Occupational Medicine Physician Assistant

Description

Position Overview

The 30+ year company supports the petrochemical and manufacturing industry domestically and internationally and is positioned along the Gulf Coast, providing training, occupational medicine, and innovative solutions to industry. The Medical Provider (Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant) provides comprehensive occupational health services to employees and employer clients within the oil & gas, petrochemical, manufacturing, construction, and related industries. The Medical Provider independently evaluates and manages patients within the provider's authorized scope of practice and applicable physician delegation/collaboration requirements, including occupational injuries and illnesses, medical surveillance, fitness-for-duty and return-to-work evaluations, regulatory examinations, and preventive occupational health services. The position works collaboratively with physician leadership, clinical staff, operations, and employer representatives to provide safe, efficient, evidence-based, and regulatory-compliant occupational healthcare.

Essential Functions

Clinical Care & Occupational Injury Management

• Evaluate, diagnose, treat, and manage occupational injuries and illnesses within the provider's authorized scope of practice. 
• Develop evidence-based treatment plans that promote appropriate recovery, functional restoration, and safe return to work. 
• Determine appropriate work status, restrictions, limitations, and follow-up intervals based on the employee's medical condition and essential job functions. 
• Recognize conditions requiring emergency evaluation, specialist referral, higher-level care, or physician consultation. 
• Evaluate occupational exposures and provide appropriate initial management, testing, follow-up, and referral when indicated. 
• Provide follow-up care and coordinate treatment to facilitate timely and medically appropriate case resolution. 

Procedures & Acute Care

• Perform occupational medicine procedures within demonstrated competency and authorized scope, including laceration repair, wound care, foreign-body removal, splinting, and other minor procedures. 
• Provide initial evaluation and stabilization of acute workplace injuries and illnesses and determine appropriate disposition. 
• Maintain competency in emergency response procedures and use of clinic emergency equipment. 

Occupational Examinations & Medical Surveillance

• Perform pre-placement, periodic, return-to-work, fitness-for-duty, and other employer-directed occupational medical examinations. 
• Perform medical surveillance examinations required by applicable OSHA standards and employer programs. 
• Conduct respiratory protection medical evaluations and other occupational medical clearance assessments. 
• Perform DOT/FMCSA examinations when appropriately certified and other regulated or industry-specific examinations when appropriately trained and credentialed. 
• Review relevant medical testing, laboratory studies, audiometry, spirometry, imaging, and other occupational health data and determine appropriate disposition or follow-up. 
• Identify abnormal findings requiring additional evaluation while distinguishing occupational medical clearance decisions from the employee's general medical care. 

Fitness for Duty / Work Status

• Assess an employee's medical ability to safely perform essential job functions when requested and medically appropriate. 
• Develop medically appropriate work restrictions based on functional limitations and anticipated recovery. 
• Review job descriptions, physical demands, and safety-sensitive duties when necessary to support medical clearance decisions. 
• Escalate complex, unusual, or high-risk fitness-for-duty and work-relatedness determinations to physician leadership as appropriate. 

Regulatory & Employer Services

• Apply applicable occupational health regulations, medical standards, employer protocols, and organizational policies when performing medical evaluations. 
• Maintain familiarity with relevant OSHA medical surveillance requirements and other regulatory or consensus standards applicable to assigned services. 
• Perform specimen collection or drug/alcohol testing-related clinical functions within the provider's authorized role and organizational protocols. 
• Maintain appropriate separation between medical recommendations and employer administrative or employment decisions. 
• Protect employee medical confidentiality and communicate occupational medical information to employers consistent with applicable law, regulation, authorization, and organizational policy.

Documentation & Case Management

• Complete accurate, timely, and legally appropriate medical documentation for all patient encounters. 
• Clearly document diagnosis, treatment, work status, restrictions, follow-up recommendations, and medical rationale when appropriate. 
• Participate in occupational case-management discussions and communicate clinically appropriate information to employers, adjusters, case managers, specialists, and other stakeholders within applicable confidentiality requirements. 
• Facilitate continuity of care and timely case progression while maintaining independent clinical judgment.

