Nurse Practitioner (NP)

LTS is looking for a Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant to join our team and support a program with ICE Detention Center – Contract Healthcare Provider.

Position Summary

The Nurse Practitioner (NP) or Physician Assistant (PA) provides advanced clinical care to ICE detainees in a secure detention environment. This position delivers primary and urgent medical services, manages chronic and acute conditions, and collaborates with physicians, nursing staff, and custody personnel to ensure compliant, timely, and appropriate healthcare in accordance with ICE Performance-Based National Detention Standards (PBNDS), applicable laws, and contractual requirements.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide comprehensive medical care to detainees, including assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up for acute, chronic, and preventive health needs.
• Conduct complete medical histories, physical examinations, and health assessments for detainees.
• Order, interpret, and evaluate diagnostic tests, laboratory studies, and imaging to determine detainee medical conditions and treatment needs.
• Diagnose medical conditions and develop individualized treatment plans in collaboration with physicians and interdisciplinary healthcare staff.
• Prescribe medications and therapeutic interventions within scope of licensure, credentialing, and facility protocols.
• Monitor detainees with chronic illnesses, complex medical conditions, or high-risk health concerns, ensuring continuity and quality of care.
• Manage detainee referrals to specialty care, inpatient hospitalization, and outside providers, and coordinate follow-up care upon return to the facility.
• Monitor detainee hospitalizations and facilitate timely discharge and return to custody when medically appropriate.
• Ensure accurate, timely, and complete documentation of all medical services in detainee medical records.
• Maintain the confidentiality, security, and integrity of detainee health information in compliance with HIPAA, ICE standards, and facility policies.
• Participate in utilization review to prevent unnecessary duplication of services and ensure appropriate use of medical resources.
• Assist with monitoring and evaluation of contracted healthcare services for compliance with ICE standards and contractual obligations.
• Observe, assess, and document detainee behavior relevant to medical or mental health conditions.
• Provide health education and counseling to detainees on disease management, preventive care, and wellness.
• Respond to medical emergencies, including providing life-saving care and stabilizing detainees until higher-level care is available.
• Participate in on-call rotation as required by facility operations.
• Communicate professionally and effectively with detention facility staff, healthcare personnel, detainees, outside providers, and administrative leadership.
• Work collaboratively with custody staff to maintain safety, security, and order within the medical unit.
• Perform duties in a secure environment, including working rotating shifts and functioning in confined areas as required.
• Recognize that verbal abuse, resistance, or confrontational behavior may occur in a detention setting and respond calmly, professionally, and appropriately.
• Take appropriate action to prevent, de-escalate, or manage potentially disruptive situations.
• Support accreditation and compliance efforts (NCCHC, ACA, JCAHO, as applicable) by meeting required clinical and operational standards.
• Prepare and complete incident, accident, and safety reports in accordance with facility policies.
• Comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, ICE standards, facility policies, procedures, and contractual requirements.
• Recommend improvements to enhance quality of care, operational efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of detainee healthcare services.
• Attend required staff meetings, trainings, and briefings to ensure effective communication and continuity of care.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong clinical assessment, diagnostic, and treatment skills in primary and urgent care settings.
• Ability to exercise sound independent judgment in a correctional healthcare environment.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to remain alert and respond calmly and efficiently in high-stress or emergency situations.
• Proficiency in electronic health record (EHR) documentation.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships in a multidisciplinary, secure environment.

Qualifications

• Current, unrestricted Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant license in the state of practice.
• National certification as an NP or PA.
• Current DEA registration (or ability to obtain).
• Current BLS certification.
• Minimum of two (2) years of NP or PA experience; correctional, detention, emergency, or acute care experience strongly preferred.
• Must be a U.S. citizen.
• Must be 21 years of age or older.
• Must be up to date with immunizations.
• Ability to pass required background investigation, credentialing, and security clearance for ICE detention facilities.

Working Conditions

• Work is performed in a secure detention facility.
• Exposure to communicable diseases and potentially volatile situations.
• Ability to stand, walk, and respond quickly to emergencies.
• May be required to work rotating shifts, weekends, holidays, and on-call assignments.