General Surgery opening details

Board Certified or Eligible in General Surgery, advanced Laparoscopy is a plus

Down East Community Hospital located in the beautiful coastal community of Machias is seeking a General Surgeon, for a well rounded bread and butter practice. You will be one of two general surgeons provided care to a population of 14,000. Your partner has been in the community for 11 years, highly regarded, with oncologic and advanced laparoscopic training. This is an employed position with the Hospital. A very competitive compensation and benefits package is being offered for this important recruitment. You call is every other week, however, this is a small rural hospital, with trauma cases sent to the tertiary care center in Bangor.

Down East Community Hospital in Machias, Maine, is a 36-bed acute care facility serving an area population of over 14,000 for most primary care services, and more than 30,000 people when it comes to certain medical and surgical specialty services. The hospital boasts an active medical staff of nearly 30 physicians, with a dozen more on courtesy staff. This well-established organization provides a broad host of primary care and specialty services. A new 30-bed Veteran's Home adjacent to the hospital opened in late fall of 2005. The hospital also provides care for residents in a 28-bed nursing home. Other facilities include a Birthing Room, Blood Bank, CT-Scan, MRI, Nuclear Medicine, Occupational Therapy, Ultrasound, and a list of various additional Outpatient Services.

The town of Machias, which gets its name from the Indian word meaning ”bad little falls,” is located in Maine's Down East region, right on the coast in Washington County about 90 minutes east of Bangor, and 70 minutes south of St. Stevens, Canada. This area features harbors speckled with fishing boats, scenic winding rivers, and historic sites that predate the Revolutionary War. Lively towns in this part of New England present an enviable experience for those longing to find the “traditional Maine way of life.”

The residents of Machias enjoy a range of wonderful educational opportunities. Parents may settle near any of seven different elementary schools. Older students continue their education in one of four places: at one of two public high schools in the region, a local parochial school, or the area's semi-private high school, Washington Academy. Washington Academy was originally a prep school for prestigious Colby and Bates colleges! They offer their students small classes with an excellent student-teacher ratio, access to high-end technology tools and training, and selection of more than 50 extracurricular activities in which to participate! There are also three colleges located in this community, including the University of Maine at Machias, Washington County Technical College, and the WCTC Marine Technology Center.

Several coastal and inland communities offer an easy drive to Down East Community Hospital, giving incoming families a broad range of home choices. You may enjoy living in town, where many beautiful and affordable homes are available in all shapes and sizes. If you prefer to live in a home with an ocean view, that will of course be a little pricier, but just minutes inland land is available for building, or you may find yourself drawn to the freedom and spaciousness of a vintage farmhouse. Local agents will be delighted to show you the many affordable possibilities.

For the sports fan, the town of Machias maintains several recreational facilities for sports such as tennis, basketball, and softball, in addition to a boat launch in Bad Little Falls Park on the Machias River. Bicycling and golfing are other popular ways to spend summer days, while winter activities include cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and ice fishing. The local recreation department provides summer and winter programs in organized sports, and day camp programs, too.

Machias was settled in 1763. The town is best known for being the site of the First Naval Battle of the Revolutionary War, on June 12, 1775. Information on this battle is available at the Gates House Museum in Machiasport, where local historians maintain the bond to the area's fascinating seafaring past. Other local historical sites include The Ruggles House in Columbia Falls, known for its flying staircase, and the O'Brien Cemetery in Machias.

Since 1977, Machias has hosted a big annual Blueberry Festival on the 3rd weekend of August. Another important crop in the area is the balsam fir, branches of which are used to make wreaths. These quality wreaths are often featured in finer catalogues like LL Bean, Harry & David, and Martha Stewart Living. Historic monuments in Arlington National Cemetery are often decorated with fir wreaths from Machias.

This part of Down East Maine has a lot to offer anyone who settles in the area. Whether you're a history buff, active in outdoor recreation, seeking fine educational opportunities, or just looking for a simpler way of Maine living, you can find it all in Machias!

Contact: Jane Ham

Email: jham@themha.org