Assistant Medical Examiner - Coroner, Santa Clara, CA

The County of Santa Clara
Invites Applications for

ASSISTANT MEDICAL
EXAMINER-CORONER

Physician Leadership Career Opportunity

The Position

The Assistant Medical Examiner-Coroner under administrative direction from the Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner is responsible for the performance of medical activities in the Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office.

Specifically, the Assistant Medical Examiner-Coroner assists in supervising and teaching an in-service training program for hospital residents and pathology residents; performs autopsies to determine cause and manner of death; responds to death scenes as required for proper scene investigations; confers with other medical staff in cases of questionable deaths; serves as an expert medical witness; and assists in disaster situations. Also, the Assistants may represent the Office at death review meetings.

THE OFFICE

The mission of the Office of the Medical Examiner–Coroner (ME-C) is to provide for the health, safety and dignity of the community by determining the circumstances, conditions, and cause of death of persons who fall under its legal jurisdiction and to notify bereaved family members of these deaths in a compassionate and professional manner. Services offered include death certification, investigation into the cause and manner of certain deaths, legal next of kin notification, positive identification and community education.

The Office investigates over 5,000 deaths each year of which approximately 1,500 are medically unattended, occurred under unnatural or violent circumstances, or may present a public health hazard. Examples include sudden infant deaths, drug overdoses, in-custody deaths, pandemics and deaths due to criminal means. The Office independently investigates deaths which fall under the jurisdiction of the Medical Examiner-Coroner.

The Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner reports directly to the Office of the County Executive and oversees the entire functions of the office while still performing examinations. The Administrative Services Manager working closing with the Chief Medical Examiner Coroner provides day-to-day administrative support for the Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office to include administration, fiscal management, setting of policies, standards, and protocol for non-medical staff, maintenance of the facility, fee management, and other related activities. The Department functions as a Medical Examiner system with the Medical Examiner-Coroner physicians having medical independence and responsibility for rendering cause and manner of death.

The ME-C also offers educational opportunities to County stakeholders, law enforcement, fire and paramedic personnel. These experiences allow participants to come in close contact with the deceased in a highly controlled and supportive environment.

The Office has a staff of 28 employees and a budget of approximately $7.9 million.

POSITION HIGHLIGHTS - WHY YOU SHOULD JOIN US

• One of the highest salary ranges in the Country
• Fantastic team of doctors, investigators, technicians, and administrative support staff
• Cases that will intrigue you
• Our technicians perform full evisceration under doctor supervision
• Rotating call with on-call pay
• Operates as an independent Chief Medical Examiner system
• Telework opportunities when not on call (paper weeks)
• Stable office with goal of seeking NAME accreditation
• Electronic medical records access for County Hospitals with ongoing efforts to include other Bay Area hospitals
• All doctors are Board certified with an in-house Board Certified Neuropathologist
• Doctors who are certified/diplomates of the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators
• Digital radiology
• Clean and spacious autopsy stations and an isolation autopsy suite
• Access to Department of Pathology at Stanford University
• Academic affiliation with Stanford and teaching opportunities with rotating residents from Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and Stanford Hospital
• Majority of CME activities fulfilled through CAP in autop sypathology, forensic pathology, and neuropathology.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

A well-qualified candidate will possess a Doctor of Medicine Degree from an approved medical school, board certification in forensic pathology by the American Board of Pathology* ; a valid California Physicians and Surgeons license, and a valid California driver's license.

*In lieu of possession of a valid certificate in forensic pathology issued by the American Board of Pathology, an applicant must be eligible to sit for the certificate exmaination and other appointment, and must successfully complete the Board Certification process within two (2) years of appointment or be released from position.

Candidates should possess thorough knowledge of: principles and techniques of forensic pathology; uses of specialized equipment and instruments required in the practice of forensic pathology; the ability to express facts clearly, both orally and in writing; and legal implications of facts obtained during autopsies and field investigations.

DESIRABLE CHARACTERISTICS

The Office of the Medical Examiner is seeking individuals who possess exceptional forensic medical skills and the demonstrated ability to effectively work as a team member. The ideal candidate must possess a strong work ethic , excellent interpersonal skills, and the ability to effectively convey information to a variety of audiences, both verbally and in written form. Lastly, our ideal Assistant Medical Examiner-Coroner must be organized and possess the ability and sensitivity to work with a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic community.

GREAT EXECUTIVE LEVEL BENEFITS
INCLUDING

• 288 annual leave hours, with cash out option
• Generous retirement plan – CalPERS with a minimum 5 year vesting period
• 457 Deferred Compensation Plan available
• Annual educational reimbursement of $4,500 to cover professional membership dues, books, academic meetings, edical licensure, CMEs, etc.
• Thirteen (13) paid county holidays annually

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

$319,943 - $388,924
Annually

Salary is dependent upon qualifications and cannot exceed the maximum amount listed.

TO LEARN MORE AND TO APPLY FOR THIS POSITION CLICK HERE
Or visit: www.sccjobs.org/ExecRecruitment

ABOUT THE COUNTY

Santa Clara County, sometimes referred to as “Silicon Valley,” is unique for its geographic attractiveness and social diversity. With its numerous natural amenities and one of the highest standards of living in the country, it has long been considered one of the best areas in the United States to live and work.

The County’s population of 1.92 million is the largest in Northern California, one of the State’s most heterogeneous, rich in ethnic and cultural diversity, and enjoys access to all of the attractions of the San Francisco Bay Area. The elected Board of Supervisors establishes policies to address issues that affect the day-to-day operation of the County government and is responsible for an annual operating and capital improvement budget of more than $9 billion. It adopts ordinances that affect unincorporated communities and oversees the budget. The County operates under a “charter” form of government, which gives the County substantial responsibility and authority. Under this charter, the Board appoints a County Executive to administer County Government. Santa Clara County is the third largest employer in Silicon Valley with approximately 22,000 employees.

Santa Clara County is made up of people from diverse cultures, nationalities, and racial groups. Over 100 languages and dialects spoken. A large percentage of the population in the County was born outside of the United States.

The County is home to four universities – Stanford, Santa Clara University, San Jose State University and the National Hispanic University – as well as excellent community colleges. The University of California Santa Cruz, on behalf of the UC System, operates the famous Lick Observatory which is located locally on Mount Hamilton.

Local museums and art galleries include the Tech Museum of Innovation, the Rosicrucian Museum, the Children’s Discovery Museum, the San Jose Museum of Art, the Triton Museum and many others. There are also abundant performing arts venues including opera, symphonies, musical theater, repertory theater, concerts, and children’s musical theater. Local theme parks and venues for children and adults include Paramount’s Great America, Gilroy Gardens, and Raging Waters.

In addition to the wide variety of business, educational, cultural and recreational opportunities within the County, a short hour’s drive can bring residents or visitors to the hills of San Francisco or any number of white sand beaches along the Pacific Ocean from Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay to Monterey and Carmel.

DIVERSE WORKFORCE

Much like the communities it serves, the County of Santa Clara’s workforce is also highly diverse, with an ethnic distribution that closely approximates that of the county as a whole. Additionally, the County’s workforce is widely distributed across age groups, with employees ranging from 18 to 80. This wide range provides the County with diverse perspectives and allows for better representation across the many generations we serve.

The County’s diverse workforce is a product of intention, derived from the Board of Supervisors’ Policy on Diversity, with a commitment to valuing that diversity through fair representation and treatment of all groups.

We believe that a diverse workforce provides advantages both internally, in terms of the human resources potential offered by a variety of diverse perspectives, and externally, in increasing the County’s ability to respond to an equally

--Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, Policy on DIVERSE WORKFORCE