Medical advisor job description

This post includes 3 parts: duties list, job qualification and job description writing tips for Medical advisor in details. A complete job description concludes Medical advisor key duties/responsibilities, Medical advisor job qualifications (knowledge, education, skills, abilities, experience…KSA model) and other ones such as daily tasks, key activities, key/core competencies, job functions/purpose…

I. List of Medical advisor duties:

1.    Provides medical expertise in occupational medicine areas for two or more divisions or groups; ensures that diagnosis and related procedures follow protocol and are accurate.

2.    Recognizes, evaluates, interprets, recommends and implements policies and procedures for occupational medicine such as medical surveillance and certification, emergency response, workers' compensation, health promotion, employee deadlines, assignments, and objectives. Prepares periodic reports regarding unit activities and goal attainment progress.

3.    Reviews and incorporates health and medical surveillance standards as defined and recommended by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other governmental and legal agencies; ensures that company safety standards adhere to established guidelines.

4.    Provides input and medical expertise to two or more division-wide multi-disciplinary programs. Recommends new or alternative approaches.

5.    Participates in health and environmental issues at the division level and communicates on an ongoing basis with senior management to insure program effectiveness. Recommends changes to meet medical needs.

6.    Maintains and controls a financial budget related to occupational medicine activities. Recommends new equipment, training, instruments, etc., to meet medical needs.

7.    Selects and hires employees. Trains and evaluates employees to enhance their performance, development, and work product. Addresses performance issues and makes recommendations for personnel actions. Motivates and rewards employees including providing salary increases, bonuses and promotions within allocated budgets and company guidelines.

8.    Prepares and recommends operating and personnel budgets for approval. Monitors spending for adherence to budget, recommends variances as necessary.

II. List of Medical advisor qualifications

1.    Medical degree or equivalent combination of education and experience

2.    Medical degree in a related field preferred

3.    Nine or more years of medical experience

4.    Experience working with various occupational medicine areas

5.    Experience working with compliance related policies, procedures, guidelines, and laws

6.    Experience working with occupational medicine practices and procedures

7.    Experience working with generally accepted accounting principles and accounting software

8.    Experience working with budgets

9.    Board certification preferred

10.  Must have 5 years experience in medical review of physician, inpatient/outpatient hospital and medical services claim submissions

11.  Must have 3+ years of healthcare coding and clinical experience

12.  Must have an RN license or a license in a related field

13.  Current Certified Professional Coder license.  Knowledge of DRG Grouper, CPT-4, ICD-9, HCPCS and Revenue center coding

14.  Comprehensive knowledge of medical, administrative, ethical, and legal requirements and standards related to healthcare delivery and privacy of protected patient information

15.  Experience in developing medical policies and procedures

16.  Knowledge of workers' compensation claims is a plus

17.  Good communication skills

18.  Good interpersonal and presentation skills for interacting with team members and clients

19.  Good analytical and problem solving skills

20.  Good organization skills to balance and prioritize work

21.  Leadership skills to guide and mentor the work of less experienced personnel

22.  Ability to keep sensitive and confidential material private

23.  Ability to lead in a team environment

24.  Ability to handle multiple tasks and switch between tasks quickly

25.  Willingness to travel

III. Tips to write job description

1. Too-long job description:

Looking at a too-long job description can frighten the candidates off and drive the away. A job description, no matter how important the job is, should not be included in more than 3 pages. If one focuses on too many things at a time, he shall definitely lose focus on the main items and get overwhelmed by the remaining; So, keep it concisely.

2. Too-short job description:

While too-long can be a problem, too-short is more a problem. It will ruin the meaning of the job description. A too-short one means it lacks necessary details and therefore, the candidate will not be able to understand while reading it.

3. Listing unnecessary functions or job duties:

Just classifying these into the “others” category will save you a lot of effort and space. On the other hand, the job description will become more dilute and easy to be neglected.

4. Key functions

Not listing key functions as required for the job can be a fatal mistake to a job description.

5. Grammar and spelling

Poor grammar and having spelling errors can ruin the job description, too. Never think that as you are the employer, you may have the right to make grammar or spelling errors while requires other not to. A job description with such errors is easily to be mistaken as a fake or ghost ads; as a result, the candidate will turn away from it.

6. Not specific enough:

Be specific and concise; if you don’t address the specific, then what the job description is for. It is for the candidate to understand just exactly what he needs to do or needs to have. Lacking details can confuse the candidates very well.

7. Not having the job description reviewed by others:

This is also a common mistake. One may be subject to bias, but more than one, especially with the help of those external advisor, the job description can be more perfect.

8. Using buzzwords or abbreviations:

In fact, it is not necessary at all to use such in a job description.

9. Using slang or legal words:

Just use common wording to communicate with others and don’t do anything extraordinarily.

10. Not updating the job description:

The same job may require different duties and responsibilities in different times, so, you cannot use the same job description for 2 different times.