Physician Neonatologist

ST. CHARLES HEALTH SYSTEM

JOB DESCRIPTION

TITLE:                                                   SCHS Physician – Neonatologist

REPORTS TO POSITION:                SCHS Clinical Division Director- Pediatrics

DEPARTMENT:                                  SCHS Neonatology

DATE LAST REVIEWED:                 November 7, 2025

OUR VISION:                       Creating America’s healthiest community, together

OUR MISSION:                   In the spirit of love and compassion, better health, better care, better value

OUR VALUES:                    Accountability, Caring and Teamwork

DEPARTMENTAL SUMMARY: The SCHS neonatology providers provide regional care to premature and sick neonates for Central & Eastern Oregon.  The SCHS NICU is a Level IIIA with evolving subspecialty capabilities to include pediatric surgery and anesthesia.  Candidate will provide expertise to the perinatal center, referral hospitals and physicians.  Neonatologists  working at St. Charles require significant clinical experience in managing the range and complexity of patients referred to the NICU.

POSITION OVERVIEW:   The Neonatologist is the team leader for newborn care delivery in the Perinatal Center and the NICU located at St. Charles Bend. The physician will oversee the NICU multidisciplinary care team and will have clinical oversight for the Advanced Practice Team.  The Neonatologist will provide clinical leadership and support to the Resuscitation team in the Family Birth Center.   Primary clinical duties include clinical consultations, admissions, daily rounds, procedures, and discharge planning. Skill set includes all aspects and procedures as they relate to NICU care. The Neonatologist serves as medical control for babies being transported throughout the region.  Embedded in the role is leadership and participation in key administrative meetings, Quality Improvement, Morbidity & Mortality review and Outreach support.  In addition, the Neonatologist will provide support to a planned Telemedicine program at referral delivery centers.

Work schedule: A full-time Neonatologist covers 92-day shifts.  Day shifts are 12-hour shifts, with flexible scheduling available.  Night call is 12 hours, with the expectation of 30-minute or less response time. Outpatient antenatal consults are included in the clinical expectations: these may be performed when not on service, per physician preference. 

Call expectation: After-hours call is a condition of employment and is shared among the Neonatologists, averaging 1:4 call.  In-person response time is 30 minutes or less to provide evaluation, management and care for unstable neonatal patients, attendance at high-risk deliveries, medical management of incoming & outgoing interhospital transfers, emergency response to the perinatal center, and on-site NICU admissions per guidelines.  The Neonatologist also provides telephone support to NICU APP and RN teams and to referring physicians.  

Outreach: Participation in Department Outreach plan to support regional delivery centers with scheduled Outreach visits as determined by Medical Director.

Participation in departmental meetings including monthly team meetings; annual Retreats; NICU & Perinatal M&M; High Risk OB forums; (estimated at 68 hours/year).

Quality Improvement: Leadership and participation estimated at 10 hours/month/physician.

Work location: The Physician will be in Bend Hospital for coverage needs. Other outreach locations may be added as patient and business needs dictate.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES: (May perform additional duties of similar complexity within SCHS as required or assigned)

Clinical Expectations:  

• Practice and model excellence in the neonatology care domains of diagnosis, aligning treatment goals to patient values, making definitive diagnoses, guiding treatment, ensuring follow-up care, promoting growth, and preventing illness.

• Practice medicine within the scope of license, training and credentialing.

• Assess, plan, implement, and evaluate individual patient care while demonstrating expert knowledge of evidence-based neonatal intensive and neonatal critical care

• Collaborate with other members of the NICU providers and multidisciplinary team to ensure a world-class patient experience.

• Collaborates with pharmacy to provide appropriate medications accurately in accordance with SCHS policies and procedures for medication administration.

• Analyzes data collected to determine health stat