PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE SPECIALIST- 40009707

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GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

This employee functions as a Registered Nurse in the Women’s Health Program (WHP) at Durham County Department of Public Health (DCoDPH). The WHP is comprised of the Family Planning (FP) and Maternal Health (MH) Clinics. This position functions as a Public Health Nurse Specialist (PHNS) in the MH Clinic at DCoDPH and reports to the Maternal Health Clinic Supervisor. 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The essential functions listed below are those that represent the majority of the time spent working in this position. Management may assign additional functions related to the type of work of the position as necessary.

• The PHNS participates in clinic nursing duties, administrative nursing duties, precepting of new staff and nursing students, and following up on abnormal results related to prenatal care and women’s health.
• The PHNS works with community partners and providers to support maternal health clinic services, including collaborating with Centering Pregnancy Program coordinator to support the Centering Pregnancy Program.
• Serves as the Maternal Health Clinic Pap nurse. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: compiling test results, contacting patients as needed or upon request, managing patient follow up and referrals.
• In coordination with the Maternal Health Supervisor, reviews and maintains Maternal Health Patient Education.
• The PHNS assists during prenatal visits, physical exams, and procedures (as appropriate), provides full scope nursing care to include, but not limited to, administering injections, following up on abnormal labs and missed appointments, maintaining accurate and appropriate patient education.
• This position may be required to work in other clinical areas across the organization.
• Employee may to be called upon at any time to help the agency respond to a public health emergency outside of normal business hours, which may include but is not limited to outbreak investigations, staffing mass dispensing or immunization clinics, providing disaster relief for incidents (man-made or natural and intentional or non-intentional) as they arise, or any public health response requested by the Health Director.
• Perform other related tasks as needed.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• • A thorough knowledge of and skill in the application of principles and techniques employed in the field of public health, nursing in general, maternity care including the postnatal period.
  • Knowledge of community resources and organizations, particularly related to maternal health, and the ability to coordinate these as needed.
  • The ability to plan and coordinate; the ability to deal tactfully with others and maintain effective working relationships.
  • Have critical thinking skills, and the ability to exercise good judgment in dealing with patients.
  • The ability to accurately record and interpret reports, medical instruction, and patient records.
  • Adequate computer skills to allow communication, patient record documentation, and accessing of information.
  • Good organizational and communication skills.
  • The ability to work independently and ability to be flexible and receptive to change in dealing with changing patient populations and changing program requirements.
  • An understanding of the Centering Pregnancy® model of prenatal care.
  • The ability and flexibility to float for purposes of working in other nursing units of the DCODPH as needed.

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

Graduation from a four-year college or university with a B.S. in Nursing which includes a Public Health Nursing rotation and two years of Public Health nursing experience; or a Master’s in Public Health and graduation from a school of professional nursing and two years of professional nursing experience; or graduation from a school of professional nursing and three years of professional nursing experience including two years of Public Health nursing experience; or an equivalent combination of training and experience.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• CPR Certified

To further the mission of the Durham County Department of Public Health (DCoDPH) to partner with our community to advance health equity, protect the environment, and promote health and wellness for all, DCoDPH is implementing the employee vaccination and tuberculosis screening policies. All DCoDPH employees are considered healthcare personnel (HCP) working in a health care setting with the potential for exposure to patients and/or infectious materials and, therefore, are required to comply and provide documented proof of the following:

• Measles, Mumps & Rubella (MMR) vaccination/immunity 
• Varicella-Zoster Virus (Chicken Pox) vaccination/immunity 
• Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis)
• Tuberculosis (TB) baseline screening within the last twelve (12) months prior to employment
• Hepatitis B vaccination/immunity – only required for DCoDPH employees with potential Bloodborne Pathogen (BBP) exposures.

Identified DCoDPH HCP with potential Bloodborne Pathogen (BBP) exposure have an additional requirement for the Hepatitis B vaccination. Required vaccination, serological testing to determine immunity, and baseline tuberculosis screening are available for all Public Health employees who elect to become DCoDPH patients upon request and at no cost.

Proof of vaccination and tuberculosis screening must be provided to Human Resources within seven (7) business days prior to the date of employment.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT COMPLIANCE:

Durham County is an Equal Opportunity Employer. ADA requires Durham County to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. Prospective and current employees are encouraged to discuss ADA accommodations with management. 

BACKGROUND CHECK STATEMENT:

This position may be subject to a background check, which could include, but is not limited to, criminal history (employment-related and/or SBI fingerprint-based), credit history, motor vehicle records, educational verification, and checks of the sexual offender registry, depending on the specific requirements of the role. A conviction record does not automatically disqualify an applicant from employment consideration, unless otherwise required by applicable state law.