Registered Nurse III Homeless Services

LifeLong Medical Care; Oakland (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

LifeLong Medical Care in Oakland, CA is seeking an RN III for Homeless Services/Street Medicine to lead a multidisciplinary Street Medicine team delivering care to people experiencing homelessness on the streets and encampments.

The RN provides trauma-informed, direct nursing care, coordinates services, educates clients, and advocates for linkages to primary and behavioral health care.

Qualifications

• Current California RN license and BLS certification.
• Experience in community health and serving underserved populations.
• Strong organizational, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Provides nursing care outreach in encampments to high-vulnerability people experiencing homelessness.
• Implements plans of care and provides urgent and primary care within RN scope.
• Collaborates with providers, social workers, and outreach staff for integrated care.
• Performs immunizations, medications, and blood draws per guidelines.
• Uses multiple EMR platforms and documents in the electronic medical record; Epic preferred.
• Advocates for client needs and builds trust with vulnerable populations.

Skills

Team leadership

Trauma-informed care

Care coordination

Outreach

Wound care

Chronic disease management

Patient education

Medication support

Education

BSN

Tools

Epic EHR

Job description

POSITION SUMMARY: The Registered Nurse RN III - Homeless Services/Street Medicine is a key member of the multidisciplinary Street Medicine team, providing direct nursing care and clinical leadership to people experiencing homelessness living on the streets and in encampments in Northern Alameda County. The RN delivers compassionate, trauma-informed care in nontraditional settings, including wound care, chronic disease management, medication support, health education, and coordination of services. This role serves as the lead for the team, guiding best practices in nursing care, supporting staff in the field, and collaborating closely with providers, social workers, and outreach staff to ensure integrated, client-centered care. The RN also plays a vital role in building trust with highly vulnerable populations, advocating for client needs, and supporting linkages to ongoing primary care and behavioral health services.Essential FunctionsProvides nursing care outreach in encampments to high-vulnerability people experiencing homelessness.Implements plans of care and provides urgent and primary care services within Registered Nurse scope of work.Collaborates in managing common health care problems present in homeless populations including but not limited to the following:Diseases of neglect and exposure, such as nutritional problems, dental disease, hypothermia, and/or dehydration;Substance abuse related illness, such as permanent sequelae of substance abuse including brain dysfunction, liver disease, lung and heart disease;Cognitive impairments;Chronic illnesses and conditions often presenting in advanced stages due to absence of prior healthcare, such as diabetes, hypertension, COPD, hypertension, visual impairments, and/or dental problems;Infectious diseases, such as HIV, TB, STD's, respiratory infections, infestations (scabies, lice, etc.), skin infection, chronic viral hepatitis, MRSA, clostridial infections, and/or rat-borne, louse-borne, or other emerging diseases;Musculoskeletal problems, such as, foot diseases, post-traumatic arthritis, and/or chronic pain syndromes;Psychiatric disease, such as underlying severe mental illness, undiagnosed mental illness, mental illnesses resulting from homelessness, and/or post-traumatic stress disorder.Performs timely client/patient telephone advice and triage assessment with clinical competence and judgment for urgent/drop in care.Provides education and counseling on a variety of topics (e.g., pregnancy counseling, contraception, HIV, diabetes, hypertension, asthma, infestations, mental health conditions, substance use disorders, and specific diagnostic procedures) including but not limited to patients receiving “Medications for Addiction Treatment” (MAT).Performs initial and continued assessment of client health status, immunization, and TB screening, based on established protocols.Administers immunizations), medications and blood draws consistent with current guidelines and established protocols.Provides outreach, information and referral, care coordination and case management services as appropriate for Street Medicine and Shelter Health and collaborating partners.Implements innovative interventions and models to improve care of high-risk/high-vulnerability individuals experiencing homelessness.Uses multiple EMR platforms to gather patient information; documents appropriately in electronic medical record; maintains medical records.Provides client care in a manner that is both non-discriminatory and non-judgmental.Communicates effectively with the client/patient, clinic staff, the public at large and departmental staff in a non-discriminatory manner; andParticipates in Street Medicine clinical case conferences and other case conferences and meetings.QualificationsAbility to effectively coordinate care with medical assistants and other support staff, encourage and nurture development and growth, to build a strong and productive team.Commitment to the provision of primary care services for the underserved with demonstrated ability and sensitivity in working with a variety of people from low-income populations, with diverse educational, lifestyle, ethnic and cultural origins.Strong organizational, administrative and problem-solving skills, and ability to be flexible and adaptive to change.Ability to effectively present information to others, including other employees, community partners and vendors.Ability to seek direction/approval on essential matters, yet work independently with little supervision, using professional judgment and diplomacy.Work in a team-oriented environment with a number of professionals with different work styles and support needs.Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written skills.Conduct oneself in internal and external settings in a way that reflects positively on LifeLong Medical Care as an organization of professional, confident and sensitive staff.Job RequirementsBachelor’s Degree in NursingCurrent and valid California Registered Nurse license and BLSCurrent BLS/CPR CertificationProficient in Microsoft Office SuiteElectronic health records- Epic preferredJob PreferencesBilingual in SpanishCalifornia Public Health Nurse certificationMinimum one year experience in community health as an RN.