Pima County
Tucson, Arizona, United States
4143 - Public Health Nurse
Job Description
Position Description
This is an open continuous recruitment created to establish a pool of applicants for all Public Health Nurse positions to include grant-funded.
This recruitment, with occasional evenings and weekends, is in the Public Health Nursing Division of the Health Department.
Salary Grade: M2
Hourly Salary Range: $26.45 - $33.78 (DOQ)
Performs Public Health nursing work in a specific population-focused geographical area. The focus of this classification is the practice of promoting and protecting the health of client populations using knowledge from nursing, social and public health disciplines. This classification is distinguished from other Patient Care Services and nursing classifications by its primary focus on the prevention of illness, injury and disability and the promotion and maintenance of health of client populations, rather than direct patient care.
New graduates accepted, will train.
(Work assignments may vary depending on the department's needs and will be communicated to the applicant or incumbent by the supervisor.)
Applies principles of epidemiology in disease investigations, community assessments and determining service needs of individuals, families or communities;
Maintains appropriate confidentiality of all information encountered in performance of duties;
Visits homes to determine client/patient and family needs, develops plan to meet these needs, and provides or coordinates provision of services needed;
Instructs individuals, families and community groups in health education and disease prevention;
Administers medications, including immunizations, following physician's instructions;
Instructs families in care of patient/client, and instructs community groups in maintenance of health and prevention of disease for family members, self and community;
Participates in community education and individual patient/client education in specialized programs, e.g., HIV, AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB), Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD), family planning, adolescent health and related programs;
Provides information through assessments to Public Health management and community members for planning needed health and related services;
Teaches health promotion, wellness activities, health protection behaviors, maternal and child care, and other subjects related to individual and community health status;
Refers patients/clients with social and emotional problems to other community agencies for assistance;
Prepares educational materials and assists in planning and developing health and educational programs;
Participates in programs to safeguard children's health, such as outreach programs, child health conferences, school health programs, group instructions for parents/guardians, immunization programs, etc.;
Assists in preparation of special public health studies and participates in research programs;
Participates in the provision of public health and related medical services at neighborhood, mobile and out-reach clinics;
Plans for and participates in field research related to public health nursing;
Researches, prepares and submits routine, recurring and special program reports to management;
Assists community members and Public Health management in assessing, planning for and providing needed health and related services;
May supervise other nursing and community/public health professional, paraprofessional and clerical staff.
KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS:
Knowledge of:
- principles and practices of nursing and Public Health Sciences;
- principles and practices of public and community relations;
- community medical and social services resources and their availability;
- principles, practices and techniques of effective training in individual and group settings;
- assignment-/program-specific public health issues, concerns and needs, such as well-baby care, AIDS/HIV, TB education and treatment, STDs, family planning, etc.;
- principles and practices of employee supervision.
- assessing medical, physical and social service needs of patients, clients and their families, parents and/or guardians;
- assessing communities to determine public health risk factors of populations in a specific geographic area;
- coordinating provision of medical/public health services and interventions to population sectors at risk for injury, disease, threat of disease or poor recovery;
- preparing and delivering medical/public health training and information directly to patients/clients, their families and to the general community;
- planning and conducting field research in community health topics;
- developing and maintaining/documenting patient/client records and submitting related reports to management;
- maintaining appropriate confidentiality of information encountered during performance of duties;
- planning, organizing, assigning and evaluating the work of other clerical, paraprofessional and professional staff;
- communicating effectively.
(1) A Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing (BSN) from a nationally accredited college or university.
OR:
(2) A Master's of Science (MS) in Nursing or a Master's of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree from a nationally accredited college or university with at least one course (3 or 4 semester units/credits) in community or public health nursing.
(Official transcripts with evidence of coursework in community or public health nursing must be submitted at the time of application.)
Licenses and Certificates: Possession of a current license to practice as a Registered Professional Nurse in the State of Arizona is required at the time of appointment, and must be maintained as a condition of employment. Valid driver license is required at time of application. Valid AZ driver's license and access to a registered/insured vehicle for business travel is required (business mileage reimbursed) at time of appointment. The successful applicant will be subject to a 39-month DOT Motor Vehicle Record review to determine applicant's suitability to operate county vehicles in accordance with Pima County administrative procedures. Failure to obtain and maintain the required licenses and certifications shall be grounds for termination. Any offer of employment resulting from this recruitment is contingent upon Fleet Services' review and approval of the candidate's driving record.
Special Notice Items: Department of Labor Regulation CFR Part 1910.1030 requires notification that this category may have a high risk of exposure to blood borne pathogens. TB screening, Hepatitis B vaccine, and individual safety training and equipment will be provided. Some positions may require bi-lingual abilities, in English and a second-language, as determined by the Health Department. The County requires pre-employment background checks. Successful candidates will receive a post-offer, pre-employment background screening to include verification of work history, education and criminal conviction history. A prior criminal conviction will not automatically disqualify a candidate from employment with the County.
Physical/Sensory Requirements: Physical and sensory abilities will be determined by position.