Telemedicine and Off-Site Services

• Provide occupational health evaluations through approved telemedicine platforms in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and clinical protocols. 
• Provide medical services at company clinics, client sites, mobile locations, or other approved locations as operationally required. 
• Determine when telemedicine is clinically appropriate and when an in-person evaluation or higher level of care is necessary. 
• Participate in after-hours or on-call occupational medical coverage according to the organization's established coverage model.

Quality, Teamwork & Professional Responsibilities

• Provide clinical direction and guidance to nursing, paramedic, medical assistant, technician, and other clinical personnel involved in patient care, consistent with organizational policies and applicable scope-of-practice requirements. 
• Collaborate effectively with physicians, APPs, nurses, paramedics, technicians, operations personnel, and administrative staff. 
• Participate in chart review, peer review, quality improvement, patient safety, and clinical competency activities. 
• Participate in development and implementation of clinical protocols, workflows, and new occupational health programs. 
• Identify clinical or operational concerns and appropriately escalate patient-safety, regulatory, or quality issues. 
• Maintain required licensure, certifications, continuing education, and demonstrated clinical competencies.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Graduate of an accredited Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant program. 
• Current, unrestricted Texas license as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse/Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant, as applicable. 
• Current national certification appropriate to professional discipline. 
• Current BLS certification; ACLS certification if required by organizational policy or assigned clinical responsibilities. 
• Ability to obtain and maintain applicable prescriptive authority and DEA registration when required for assigned responsibilities. 
• Demonstrated competency in evaluating and managing acute illness and injury. 
• Ability to obtain and maintain organizational credentialing and applicable client/site access requirements. 
• Valid driver's license and ability to travel to assigned clinics and client locations when required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Two or more years of experience in occupational medicine, urgent care, emergency medicine, family medicine, or another relevant ambulatory clinical setting. 
• Occupational medicine experience serving oil & gas, petrochemical, refinery, manufacturing, construction, maritime, or other safety-sensitive industries. 
• FMCSA National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners certification. 
• Experience with OSHA medical surveillance programs. 
• Experience with occupational injury management, work restrictions, return-to-work, and fitness-for-duty evaluations. 
• Experience interpreting occupational audiometry and spirometry. 
• Experience with telemedicine and employer-based occupational health programs. 
• Demonstrated competency in minor procedures commonly performed in occupational medicine.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

Knowledge: 

• Occupational injury and illness evaluation and management
• Return-to-work and fitness-for-duty principles
• OSHA medical surveillance and respiratory protection concepts applicable to assigned duties
• DOT/FMCSA requirements when applicable
• Medical confidentiality and employer communication
• Basic principles of work-relatedness and occupational exposure evaluation

Skills: 

• Clinical assessment and medical decision-making
• Minor procedures
• Interpretation of commonly used occupational testing
• Concise medical documentation
• Communication with patients, employers, clinical staff, and physicians
• Effective case management and interdisciplinary collaboration

Abilities:

• Exercise appropriate independent clinical judgment within scope of practice
• Recognize when physician consultation or escalation is required
• Manage multiple patients and competing priorities
• Make timely decisions in safety-sensitive situations
• Apply protocols without substituting them for clinical judgment
• Communicate appropriate work restrictions without unnecessarily disclosing confidential medical information
• Function effectively in clinic, telemedicine, mobile, and industrial environments

Physical & Environmental Requirements

The position requires the ability to perform clinical examinations and procedures in outpatient occupational health settings. Duties regularly involve sitting, standing, walking, use of computers and medical equipment, and positioning necessary to examine and treat patients. The employee may occasionally lift or assist with movement of medical supplies or equipment up to 25 pounds. The position may require travel between clinics, mobile units, and client locations. Work may occasionally occur in industrial environments requiring appropriate personal protective equipment and compliance with client/site safety requirements. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position. 

Reporting Responsibilities

The Medical Provider reports directly to the Regional Medical Director. This position does not have direct reports.

Disclaimer: This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with the position. Duties and responsibilities may be revised at any time based on business needs. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, and employment remains at-will unless otherwise stated in a written agreement signed by an authorized company representative.