First Care Medical Clinic is hiring full-time primary care physician assistants for its integrated care clinics in the Charlotte region and Rock Hill, SC. You will work alongside an in-house care manager, therapist, and psychiatric provider, with labs, ultrasound, and other services on site. New graduates are welcome, and we want people to start as soon as licensure allows.
About First Care Medical Clinic
"At First Care Medical Clinic, we believe that the patient is the most important person. We are here to serve the patient."
- Independent primary care practice founded in 1994 in Monroe, NC by Dr. Benedict Okwara, a former emergency room physician
- 10 clinics: Albemarle, Charlotte (Nations Ford, The Plaza, and Smith Corners), Concord, Gastonia, Locust, Monroe, Salisbury, and Rock Hill, SC
- Walk-in access for new and established patients, with Ubers and taxis booked for patients who need a ride
- Pediatric, adult, and geriatric patients; roughly 50% Medicaid, 30% Medicare and Medicare Advantage, 15% commercial, and 5% uninsured
- A true medical home: annual wellness exams, acute visits, vaccinations, allergy immunotherapy, EKGs, ultrasound, home sleep testing, in-house lab services, chronic care management, and remote physiologic monitoring
- Integrated behavioral health through the Collaborative Care Model, with care managers, consulting psychiatrists, psychiatric providers, and therapists working with primary care providers
- A team of about 90, with at least four medical assistants at every clinic
- eClinicalWorks EHR with the Sunoh.AI scribe for every visit
Dr. Okwara kept seeing patients in the ER for needs that did not require an emergency room, so he opened First Care as an urgent care practice. About three years later, he realized many of those patients had no primary care provider at all, and First Care became a comprehensive primary care practice. That has been its purpose ever since. We see ourselves as public servants, so we meet patients where they are.
Why this role
- Care for patients of all ages. Full-scope primary care including acute visits, chronic disease management, wellness exams, and preventive screening.
- A team around the patient. The care manager, therapist, and psychiatric provider are part of the model. Warm handoffs for behavioral and psychiatric needs happen in real time, so you are not carrying every part of a complex patient's care alone.
- Services on site. Labs, vaccinations, ultrasound, TM-Flow testing, allergy immunotherapy, Holter monitoring, home sleep testing, EKGs, chronic care management, and remote physiologic monitoring.
- A strong place to start. New graduates build skills with a diverse patient population while learning alongside the Medical Director and Lead APP, who work across clinics.
- A clear pay path. Starting pay of $120,000, rising to $125,000 in year 2 and $130,000 in year 3.
- Room to grow. Contribute to quality improvement and new services, work with leadership on how care is delivered, and mentor newer clinicians as you gain experience.
What to expect
- Onboarding, then a home clinic. New providers rotate across clinics for the first 8 weeks while learning alongside the Medical Director and Lead APP. After onboarding, each provider is assigned a home clinic.
- Walk-in access. Volume and flow vary by day and clinic. Our planning range is 15 to 25 patients per provider per day.
- Charting around visits. Documentation is completed around scheduled patient visits and closed the same day. There is no dedicated admin block built into the day.
- In person and in uniform. Matching First Care scrubs and a lab coat.
- Meetings. A weekly virtual call (Wednesdays, 8:30 AM ET), a monthly review with the Medical Director, and a monthly in-person provider meeting in Charlotte or Concord.
- Exclusivity. Full-time APPs practice exclusively at First Care and do not maintain outside practices.
Who thrives here. Providers who are patient-centered, adaptable, and collaborative, and who want to practice in a team-integrated primary care model. This may be less of a fit if you want to build an individual patient panel of your own rather than practice in a team-integrated model, need a highly predictable routine, or are uncomfortable with evolving workflows.
What you will get
- Starting base salary of $120,000, with annual increases to $125,000 (year 2) and $130,000 (year 3)
- Health insurance (Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC), plus dental and vision (Unum)
- 401(k) with employer match up to 3.5%
- Malpractice coverage
- Paid time off based on tenure, and CME per your employment contract
- Cost of NC and SC licensure covered
- Eligible to apply for the Community Care Recruitment Program (CCRP), a selection-based award for eligible residents and early-career clinicians who commit to a CCPN practice. Awards are not guaranteed.
Why now. We have immediate openings and want new team members to start as soon as licensure allows. First Care is a strong place to build clinical skills with a diverse patient population, working alongside experienced clinical leaders in an integrated care model. Our leadership aims to respond to candidates the same day whenever possible.
The Charlotte region
Our clinics span the Charlotte metro and nearby Piedmont communities in Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Union, Gaston, Rowan, and Stanly counties, plus Rock Hill, SC. Charlotte is the largest city in the Carolinas, with a major airport, a lively food and arts scene, and the U.S. National Whitewater Center, Lake Norman, and Lake Wylie close by. Smaller communities like Monroe, Salisbury, Albemarle, and Gastonia generally offer more affordable housing and a slower pace, with Morrow Mountain State Park and the Uwharrie National Forest nearby. The mountains are about two hours away and the coast just over three.
First Care Medical Clinic is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
This role is posted, sourced, and screened by Workforce Support Programs, part of the Community Care Physician Network (CCPN) under Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC).
