Princeton University

Overview

The Physician, Medical Quality Oversight, provides primary care to Princeton undergraduate and graduate students and their eligible dependents in the Outpatient Medical Services clinic, with a focus on higher-risk populations including patients with eating concerns and those seeking gender-affirming care. In partnership with the Quality Department and Medical Service leadership, this physician helps advance quality improvement initiatives, supporting a culture of continuous improvement and high-quality, evidence-based care. Additionally, the physician contributes to staff development by identifying opportunities for standardizing clinical practices and organizing the education and training needed to support them. These three focus areas align with our strategic goals of continuous improvement, clinical excellence, and consistent, patient-centered care across Medical Services.

The scope of practice for a physician may extend to certain circumscribed roles regarding faculty and staff, the provision of courtesy care to some visiting athletes, limited care regarding other visiting students, and first aid for campus visitors, and limited care for alumni during Reunions, as outlined in the “scope of practice” policy. General liability coverage is provided by the University for professional activities performed within the UHS scope of practice. University malpractice coverage does not extend to activities outside this scope, such as private practice. The University has designated spokespersons for external communications. Any interactions with the media, public, or general student body must be consistent with university policies. While UHS currently does not have evening appointment hours, UHS leadership reserves the option to institute evening appointments with appropriate notice and staff physician coverage if operational needs require.

A fully accredited facility, University Health Services (UHS) at Princeton University provides responsive, high quality clinical, preventive, and consultative health services to over 8,500 Princeton undergraduate and graduate students and their dependents, and occupational health services to Princeton University faculty, staff, and employees. An integrated, evidence-informed model guides all UHS practices and services. UHS leverages clinical encounters and prevention efforts into meaningful opportunities for our members to learn about and adopt healthy living practices. UHS also supports a public health approach that prevents or responds rapidly to illness outbreaks and injury, and advances, preserves, or restores students’ capacity to take full advantage of their education.

UHS’s mission is to enhance learning and student success by using current and emerging knowledge of health, well-being, and human development to guide high-quality inclusive, clinical, prevention, and population-based solutions to college health issues; and promoting the perspective of health and well-being throughout University life.

UHS’s values are Compassionate Care; Service Excellence; Collaborative Spirit & Learning Orientation.

UHS hires individuals of all backgrounds. We build on our staff’s diversity--recognizing, valuing, and appreciating the different perspectives, talents, and energy of all. UHS invites all its employees to make a valuable contribution in this regard. We firmly believe that being an inclusive and culturally responsive community is one of the foundations of a vibrant, relevant organization. We aspire to develop the mindsets, knowledge and abilities to build equitable and inclusive systems, teams and culture.

In addition, UHS embraces an organization-wide commitment to quality and performance improvement. We aspire to be an organization in which all employees devote themselves to individual and systemic efforts to improve what they do so that all clients are well-served. Consistent with this direction, we hire individuals who are engaged, strive for excellence, and support continuous quality efforts.

As a member of the UHS staff, your job may be deemed “essential” as defined by University and UHS policy.

Responsibilities

As a leadership role, this position carries the expectation of modeling behaviors and decision-making that align with the strategic goals, mission, and values of University Health Services. The incumbent is expected to actively support, inform, and embody departmental and institutional objectives through both clinical practice and administrative leadership. Effective leadership also includes fostering healthy, respectful dialogue, proposing alternative perspectives when appropriate, and engaging in constructive debate that strengthens shared decision-making.

Clinical Care (approx. 70%)

• Provides outpatient and inpatient care consistent with UHS policies and procedures, including care for higher-risk populations (such as patients with eating concerns and those seeking gender-affirming care) within the scope of primary care:

o Taking a history and doing a physical examination

o Ordering and interpreting laboratory tests, ordering and preliminarily interpreting imaging and other diagnostic studies

o Referring to appropriate consultants/care coordination when indicated

o Writing orders for patients on the inpatient service

o Performing minor surgical procedures such as simple suturing and incision/drainage when qualified

o Giving injections and administering medications

• Maintains professional standards in the management of confidential information and treats interactions with patients as privileged communications.
• Provides management of emergencies and life-threatening conditions.
• May issue prescriptions consistent with the NJ Administrative Code.
• Documents all clinical activities in a timely manner and according to University Health Services protocols and guidelines.
• Care may include communication with students when away from campus, using electronic and telephonic methods consistent with good medical practice.
• Educates patients regarding their illness and health concerns and encourages their participation in treatment planning.
• Maintains professional standards regarding patient relationships, consistent with NJBME and professional organizations’ standards.
• Provides outpatient care and care for some students admitted to the inpatient unit. An inpatient unit provides care for students who do not require hospital-level care but would benefit from a level of care beyond self-care.
• When a UHS physicians are “on-call” they will be expected to provide care for the patients of UHS physicians who are not present and review and act upon the abnormal lab / x-ray results of clinicians who are not present.
• A UHS physician will be assigned, in rotation, some nights and weekends on call. During the academic year this takes the form of on-site and phone coverage. During the non-academic year, this will usually be administrative call by phone with rare on-site responsibilities.
• Seeks and applies for privileges only for procedures for which they have training and competence, and does not perform procedures without Medical Director approval.

