, 32 to 40 hours a week (.80FTE-1.0FTE) dependent upon practice needs and the candidate's availability. The workdays and hours will vary and include participating in team coverage of weekday day and evening shifts as well as weekend and holiday day shifts. Overnight on-call shifts are assigned equally across the team. We reserve the right to adjust schedules and work sites to meet the workload demands of our program.

Work Location 

King County Correctional Facility: 500 5th Ave, Seattle WA 98104 and Maleng Regional Justice Center: 620 W James St, Kent, WA 98032.

Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements. 

Union Membership

This position is not represented by a Labor Union. 

Contact

For questions about the application process contact Sarah Dunkinson ([email protected]).