Join the Trauma-Informed Approach Public Health Nursing program and grow your career in public health!
Starting salary up to $72.09/hour ($150,460/year), a competitive total compensation package, AND a fluent bilingual premium**!*
The Department of Health Services (DHS) is currently recruiting to fill a Bilingual Public Health Nurse position at either the I or II levels. If you are interested in being considered at the different levels of this opportunity, you must apply to the separate concurrent recruitments being conducted for each level.
Please note that this position requires qualified candidates to possess a current California State Public Health Nursing Certificate.
About the Position
The Department of Health Services Public Health Division is seeking a bilingual (English/Spanish) Public Health Nurse I (PHN) to join its Trauma-Informed Approach Public Health Nursing (TIA PHN) program. TIA PHN partners with pregnant people, parents, and caregivers with children under six years old who have experienced trauma. Trauma can include physical or mental health challenges, substance use, Child Protective Services (CPS) or justice system involvement, experiencing racism or inequity, and physical or emotional abuse. Through home visits, the PHN will support the clients in learning about pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and parenting. This position provides depression and/or anxiety screenings for adults, developmental screening for children, and connects the family with medical, dental, and other relevant community resources to make sure the client, child, and family receive the care they need. This PHN will manage a caseload of up to 25 primary clients and their children, ensuring they receive individualized assessments, ongoing case management, and health education. Other responsibilities will include:
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Deliver client services in home settings or at other agreed-upon locations (e.g., parks, libraries), typically checking in with multiple families per day and collaborating with them to develop and follow individualized action plans
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Conducting routine comprehensive assessments
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Actively coordinating and following up on referrals to other health and social service providers and working with local agencies and community organizations to meet clients' needs
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Delivering culturally responsive health and parenting education
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Maintaining accurate, detailed, and up-to-date records of all client interactions, assessments, action plans, and referrals
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Attending team meetings and regular trainings
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Conducting outreach with referral sources to identify new clients
As the ideal candidate for this position, you will have fluent bilingual (English/Spanish) skills and proven knowledge of public health and population health practices. In addition, you will possess many of the following:
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Knowledge and/or experience with maternal-child health
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Client-facing experience in community, clinic, and/or public health settings
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Applied understanding of trauma-informed practices and serving individuals impacted by substance use, homelessness, mental health challenges, and intergenerational trauma
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The ability to work independently and in close collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team
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Comfort working in the field and engaging with families from diverse household customs and traditions
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The ability to recognize and reinforce clients' strengths, fostering trusting and respectful relationships
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Openness to continual learning
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Certification as an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), experience as a doula, childbirth educator, or similar, is desirable but not required
Schedule and Assignment Information
As a Public Health Nurse in this program, you will work Monday-Friday daytime hours, but occasionally there may be a need to flex hours to meet a client’s needs, e.g., at times adjusting the schedule to start and end one hour later than usual. This position may require meeting families outdoors, such as in a park. Some clients may be staying in a shelter, transitional housing, hotel, or encampment, and there can be options to meet clients at the DHS office or alternate safe locations. Most visits are in a client’s home, library, coffee shop, or other indoor location. A driver’s license is required for this position, as you will primarily conduct visits in the field at clients’ homes or in the community. There may also be times when you are needed to transport clients in a county vehicle.
What We Offer
Working at the County of Sonoma offers expansive opportunities for growth and development, the ability to be a part of a challenging and rewarding work environment, and the satisfaction of knowing you're working to better our communities. You can also look forward to flexible work arrangements and excellent benefits* including:
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Salary Advancement - A salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range
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Career Advancement - With time and good performance, the opportunity for advancement to Public Health Nurse II ($62.10 - $75.48/hour)
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Bilingual Premium Pay** - An additional $1.50/hour on top of the hourly pay rate for fluent bilingual positions
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Paid Time Off - Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals and 12 paid holidays
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County Paid Health Premium Contributions - 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options
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Staff Development/Wellness - Annual benefit allowances of up to $850 and ongoing education/training opportunities
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Fee Reimbursement - Possible reimbursement for renewal of required licensure
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Post-Retirement Health Reimbursement Arrangement - County contributions to help fund post-retirement health insurance/benefits
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Retirement - A pension fully integrated with Social Security
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Paid Parental Leave - May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) after 12 months of County employment
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Additional Benefits - Excellent dental, vision, disability, life insurance, employee assistance program, professional development, and more
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Student Loan Debt Relief - County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education
The Department of Health Services is currently recruiting to fill a fluent, bilingual Public Health Nurse position at either the I or II levels. Bilingual positions require English and Spanish skills at the fluent (reading, writing, and conversational) level. Applicants who wish to be considered for a bilingual position must indicate their level of skill in the required supplemental questionnaire. An examination will be conducted prior to employment in a bilingual position to confirm the level of skill in this area. Bilingual premium pay is $1.50/hour for fluent skill sets.
