Chair, Department of Surgery

Tower Health is a regional integrated healthcare system that offers compassionate, high-quality, leading-edge healthcare and wellness services to communities in Berks, Chester, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties. With approximately 11,500 employees, Tower Health consists of Reading Hospital in West Reading; Phoenixville Hospital in Phoenixville; Pottstown Hospital in Pottstown; and St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. Tower Health has partnered with Drexel University College of Medicine to open a new medical school one-half mile walking distance from Reading Hospital, a regional medical campus for Drexel University College of Medicine at Tower Health. The school opened in 2021 and is currently accepting enrollment applications for the second class in 2024. In addition, Reading Hospital is the main training hospital for the medical school and supports ACGME accredited residency and fellowship programs. For more information, visit towerhealth.org.

Tower Health is seeking a Chair, Department of Surgery.

This role requires leading a key department at Reading Hospital to deliver high-quality care while steering the Department towards a training-centered culture of clinical service delivery while developing the next generation of doctors through various residency programs and academic programs that the department is associated with. The Chair will coordinate multi-disciplinary teams, quality assurance, and assurance of best practices through productive and collegial relationships with all other Chairs, Division Chiefs, and Medical Directors within the health system. The Chair is expected to maintain clinical practice with allocation for administrative responsibilities. It is also anticipated that the Chair will participate in educational activities and will qualify for faculty appointment at the health system’s affiliated academic institutions.

Essential Functions/ Job Responsibilities

• Promotes and participates in a collaborative interdisciplinary leadership team.
• Is the exemplar of positive collaboration and teamwork for providers and employees of the Department.
• Works with employed and non-employed Division Chiefs to ensure that departmental performance meets or exceeds standards described in medical staff rules and regulations, by-laws, departmental policies, Joint Commission recommendations, and state and federal standards and requirements.
• Guides the strategic focus of the Department to develop services and service-lines that align with the strengthening of the Department, Hospital, and Health System.
• Works with Department members, senior hospital leadership, Nursing and ancillary leadership and others to develop and achieve objectives for
  quality goals and improvement, growth, and expansion of services.
• Ensures departmental policies are known, understood, and implemented by the Department’s physicians, advanced practice providers and
  Residents.
• Participates in human resources coordination and planning in the department with human resources and hospital leadership.
• Is available for counseling, advice, information, and general support to physicians and other department members.
• Receives feedback on employees’ progress and completes annual performance reviews.
• Mentor’s medical personnel in the care and treatment of patients.
• Reviews and monitors clinical records to ensure compliance with professional standards.
• Encourages professional development through in-service education, conferences, and case conferences.
• Participates in the recruitment, hiring, and orientation of all new clinical staff.
• Acts as liaison for the department with other professionals, hospital departments, and personnel.
• Participates in short- and long-term planning activities.
• Serves on continuous quality improvement teams.
• Assures clinical compliance with best practice industry standards.
• Assists in the fiscal, budgetary, and program growth planning for the department.
• Responsible for maintaining interdepartmental communication on clinical issues.
• Leads Hospital’s strategy for surgical growth.
• Takes an active role in recruitment and retention of department members.
• Oversees the training programs within the Department while providing mentorship for the Program Directors and trainees.
• Plans and promotes CME and other educational activities for medical and other professional staff to augment the culture of teaching trainees.
• Oversees coordination of residency, medical student clerkship, and physician assistant/nurse practitioner rotations.
• Promotes quality evaluation activities by the professional staff of the department.
• Oversees and supports coordination of graduate medical and undergraduate medical and professional education with other Reading Hospital
  programs.
• All other duties as assigned.

All activities must be in compliance with Equal Employment Opportunity laws, patient confidentiality, and other Federal, State and Local laws and regulations, as appropriate. The content of this job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work expectations performed by incumbents in this classification. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all position functions or physical demands required and performed by the incumbent in the role. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise. It does not alter the ‘at will’ employment relationship between the company and the employee. The organization has the right, at its sole discretion, based on business and patient needs, to alter or change the expectations at any time.

Education Requirements

• Medical Doctorate

Experience

• Relevant Experience

Certification and Licensure Requirements (May vary based on department needs).

• Any applicable Board Certification
• Board Certified eligible physician license for practice of medicine in the state of Pennsylvania

Required Skills

• Excellent Communication Skills
• Excellent Interpersonal Skills
• Dictation and Transcription Skills
• Medical Terminology
• Analytical Skills
• Customer Service Skills
• Prepare & Give Presentations
• Detail Oriented
• Organizational Skills
• Listening Skills
• Collaborative Skills
• Leadership Skills
• Good Reasoning Skills
• Strategic Thinking 
• Negotiation Skills
• Financial and Business Acumen
• Microsoft Office Applications
• Change Management
• Strong Team Player
• Service Orientation
• Epic Proficiency

Physical Requirements

• According to The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), it is possible that requirements may be modified to reasonably accommodate disabled individuals. However, no accommodations will be made which may pose serious health or safety risks to the employee or others or which impose undue hardships on the organization.
• Adequate to perform job duties in person and over the telephone.
• Must be able to communicate clearly in person and over the telephone.
• Must be able to accurately document pertinent information either by writing or typing.
• Visual acuity adequate to perform job duties, including reading information from printed sources and computer screen.

Physical Demands

1. Constantly (67-100% of the day): Sit, Fine Manipulation
2. Occasionally (0-33% of the day): Stand, Walk, Bend (at the waist; must have full use of legs and back muscles), Handling (repetitive with the elbows-work with hand(s) or whole arm), Grasping/Gripping

Physical Environment

• May be exposed to blood borne pathogens Low Risk.
• May be exposed to communicable diseases.
• Protective equipment required (respirator, mask, earplugs, gloves, eyewear, etc.)