Public Health Nurse (GRANT FUNDED)

The Position

Incumbent works under the direction of the assigned supervisor or designee, providing Public Health Nursing (PHN) services in various community, office, and clinic locations in strict adherence to established policies, procedures, and regulations.

Essential Functions

• Provide nursing services assessing individual and community health status, identifying current or potential health risks and conditions, planning and implementing appropriate individual or community level interventions.
• Assess actual/potential health conditions; review healthcare service delivery systems; and identify physical, psychological, and allied health needs.
• Execute nursing plan and/or treatment regimens, referrals, and follow-ups, collaborating with supervisor or other staff.
• Establish and maintain effective work relationships with clients, supervisors, County employees, elected officials, attorneys, law enforcement, judges, other agencies, and the public.
• Comply with Civil Service policies and regulations, collective bargaining agreements, County policies, department policies and laws to create a cooperative, safe, respectful and quality work environment.
• Comply with department security and safety protocols (e.g. securing, handling and transportation of biohazards).
• Conduct educational sessions (e.g. presentations, lectures, workshops, classroom training, videos, one-on-one).
• Respond to inquiries; supply current health condition information; and provide educational information promoting good hygiene, life style changes, optimum health maintenance, disease prevention and other appropriate health care practices.
• Track and maintain reported communicable disease cases/data, immunization history/ status, feto-infant death, and STI Clinic client activity creating reports.
• Be familiar with local, state, and national communicable disease statistics and current communicable disease trends preparing for possible local outbreaks.
• Implement current disease control measures during local disease outbreaks and public health emergencies (e.g. coordinating and performing nursing functions).
• Prepare and maintain information (e.g. records, reports, documents).
• Assist with program evaluation recommending methods to maximize program efficiency.
• Assist in developing, writing, implementing, and reporting of grants/other funding requests.
• Maintain job knowledge and skills (e.g. research, meetings, trainings, seminars, webinars, conferences, continuing education).
• Assist in training and orientation of new employees and assigned staff.
• Serve on internal and community committees.
• Collaborate with internal and community agencies regarding domestic preparedness with public health emergencies.
• Participate in public health emergency response planning and training, responding during emergency.
• Safely operate a motor vehicle when required to travel on County business.
• Report to assigned work location with regular, consistent attendance.
• Perform other duties as assigned and directed.
• Communicable Disease – Tuberculosis
• Conduct tuberculosis (TB) control and surveillance activities (e.g. case identification, contact investigation, TB testing, referrals), ensuring provided treatment to active TB cases.
• Perform tuberculin skin tests (TST) or collect diagnostic specimens.
• Provide case management services utilizing nursing processes and incorporating guidance for non-nursing personnel to provide Directly Observed Therapy (DOT).
• Conduct disease control and follow-up activities (e.g. investigating, interviewing, counseling, database recording, completing reports, describing possible disease sources, explaining follow-up efforts).
• Provide in-home PHN services (e.g. DOTs).
• Collect, prepare and transport clinical specimens.
• STI and Immunization Clinic
• Implement diagnostic and therapeutic regimens prescribed by duly licensed practitioners notifying supervisor of unusual or critical situations.
• Provide PHN services (e.g. in-home immunizations, health clinics, adult-oriented health centers, community settings, other locations).
• Collect, prepare and transport clinical specimens.
• Assist in organizing and conducting satellite immunization clinics (e.g. retrieve and deliver materials and supplies, assemble/disassemble clinic sites, administer vaccines).
• Fetal Infant Mortality Review (FIMR)
• Provide limited nurse case management services (e.g. maternal interview, family assessment/teaching, referral to resources).
• Review and abstract information from case-related medical records, develop case summaries, and facilitate FIMR case review.

Education and Work Experience and Other Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college in Nursing required.*
• Registered Nurse (RN) with a current Nebraska license required upon hire and maintained in good standing throughout employment.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish preferred.
• Experience in public health, nurse case management, and communicable disease control preferred.
• One (1) year of MSOffice, database, and graphics experience/training preferred.
• Valid driver's license and own transportation upon hire and maintained throughout employment required.
• Completion of a pre-employment criminal record check, conditional offer drug screen and physical assessment required.
• Equivalent combination of education and work experience may be substituted for requirements on a year-for-year basis.

Physical Requirements & Working Conditions

• The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Work is generally performed in an office or healthcare setting, community locations or residences and occasionally outdoors. Noise level is usually quite to moderate. Work hours are typically standard day-shift hours; however, schedule may vary (e.g. days, hours, overtime/extra hours, weekends, holidays, emergency call-ins). Work involves potential exposure to adverse socioeconomic conditions and biohazards. Work may be stressful when dealing with time constraints, multiple/changing priorities, limited resources, emergency/crisis situations and uncooperative/irate individuals.
• Work requires physical activity, including extended periods of sitting, standing, walking, frequent kneeling, bending, crouching, reaching, stooping, climbing, carrying and occasional balancing. Work also requires the ability to frequently lift and/or carry objects weighing up to 25 pounds and occasionally up to 50 pounds.
• Required sensory abilities include vision, hearing and touch. Visual abilities correctable to normal ranges include close, distance, color and peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. Communication abilities include the ability to talk and hear within normal ranges. Incumbent must possess the hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity necessary to operate computers and other equipment.

Douglas County is an EOE - Disability/Veterans