Chief physician sought for the rheumatology specialty (RECRUITMENT)

We are still searching for a new chief physician in Rheumatology for the Medical Department for Stomach, Joints, Blood and Palliative Care at Esbjerg Hospital. We are seeking as of December 1st or by agreement a specialist with a desire for leadership, cross-department collaboration, education and improvement work.

Our group of skilled, dedicated, inspiring, caring and utterly fantastic rheumatology staff seeks a new lead figure who can help retain the good things we can do while we continue to develop – both professionally and organizationally.

Rheumatology The specialty has a professionally strong medical group consisting of a professor, two senior physicians and a department physician. There are doctors in clinical training in clinical basic education, introductory position to internal medicine and in rheumatology main training. There is solid clinical knowledge and experience in all areas of the specialty, and the department is research-strong.

Ultrasound is well established in the department, and used very consistently. There is access to up-to-date ultrasound equipment in the outpatient clinics and in the ward.

The outpatient clinic's nurses consist of a good mix of experienced rheumatology nurses and new nurses in development programs. Care across wards and the outpatient clinic is coordinated.

The department's conferences consist partly of joint conferences and cross-specialty teaching. In addition, conferences are held in the individual specialties. The independent rheumatology conferences focus on clinical pathways and decisions, education/training as well as operations and quality work.

The specialty has a professor and PhD students. There is also an external clinical lecturer with a role related to the candidate education and the main department concept. The concept entails that the candidate students throughout the entire training have a fixed connection and affiliation to a specific main department and a specialty.

Medical Department for Stomach, Joints, Blood and Palliative Care (Department M1) The Rheumatology specialty is part of the Medical Department for Stomach, Joints, Blood and Palliative Care (in everyday speech M1). The department was formed in May 2021 in connection with an organizational change establishing four independent medical departments. The department has a shared ward with 23 beds.

The ward houses patients from all three specialties, oncology and patients within the broader internal medicine and to some extent infectious medicine. On the medical side there is a combined ward team with doctors from the three specialties and an infectious disease physician 3-4 days a week. Since the number of admitted rheumatology patients is not large, there are not rheumatologists on the ward every day. Any rheumatology specialty patients are seen on such days by rheumatology supervisor.

The three specialties each have independent outpatient clinics, which physically lie in the same outpatient area and share an infusion unit related to the outpatient clinics.

Haematology Outpatient Clinic conducts evaluation and treatment of most hematologic diseases in close collaboration with the Hematology Department at Odense University Hospital. Medical Stomach and Bowel Outpatient Clinic functions as a guarantor clinic and conducts evaluation of all gastroenterological and hepatological problems, and has its own endoscopy function, which is physically located together with surgery.

Palliative Care Unit (ELB) is organizationally part of the department, but has largely autonomous function in daily life. Staff from ELB have daily in-house roles in the hospital's departments and provide sparring for, among other things, palliative pathways in the department. ELB has no beds.

The department has a departmental management consisting of a chief physician and a chief nurse. The leadership team additionally includes four senior physicians (one from each specialty and one from ELB), three head nurses (one for the ward, one for the outpatient clinics and one for ELB), two research leaders (from rheumatology and gastroenterology), a leading senior physician responsible for the ward, an educationally responsible senior physician and a leading medical secretary.

On-call structure There is a shared on-call for all the medical specialties at Esbjerg Hospital (cardiology, endocrinology, hematology, pulmonary medicine, nephrology, medical gastroenterology, rheumatology, geriatrics).

The department's doctors cover shifts in the acute reception medical on-call team. The on-call team consists of two pre-call doctors, an intermediate on-call, a medical back-up 2 (primarily main training doctors in year 1 and 2) as well as a medical (and cardiology) back-up 1 (specialists and HU5 doctors).

General practice doctors (KBU), introductory doctors and HU doctors in general medicine are employed in a common medical group, jointly led by the chief physicians from the medical departments. Other HU doctors and specialists are employed in the individual departments and specialties.

The leading chief physician is expected in principle and after further agreement to participate in the back-up duty function and possibly weekend work. Back-up 1 is a two-part shift with presence. Currently there are 22 doctors in the on-call team.

We expect an applicant who

• is a specialist in internal medicine: rheumatology with a solid professional foundation, and with a focus on maintaining that the department leads in working evidence-based and according to current guidelines
• focuses on cross-department collaboration with the development and optimization opportunities that lie in this
• actively and constructively participates in cross-hospital collaboration including constructive collaboration with the acute function
• thinks in well-being as well as personal and professional development for all staff groups in the specialty
• supports and actively participates in establishing a good educational environment – both pre- and post-graduate, but also in relation to the specialists and in relation to other staff groups
• considers improvement leadership (e.g. the South Denmark improvement model), when changes are planned. Already completed training in improvement leadership is not a requirement, but will be prioritized early in the employment if not possessed
• wishes and can see opportunities for implementing and utilizing possibilities in digital solutions. Both internally in the department, but especially in relation to the patients
• practices inclusive and dialogue-based leadership
• prioritizes and involves research activity in collaboration with the specialty's research leader
• leadership experience is an advantage, but not a requirement. There will be an opportunity for education in leadership by further agreement.

We offer

• a relatively new department, which is still in a process of finding its final forms. We have come a long way, but there is still great opportunity to shape and influence how the specialties cooperate and utilize each other's competencies
• a day per week for leadership work
• sparring with a department leadership that works with inclusive and dialog-based leadership and that prioritizes well-being and development highly
• opportunity to shape how rheumatology should develop further in our department – professionally and organizationally
• clinical work in a department with high professional level in all specialties
• opportunity for and expectation of continued professional development.

Salary and employment conditions The region is obliged to inform you of the starting salary for the position. You will be told base salary, centrally set allowances and pension in the doctors' managers collective agreement. In addition to the starting salary, the pay may include any negotiated allowances depending on the position, your experience and qualifications.

See starting salary for positions in Region of Southern Denmark HERE .

Further information Other information about the position can be obtained by contacting Chief Physician, Lone Klinge ( [email protected] ) or Chief Consultant Rikke Riber Zachariassen ( [email protected] ).

See job description HERE .

Information about Esbjerg Grindsted Hospital can be found at www.esbjerggrindstedsygehus.dk .

Esbjerg Grindsted Hospital collaborates with Esbjerg municipality to create good conditions for good integration in the local area, if you come from outside and would like to settle with your family. Esbjerg municipality offers guidance through their Newcomer Service and help to find a job for your partner. Read more about Esbjerg Municipality HERE .

The application The application is submitted electronically with relevant attachments via the link. Applicants should relate concretely to the 7 medical roles, but with particular focus on leadership ( See this form ).

Application deadline is 22 November 2026 and interviews are expected to be held in week 49.