Medical Quality and Provider Development (approx. 25%)

• In partnership with the Quality Department and the Medical Director and Associate Director, Medical Services, advances Medical Services’ quality improvement initiatives to enhance clinical performance and maintain regulatory compliance. Applies quality improvement methodologies to process improvement efforts and regularly presents data on outcomes to staff.
• Develops, monitors, and reports on key performance indicators (KPIs) aligned with department goals.
• Leads at least two Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) quality improvement projects annually, sharing findings and impact with relevant stakeholders.
• Serves as an internal consultant to other providers conducting PDSA projects by helping align projects with organizational priorities and troubleshooting challenges, including navigating conversations with other departments within UHS, such as IT and the Quality Department.
• Identifies opportunities for standardizing clinical practices and organizes the education needed to support these practices across the provider group.
• Coordinates continuing medical education (CME) activities, including inviting speakers to Medical Services all-staff meetings on relevant clinical and quality topics, in collaboration with the Administrative Coordinator.
• Supports the development of new and existing providers through mentorship and targeted education as identified by supervisors or department needs.
• Leads quality improvement and provider education efforts with a sustained focus on equity, ensuring the voices and experiences of BIPOC and other historically underrepresented student populations are meaningfully integrated into patient-centered care strategies.

Training and Professional Development (approx. 5%)

• Maintains current licensure in New Jersey, CDS (Controlled Dangerous Substance), and DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) registrations, and complies with NJBME and other regulatory standards.
• Practices in a manner consistent with the standards of their professional specialty board.
• Maintains current certification in CPR and AED with annual training.
• Participates regularly in continuing medical education (CME) activities and meets state and specialty board continuing education requirements to ensure up-to-date knowledge and skills for providing high-quality care.
• Completes required annual in-house training, including blood-borne pathogens and occupational risk areas as determined by Occupational Health and the Director of Medical Services, and complies with adverse event/occurrence reporting policies.
• Contributes to the learning environment by making presentations to UHS staff or the campus community as needed and participating in the mentorship of clinicians in training.
• Provides consultative guidance when requested by other UHS professionals, fostering a collaborative practice model among physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners.

Note on Time Allocation and Role Expectations

Clinical care and administrative responsibilities may fluctuate based on seasonal demands and operational capacity.

Qualifications

Essential Qualifications

• Professional degree (MD or DO).
• New Jersey license as an MD or DO with a primary specialty in Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine, or Pediatrics.
• At least 3–5 years of post-doctoral clinical experience, including 2 or more years in an ambulatory care or related setting.
• Current certification in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) for healthcare workers, with appropriate continuing education credits as required by certifying organizations.
• Ability to work evenings and weekends as needed.
• Knowledge of quality improvement principles and methodologies (e.g., Plan-Do-Study-Act, Root Cause Analysis, measurement, data collection, and analysis) to support and lead quality improvement activities, or willingness to complete UHS-based quality improvement training within the first 6 months of hire.
• Respects the cultures and identities of others, demonstrating curiosity and openness regarding those of different identities and cultures.
• Demonstrates a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in college health or working with adolescent and young adult populations.
• Familiarity with total quality systems (e.g., Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, Baldrige National Quality Program) and experience reviewing and analyzing data for quality improvement.
• Training in health equity and other diversity, equity, and inclusion topics.
• Experience leading or mentoring others in quality improvement projects.
• Experience with electronic health record systems, including using data from EHRs for quality improvement initiatives.

Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's qualifications, work experience, education/training, key skills, market, collective bargaining agreements as applicable, and organizational considerations when extending an offer. The posted salary range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate for a full-time position; salaries for part-time positions are pro-rated accordingly.

If the salary range on the posted position shows an hourly rate, this is the baseline; the actual hourly rate may be higher, depending on the position and factors listed above.

The University also offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees. Please see this link for more information.

Standard Weekly Hours

36.25

Eligible for Overtime

No

Benefits Eligible

Yes

Probationary Period

180 days

Essential Services Personnel (see policy for detail)

Yes

Physical Capacity Exam Required

No

Valid Driver’s License Required

No

Experience Level

Director

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Salary Range

$235,000 to $245,000

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