Physician (General Surgery)

The primary purpose of this position is to serve as a technical expert within the specialty area of General Surgery, the incumbent assumes responsibility for the diagnosis, care and treatment of patients.

• Interviews and examines patients, reviews past medical history, and requests and/or performs diagnostic tests and examinations deemed necessary to obtain all appropriate information related to each case.
• Makes preliminary diagnoses, directs, prescribes or provides treatment, or arranges for specialized care in the field of General Surgery or patient referral as required.
• Provides urgent and emergency care as required.
• Refers patients to appropriate contract medical or other government facilities.
• Responds to acute emergency interventions, working closely in consultation with members of other medical departments.
• Serves as an expert in the specialized area and assumes appropriate administrative duties as assigned by the supervisor.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR - Board Certification: Applicants applying in a specialty must meet one of the following as an approved agency-wide selective factor. This becomes part of the minimum requirements to qualify for the position.

1. Board Certified in the Specialty to which the applicant is applying or
2. Active Registrant of the Board in the Specialty to which the applicant is applying.

The Northern Navajo Medical Center in Shiprock, New Mexico is located in the Four Corners area of the United States where New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah meet. Northern Navajo Medical Center is one of five facilities located within the Shiprock Service Unit. The Shiprock Service Unit is the largest service unit of the Navajo Nation.

Approximately 80,837 Native Americans (mostly Navajo) are enrolled at Northern Navajo Medical Center. The inpatient load is 29 per day and the outpatient volume averages 600 per day.

A variety of services are available including internal medicine, family practice, urgent and emergency care, pediatrics, general surgery, women's health, mental health, respiratory therapy, outpatient rehabilitation services, pharmacy, optometry, dental, public health nursing, social services, health promotion/disease prevention, radiology, laboratory and benefits coordination.

Northern Navajo Medical Center employs 860 full-time employees. The medical staff consists of 75 physicians and 24 mid-level providers.

Northern Navajo Medical Staff work with a variety of other facilities both locally and nationally. Specialists are consulted both within the IHS system, as well as outside our system. We have strong relationships with private providers in the Four Corners region, as well as at University of New Mexico, and the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA.

Nearby are recreation opportunities that include fishing, hiking, biking, cross-country skiing and alpine skiing. Telluride, Durango, Canyonlands, Grand Gulch, the Colorado River, the San Juan River, several large lakes, and the Colorado Wilderness areas are just short drives away.

The Navajo Area Indian Health Service (NAIHS) is one of 12 regional administrative units of the Indian Health Service (IHS), in the US Department of Health and Human Services. The NAIHS delivers health services to a user population of over 244,000 American Indians in five Federal service units on and near the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Nation is one of the largest Indian reservations in the United States. The Navajo Nation consists of more than 25,000 contiguous square miles and three satellite communities, and extends into portions of the states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. NAIHS primarily delivers health services to members of the Navajo Nation and the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, and also provides services to other Native Americans, including Zunis, Hopis, and other American Indian beneficiaries. The five (5) Federal Service Units (SUs) include Chinle, Crownpoint, Gallup, Kayenta, and Shiprock SUs.

NAIHS provides inpatient, emergency, outpatient, public health, and other services at four hospitals: Chinle Comprehensive Health Care Facility, Crownpoint Health Care Facility, Gallup Indian Medical Center, and Northern Navajo Medical Center (Shiprock, NM). These inpatient facilities comprise a total of 222 hospital beds. The Kayenta Health Center in Kayenta, AZ will transition to begin operating as an Alternative Rural Hospital in late 2017 by offering ten short stay nursing beds and ambulatory surgery. Navajo Area also has seven full-time health centers providing outpatient, community health, preventive health, and other services. There are also five part-time health stations.

In addition to the NAIHS, the Navajo health care system includes an urban health program in Flagstaff, Arizona, the Navajo Department of Health (NDOH), and five Tribal health care corporations. Native Americans for Community Action, Inc. (NACA), founded in 1971, is one of 34 Urban Indian health programs in the United States. NACA provides outpatient, behavioral health, health promotion, and other services to the population in and around Flagstaff, Arizona. The NDOH, created in 1977, ensures access to quality and culturally acceptable health care. The NDOH offers nutrition, aging, substance abuse, education, community health outreach, and other services to the Navajo population through regulation, direct service delivery, and coordination with federal, state, and local partners. NDOH has a master contract with NAIHS under the auspices of Public Law 93-638, the Indian Self Determination and Education Assistance Act.

Margaret Begay
Health Recruitment Specialist/ Medical Staff Recruiter
(505) 493-6930