This Bilingual Public Health Nurse I employment list may also be used to fill future full-time, part-time, or extra-help bilingual English/Spanish positions as they occur during the active status of the list. Qualified County employees who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment. The Civil Service title for this position is Public Health Nurse I.
- Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found in the Engineers and Scientists of California (ESC) Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) and our Employee Benefits Directory.
Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed.
Possession of a California State Public Health Nursing Certificate.
License: Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including necessary special endorsements, as required by the State of California to perform the essential job functions of the position.
The position advertised on this announcement requires possession of a valid California Driver’s License.
Working Conditions: Duties may require exposure to hostile persons or persons with a mental health condition, and/or confrontational interpersonal situations; intermittently sit at a desk for long periods of time while reviewing patient charts and histories and preparing patient charts and reports; intermittently walk, stand, bend, climb and reach while making field visits, conducting clinics or making educational presentations or demonstrations; twist to reach equipment surrounding desk or treatment areas; perform simple grasping and fine manipulation; use telephone and write or use a keyboard to communicate through written means; see and hear with sufficient acuity to examine and assess patient conditions; lift moderate weight; may work in dangerous, high crime areas of the community; and/or standby, callback and work during non-routine hours.
02/26 revisions limited to person-first, gender-neutral language
Working knowledge of: Modern principles, methods, and practices of public health nursing, including preventive medicine, epidemiology, public health education, gerontology, and sociological problems involved in public health nursing. Community aspects of public health nursing programs. Prevention, detection and treatment of communicable and chronic disease, handicapping conditions, mental illness and other disabling conditions; environmental, sociological, and psychological problems related to public health nursing programs. Principles and procedures involved in family planning, sexually transmitted disease control, and pre and post-natal care; and current literature and trends in community health.
Ability to: Organize and carry out public health nursing activities in assigned district or program; differentiate medical problems requiring immediate consultation with a physician rather than a deferred consultation; to follow prescribed protocols set up by physicians and to consult with physicians and other medical personnel; work effectively with families and individuals to assist them in solution to health problems; develop and maintain effective public relations with clients, staff, community groups and organizations; exercise independent judgment, analyze and evaluate situations independently and take appropriate actions; instruct in the prevention of disease and promotion of public health; and write and speak effectively and prepare and maintain clear and concise records and reports.
- Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
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You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application. Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
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You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
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Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.
Please visit Getting a Job with the County of Sonoma to review more detailed information about the hiring process, including the application process, examination steps, and department selection process.
Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed.
Responses to supplemental questions will be scored using position-specific criteria. Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for a thorough assessment of your qualifications. Responses that state, "See Resume" or "See Application" may be considered insufficient and therefore may not be scored.
The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:
An Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's application and supplemental questionnaire for satisfaction of minimum qualifications (pass/not pass); and for educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position. Personally identifiable information (PII) is removed from the standard application fields and applicable attachments. This PII blind screening practice redacts a candidate’s personal information that could potentially influence or bias the scoring process. Personal information includes the applicant’s name, former last name, address, phone number, email, driver's license number, school name, education start and end dates, age, date of birth, gender, and race. This PII blind screening practice helps contribute to a fair and equitable examination process.
Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
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Relevance of work history, related experience, and achieved level of education and/or training as described in the application and responses to the supplemental questions.
Candidates demonstrating possession of the minimum qualifications will be placed on an employment list in order of most qualified to least qualified based on the achieved score received in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination which evaluates the education, training, experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, and other qualifications that you demonstrate in your application and/or response to the supplemental questionnaire. Please be aware that resumes and cover letters are not typically evaluated in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination. Scores may be adjusted based on such factors as the number of candidates, anticipated vacancies, past practice, and natural breaks in the scores achieved by this group of candidates.
Additional Information
A background investigation is required prior to employment. Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation. Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to candidates.
Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter. You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.
How to Apply
Applications are accepted online at www.yourpath2sonomacounty.org. Paper applications may be submitted by person, fax (707-565-3770), email, or through the mail. All applications and appropriate supplemental information as outlined in the job announcement must be received by the time and date specified on the first page of this job announcement. Applications received after the recruitment closes will not be accepted.
The County of Sonoma values diversity and is dedicated to creating a workplace environment that provides individuals with a sense of belonging. We are committed to having a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve. The County is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer where all aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance, and business need.
HR Analyst: SZ
HR Technician: KK
