Public Health Nurse - Part-Time

Under the supervision of the Director of Public Health Nursing, the PHN addresses community needs by defining, planning, implementing, and evaluating the Public Health nursing services to be rendered. Provides comprehensive professional community health nursing services including prenatal, child, family planning, communicable disease counseling, and adult case management to county residents, primarily high-risk populations, to promote health and wellness. Employees solve problems with considerable autonomy in working with individuals, families, and groups from the most vulnerable and needy in the community to other professional groups and individuals in homes and locations throughout the community. May also provide leadership for specific programs
1. Visits individuals and families in their homes, schools, offices, or other community sites to assess physical, mental, cultural, spiritual, developmental, financial, and educational needs and strengths. Works with clients to develop care plans. Works with nutritionists, social workers, physicians, and other community agencies to meet client needs and develop support networks/service plans.
2. Completes assessments for families with special health needs and makes referrals to other health care professionals as appropriate. Provides services to children and their families who are at risk for developmental delays or health conditions, such as, asthma, cystic fibrosis, and sickle cell disease. Identifies eligible children and receives referrals from the Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Sparrow Hospital, schools, families, and doctor offices. Evaluates children for developmental concerns using the Infant-Toddler Developmental Assessment (IDA) Tool. Serves as a service coordinator for Early On
3. Plans, implements, and evaluates interventions for groups of patients, such as lice treatment, post partum depression, infant safety, and parenting skills. Teaches prenatal classes. Organizes, participates, and evaluates health awareness activities, such as mother-baby fairs and school based gatherings.
4. Advises school administrators and other community agencies regarding the interpretation and enforcement of communicable disease guidelines to prevent or minimize the spread of serious and potentially hazardous infection in the defined population.
5. Serves as a health team member providing expert consultation to school administrators in developing and writing school policies and procedures for safely managing children with special needs such as insulin dependent diabetics, tube feedings, asthma, and responding to children adverse medication/antigen reactions.
6. Serves as an integral component of the community health team to develop and implement selected education materials for health, medical, and other providers in the community.
7. Assists management in developing and writing policies, protocols, and procedures regarding the programs and services assigned to the Division of Public Health Nursing.
8. Serves as a resource to team members on program eligibility, coverage and protocols.
9. Assist management in developing and writing policies and procedures for the area of assignment.
10. Assists the supervisor in assigning and reviewing work, and assisting and instructing other employees.
11. Creates and prioritizes individual work schedule to the meet needs of clients and the Health Department.
12. Monitors client progress and the effectiveness of the care plan in order to modify plan and treatment in response to changing client needs.
13. Provides comprehensive case management services and coordinates services provided through a multidisciplinary approach collaborating extensively with multiple community agencies.
14. Provides services under various local, state, and federal programs such as Maternal and Infant Support Services, Children's Special Health Care Services, Ingham Health Plan, and Medicaid.
15. Maintains a network of community resources to meet needs of low-income and fragile families.
16. Assesses learning needs of individuals and families. Based on assessments, plans, teaches, and evaluates educational presentations in areas such as parenting, nutrition, health care, prenatal care, breast feeding, safety, substance abuse, communicable diseases, and other subjects as needed. Provides self-sufficiency classes to clients.
17. Assesses the immunization status of clients. In accordance with written protocols, administers immunizations and documents immunization record.
18. Works with diverse cultures including non-English speaking clients to overcome barriers to obtaining health care and social/economic services.
19. Prepares comprehensive written reports and recommendations for child development concerns and reviews them with the parents, health professionals, and educational consultants.
20. Reports cases of suspected abuse or neglect of children and adults to the proper authorities in accordance with department policy and state law. Provides consultation to these children and their families.
21. Identifies and reports health needs and concerns of the community to appropriate persons at the Health Department and collaborates with the supervisor to address and manage these issues.
22. In the Children Special Health Care Services program, provides leadership and professional, comprehensive Public Health Nursing services to individuals and families experiencing severely disabling, chronic, or major health conditions or to those with the potential for developing such problems/conditions in order to increase opportunities for children with severe and special health care needs so that they may achieve and maintain optimum health. Provides intensive teaching, intervention, case management, cooperative goal setting, individual and family physical, psychosocial, cultural, and economic assessment, and service planning. Employees exercise considerable independent judgment, autonomy and expertise in working with families, regional and state CSHCS program staff, community providers, outside service agencies, co-workers, and the general public.
23. Represents the Public Health Nursing Division by serving on Health Department and community agency committees and other groups providing information about Public Health nursing services and participating in the assessment of community needs to establish or revise Public Health programs, policies, and procedures.
24. Prepares and delivers presentations on various Public Health topics such as disease specific topics, health risk factors, substance abuse, domestic violence prevention, STI/HIV prevention, healthy family dynamics, and smoking.
25. Ensures that client records are kept secure and confidential and maintained consistent with Health Department policies and procedures and HIPAA standards. Educates clients and families on their rights as related to privacy of medical information.
Other Functions:
Performs other duties as assigned
During a Public Health emergency, the employee may be required to perform duties similar to but not limited to those in his/her job description.
Provides leadership to groups within Public Health Nursing, including the scheduling of staff and providing direction to them in specialized areas of care.
(An employee in this position may be called upon to do any or all of the above tasks. These examples do not include all of the tasks which the employees may be expected to perform.)
Education: Possession of a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing OR a licensed RN with completion of a Bachelor's Degree of Nursing within 6 months from the date of hire.
Experience: A minimum of 1 year of nursing experience regardless of education qualifications.
Other Requirements:
Possession of a current license to practice as a Registered Nurse in the State of Michigan.
(The qualifications listed above are intended to represent the minimum skills and experience levels associated with performing the duties and responsibilities contained in this job description. The qualifications should not be viewed as expressing absolute employment or promotional standards, but as general guidelines that should be considered along with other job-related selection or promotional criteria.)

Working Conditions:

Physical Requirements:

• This position requires the ability to sit, stand, walk, traverse, climb, balance, twist, bend, stoop/crouch, squat, kneel, crawl, lift, carry, push, pull, reach, grasp, handle, pinch, type, endure repetitive movements of the wrists, hands or fingers.
• This position's physical requirements require periodic stamina in balancing, twisting, pinching, bending, stooping/crouching, squatting, kneeling, crawling, pushing, and pulling.
• This position's physical requirements require regular stamina in climbing, lifting, carrying, reaching, grasping, and handling.
• This position's physical requirements require continuous stamina in sitting, standing, walking, traversing, typing and enduring repetitive movements of the wrists, hands or fingers.
• This position performs light work requiring the ability to exert 20 pounds or less of force in the physical requirements above.
• This position primarily requires close visual acuity to perform tasks within arm's reach such as: viewing a computer screen, using measurement devices, inspecting and assembling parts, etc.
• This position requires the ability to communicate and respond to inquiries both in person and over the phone.
• This position requires the ability to operate a PC/laptop and to enter & retrieve information from a computer.
• This position requires the ability to handle varying and often high levels of stress.

(This job requires the ability to perform the essential functions contained in this description. These include, but are not limited to, the requirements listed above. Reasonable accommodations will be made for otherwise qualified applicants unable to fulfill one or more of these requirements.)

Employment Type: Regular Part Time