Nurse Practitioner (NP) or Physician's Assistant (PA) - ORCA Center, Night Shift

Description

Schedule:

• Before ORCA Center Opens (anticipated in summer-fall 2025): Monday – Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm; clinical care on DESC’s Opioid Treatment Network team.
• After ORCA Center Opens: Three (3) 12-hour shifts with at least a 30-minute lunch break, 7:00 pm – 7:30 am, per week; and one additional 12-hour shift every 4 weeks. 

Supervised by: ORCA Center Senior Medical Lead Physician

Shift Differential: $1.00 per hour for night shift

Insurance Benefits: Medical, Dental, Life, Long-term Disability

Other Benefits: Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), ORCA card subsidy, Paid Time Off (34 days per year), Retirement Plan

JOB OVERVIEW:

This role will provide direct clinical care within the DESC Opioid Recovery and Care Access (ORCA) Center. The ORCA Center is estimated to start clinical services in late summer to fall 2025 and will eventually be open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, including holidays. It will offer four overlapping types of services, delivered by a team of prescribers, nurses, medical assistants and peer specialists, with operational leadership support:

• Care to individuals in stable condition who have experienced an opioid overdose, brought to the ORCA Center by first responders or transferred from local emergency departments.
• Rapid initiation of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), including buprenorphine (sublingual and long-acting injectable) and methadone (under the “72-hour rule”, or Code of Federal regulations Title 21 §1306.07 (b)), for people with opioid use disorder (OUD), regardless of whether an opioid overdose has recently occurred.
• Harm reduction counseling and OUD-related physical and behavioral health services, such as hepatitis C testing and treatment and HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis.
• Follow-up care, at the ORCA Center or at times field-based, with individuals who have started MOUD to ensure support in MOUD continuation. 

We are hiring for this now. Before the ORCA Center opens, this role will focus on supporting the DESC Opioid Treatment Network team, an outpatient OUD treatment team, to provide care for clients with OUD and related health conditions. After the ORCA Center’s opening, responsibilities will transition to the Center’s clinical operations. 

This is a clinical role without administrative or supervisory duties.

About DESC:

DESC is a multi-service agency that specializes in providing permanent supportive housing, emergency shelter, residential crisis services, and comprehensive behavioral health outpatient services for people with long-time experiences of homelessness and serious behavioral health disabilities. We utilize harm reduction, trauma informed care, and housing first practices, striving to deliver high-quality, outcomes-oriented, flexible services that accommodate consumers’ unique needs. The ORCA Center builds upon DESC’s successful and innovative clinic- and field-based outpatient OUD treatment team and will collaborate closely with this team. 

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Clinical Care

• Provide evidence-based treatment for OUD, including initiation and management of buprenorphine (sublingual and long-acting injectable) and, according to DESC protocols, methadone initiation.
• Conduct harm reduction counseling and provide services related to infectious diseases such as syphilis, hepatitis C, and HIV (including PrEP).
• Manage and treat conditions commonly seen in individuals with OUD, such as skin and soft tissue infections and linkage to mental health care.
• Perform initial health assessments and follow-up visits for individuals starting or continuing MOUD.
• Educate patients on health-related topics, treatment plans, and harm reduction strategies.
• Document clinical care in accordance with DESC and regulatory standards.

Care Coordination

• Collaborate with an interdisciplinary team of clinicians, peer specialists, and social workers to provide holistic care.
• Ensure continuity of care for individuals transitioning between ORCA Center services and other health care providers. 

Professional Development

• Stay updated on best practices in addiction medicine and harm reduction through continuing education.
• Participate in in-service training and case discussions to maintain high clinical standards. 

Requirements

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Licensed as a Nurse Practitioner (Family or Adult NP) or Physician Assistant in the State of Washington.
• Registration with