Jail Health Physician - Short Term Temporary

King County; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 210,000 - 310,000; Full time

Job summary

King County Jail Health Services seeks a Jail Health Physician to provide comprehensive medical care for adults detained in King County facilities, including acute and chronic conditions, addiction medicine, and prenatal care. Collaboration with ARNPs and a mission-driven team is essential.

The role supports 24/7 operations with a focus on equitable care, adherence to NCCHC standards, and continuous quality improvement. Prior correctional health and/or addiction medicine experience is valued.

Qualifications

• Graduation from an accredited medical school and residency program.
• Board certification or eligibility in Family Medicine or Emergency Medicine; must become certified within 2 years if not certified.
• Washington State Medical License required prior to hiring; NPI and DEA registration needed.

Responsibilities

• Diagnose, manage, educate and counsel patients with diverse medical conditions in a jail setting.
• Provide care for women's health including prenatal care.
• Perform minor surgical procedures as needed and refer to specialists.

Education

Medical degree (MD/DO) with residency in Family Medicine or Emergency Medicine

Tools

Electronic Health Records (EHR)

Microsoft Office

Job description

This position is open until filled, and applications will be reviewed on a biweekly basis (time frame that applications will be reviewed). Applications received by October 28, 2026 will be given first consideration.

Jail Health Services - Public Health is looking for an accomplished Jail Health Physicians - STT 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. Jail Health Services Medical Provider group consists of physicians and ARNPs who provide medical services to patients in custody at the King County adult jail facilities.

JHS provides needed health and social services to the incarcerated population located in the King County jails – King County Correctional Facility (KCCF) in Seattle, WA and Maleng Regional Justice Center (MRJC) in Kent, WA. The primary services we provide include medical, dental, mental health, social and release planning services, treatment of substance use disorders, and pharmaceutical services. We care about the patients we serve and their health outcomes. Our division includes over 250 employees and an annual budget of over $60 million.

The purpose of JHS is to assure that high-quality health and human services are available to the incarcerated population in the King County adult correctional facilities: the King County Correctional Facility (KCCF) in Seattle and the Maleng Regional Justice Center (MRJC) in Kent. The JHS vision is Opening doors to healthier, happier lives, and the mission is to assess and stabilize serious health problems for the detained population of the King County Correctional Facility and the Maleng Regional Justice Center with a focus on transition from jail.

Staffed 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year, JHS provides a broad range of health care to all individuals booked into the jails. For patients with serious mental health or medical conditions, special housing units (psychiatric and infirmary) along with a higher level of services and medical monitoring are provided. Since the patient population varies both in numbers as well as in acuity of health conditions, staffing is adapted and flexed to meet the constantly changing needs of the population.

JHS staff manage the complex health needs of underserved populations, many of whom come to the facility without access to care in the community and with decompensated acute and chronic health conditions.

This posting will create a list of qualified candidates that may be considered for selection of additional vacancies of the same position type over the next 6 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

Work Schedule

Primary shift assignment for Short Term Temporary Jail Health Physicians (following orientation) is weekend/holiday day shift at the downtown jail facility in Seattle. Short Term Temporary Jail Health Physicians should be able to work four shifts on average per month.

Work Location

King County Correctional Facility: 500 5th Ave, Seattle WA 98104

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

• 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.
• Provide care to patients in medical emergencies, including necessary support 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 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 call coverage for the medical provider team.
• Provide testimony when required in various legal proceedings.

Ideal Candidate

• 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 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 team and with a patient panel with diverse cultures and socio-economic background.
• 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 Candidate

• Two years of experience providing adult primary care, including women's health care preferred.
• Lived participatory community experience with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color strongly preferred
• Experience managing substance use disorders including treatment of withdrawal syndromes and use of medications for opioid use disorder strongly preferred.
• Proficiency in language other than English preferred.
• Experience in correctional health care environment preferred.

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Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive.

We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

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No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. 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.