Public Health Nurse II

County of Santa Clara; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

County of Santa Clara seeks a Public Health Nurse to apply systems-level thinking across nursing, social, and public health sciences in homes, clinics, hospitals, schools, and community settings.

The role involves assessing and coordinating care, teaching health maintenance, and collaborating with interdisciplinary teams while adhering to public health standards and disaster-service requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Nursing with California RN license.
• One year of full-time experience as a Public Health Nurse or equivalent.
• Knowledge of trauma-informed care and health literacy.
• Ability to travel to alternate work locations and facilities.

Responsibilities

• Provide nursing services by assessing, diagnosing, planning, implementing, and evaluating care.
• Counsel clients and families on medical provider recommendations and disease management.
• Participate in clinics, homes, schools, or community settings as required.
• Coordinate care with public and private agencies and community partners.

Skills

Public health nursing

Client education

Cultural competency

Communication skills

Care coordination

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Nursing

Tools

Electronic Medical Records (EMR)

Job description

Under general supervision, to apply systems-level thinking from knowledge of nursing, social, and public health sciences to provide professional public health nursing services in diverse settings, including homes, clinics, hospitals, schools, and community settings as required by the assigned program area.

The following are the duties performed by employees in this classification. However, employees may perform other related duties at an equivalent level. Each individual in the classification does not necessarily perform all duties listed.

• Provides nursing services to individuals by assessing, diagnosing, planning for, implementing, and evaluating appropriate nursing care;
• Assists individuals and families in following medical provider recommendations;
• Participates in various clinics by interviewing and counseling clients in a clinic, homes, or community setting;
• Recognizes attitudes and cultural patterns that are detrimental to health and guides families towards desirable changes through a trauma-informed lens;
• Teaches and counsels individuals, families, and groups regarding specific diseases, health conditions, and health maintenance;
• Assists individuals and families to identity their needs and establish their goals and refers to appropriate community agencies and clinics for specialized services;
• Coordinates care of clients with other public and private agencies;
• Interprets medical providers’ orders and assists families in following these orders;
• Utilizes health literacy concepts to improve the public’s understanding of their health conditions, treatments, and self-care practices;
• Performs defined technical/skilled nursing tasks;
• Facilitates informed decision making and encourages families to identify the need for appropriate medical, psychiatric, hospital and other care, as necessary;
• Collects specimens from clients, performs medical tests and reports on test results, and administers injections and oral medications;
• Determines caseload priorities and performs ongoing and follow-up evaluation to determine effectiveness of nursing care plan;
• Consults and coordinates with interdisciplinary healthcare team members, community organizations, health agencies, and concerned individuals to identify community needs;
• Recommends long term program planning for complex health problems;
• Recognizes the current Essential Public Health Services;
• Maintains documentation and prepares necessary reports;
• May provide guidance and direction to community partners, health professionals, other Public Health nurses, and support staff;
• Attends staff meetings and participates in educational training sessions;
• May pursue appropriate job related educational courses;
• May be assigned as a Disaster Service Worker (DSW), as required;*
• Performs other related work, as required.

Sufficient education, training, and experience to demonstrate the ability to perform the above tasks, plus the possession and direct application of the following knowledge and abilities:

Training and Experience Note: The required knowledge and abilities are attained through possession of a Bachelor's Degree, or Higher, in Nursing;

and

One (1) year of full-time experience as a Public Health Nurse, school nurse, home health nurse, community health nurse, or other relevant nursing experience equivalent to a Public Health Nurse with the County of Santa Clara.

Special Requirements

• Possess and maintain a valid License as a Registered Nurse issued by the State of California for the duration of employment in this classification.
• Possess and maintain a valid Certificate as a Public Health Nurse issued by the State of California for the duration of employment in this classification.
• Possession of a current Basic Life Support (BLS) Certificate.
• Ability to travel to alternate locations in the course of work. If driving, possession of a valid California driver’s license prior to appointment and the ability to qualify for and maintain a County driver authorization.
• *As a condition of employment, pursuant to California Government Code Sections 3100-3109 and Local Ordinance, all County of Santa Clara employees are designated Disaster Service Workers (DSWs), including extra help. A DSW is required to complete all assigned DSW-related training, and in the event of an emergency, return to work as ordered.

Knowledge of:

• Principles, practices, and methods of public health nursing;
• Stages of nursing process and principles of trauma-informed care;
• Causes, transmission, prevention, control, and care required for communicable disease(s);
• Principles of case finding and case management in a variety of settings;
• Client centered care of diverse populations and ages in a variety of settings;
• Community resources and health agencies related to public health nursing;
• Use and effects of medications;
• English usage, style, grammar, punctuation, and spelling;
• Interviewing, counseling, and teaching techniques;
• Common computer technology, system applications, and electronic medical record systems.

Ability to:

• Plan, organize, and carry out public health nursing services;
• Work effectively with clients and families to assist with satisfactory resolution of health problems;
• Develop and maintain effective public relations with community organizations;
• Assess and analyze situations accurately and take appropriate action;
• Maintain sensitivity to cultural competency principles that are inclusive and representative of our community;
• Collect specimens and administer injections and medications;
• Provide treatment recommendations based on current clinical guidelines and best practices;
• Prepare accurate reports and documentation;
• Provide direction to and train others;
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work, at all levels, including colleagues, the public, and representatives of other agencies;
• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with people of diverse backgrounds and cultures.

The physical requirements may include:

• Ability to lift objects weighing up to 15 pounds, squat, bend, and climb stairs;
• Ability to work alternate shifts and/or weekends.