Part-Time Nurse Practitioner; NP or Physician's Assistant; PA

Part‑time Nurse Practitioner (NP) or Physician’s Assistant (PA)

Location: Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) – Opioid Recovery and Care Access (ORCA) Center, Washington, USA

Job type: Part‑time, 18.75 hours per week before ORCA opens; afterward, 3 × 12‑hour shifts, 7:00 pm – 7:30 am, over a two‑week period.

This clinical role provides direct patient care within DESC’s opioid treatment team. Prior to opening, responsibilities focus on supporting the outpatient Opioid Treatment Network. After opening, the role transitions to managing ORCA’s clinical operations. The position does not involve administrative or supervisory duties.

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

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

• Maintain knowledge of best practices in addiction medicine and harm reduction through continuing education.
• Participate in in‑service training and case discussions to uphold high clinical standards.

• Licensed as a Nurse Practitioner (Family or Adult NP) or Physician Assistant in the State of Washington.
• Registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration.
• Experience or training in addiction medicine and harm reduction.
• Commitment to serving individuals with complex needs, including homelessness and co‑occurring behavioral health conditions.
• Familiarity with trauma‑informed care, harm‑reduction principles, and equity frameworks.
• Ability to remain open to constructive feedback and to approach differing opinions with curiosity and active listening.
• Ability to collaborate in a multidisciplinary team environment.

• Experience in low‑barrier buprenorphine programs or Federal Opioid Treatment Programs.
• Experience in an acute‑care setting (e.g., emergency department or overdose prevention center).
• Skills in addressing co‑occurring mental health and physical health needs.
• Proficiency with electronic health records and clinical documentation.

Employees are required to sit, communicate with patients and staff, lift and carry up to 25 pounds, and operate computer hardware. Vision requirements include close, distance, peripheral, depth perception, and focus adjustment. Considerable stress may occur. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

DESC is committed to diversity and promotes equal employment opportunities for all staff and applicants. The Agency will not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, caste, marital status, or presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, unless based on a bona fide occupational qualification. Minorities and veterans are encouraged to apply.