Lake Charles Memorial Health System is recruiting an additional Urologist to join an employed practice that is running at full capacity. Two Urologists currently serve the health system from separate clinic locations, and both are operating at high volume with patient demand that continues to outpace available appointment capacity.
This is a growth position, not a replacement. Hospital leadership has identified Urology as one of its highest physician recruitment priorities, and the incoming physician will step into an established referral base with patient volume waiting on day one.
Setting: Hospital employed, Memorial Medical Group
Group Size: Two Urologists, growing to three
Clinic Model: Outpatient clinic with hospital-based surgical practice
Call: 1:3 from home once the position is filled, weekdays only and hospitalist handles any admits as needed.
EMR: Epic with AI-assisted documentation
APP Support: Nurse Practitioner support available within the practice
Position Type: Growth position, added capacity
Southwest Louisiana has lost significant urologic capacity over the past several years. The market once supported roughly seven practicing Urologists and is now down to approximately three, a reduction driven primarily by retirements. Population demand has not declined with it.
Current access reflects that gap:
| Appointment Type | Current Wait |
|---|---|
| Urgent and emergent | Same day or next day |
| Routine new patient | 2 weeks |
| Follow-up | 3 weeks |
The practical result for an incoming physician:
The Urology practice operates from two outpatient clinic locations, both supported by onsite imaging and laboratory services.
Off-campus clinic located roughly seven miles from the main hospital. Newer facility built for high-volume outpatient care, with Nurse Practitioner support integrated into daily clinic operations.
Located in the Medical Office Building adjacent to the main hospital campus.
Clinic space per site:
| Location | Exam Rooms | Procedure Rooms |
|---|---|---|
| Main campus clinic | 8 | 2 |
| Other clinic sites | 7 | 1 |
The health system supports flexibility in how a physician structures the week. Both current Urologists operate on different models, and surgical time including robotic block is available without competition for access.
Current Physicians Schedule
| Clinic Days | OR Days | |
|---|---|---|
| Farjaad Siddiq, MD, FACS High-volume surgical practice |
3 | 2 |
| John Upshaw, MD Clinic-weighted practice |
4 | 1 |
Call runs 1:3 from home once the third Urologist is in place. A nurse triage line screens calls before they reach the physician. This is weekday call only as they have locums covering the weekends. Admits are handled by the hospitalist.
Leadership is open to both robotic and non-robotic candidates given the level of demand in the market. Physicians completing training are welcomed, and the current Urologists are fully supportive of adding to the group.
The position reports through Memorial Medical Group, the employed physician network of Lake Charles Memorial Health System. Administrative support includes clinic management, credentialing and payer enrollment assistance, and direct access to system leadership. Leadership across the medical staff is described as accessible and communicative, with strong working relationships between Urology, the hospitalist service, the Emergency Department, and Primary Care.