Description:
This advertisement if for a full-time Public Health Nurse that is full benefit-eligible for all offered Pottawatomie County benefits.
Pottawatomie County Health Department will pay the employee's yearly nursing license renewal fee and will pay for CEUs associated with the renewal. Pottawatomie County offers a yearly $150 clothing stipend to assist in purchasing logoed scrubs. The county offers a generous overall benefit package to employees.
POSITION SUMMARY:
Under the supervision of the Pottawatomie County Health Department Director and Assistant
Director, the Public Health Nurse is a non-exempt position under FLSA. Primary responsibilities
include providing public health nursing assessment and care, providing health education,
monitoring health risks and communicable disease in the county, and promoting good health in
Pottawatomie County.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS (required):
1. Provides adult health screening/monitoring of chronic disease per protocol or doctor
order;
2. Conducts child health assessments as trained and assigned;
3. Assists with child and adult immunizations and administers immunizations at clinics as
trained and assigned;
4. Performs direct nursing duties in public health programs as trained;
5. Maintains and updates Communicable Disease Protocols provided by KDHE and
develops local protocol to enhance disease investigation process;
6. Conducts phone visits to investigate disease or counsel clients with public health concerns
or environmental hazards;
7. Conduct clinic visits to high-risk families for education and risk reduction;
8. Follows protocols and procedures for public health programs;
9. Provides health education/materials to the general public and schools regarding health
prevention;
10. Assures that appropriate educational materials are displayed and available in health
department and in community;
11. Provides counseling, testing, treatment, and follow up for sexually transmitted diseases as
trained;
12. Performs toenail care per protocol as assigned.
13. Conducts communicable disease investigation and provides follow-up recommendations
to individual, physicians and family members for the control of disease as assigned and
enter all the information into the Disease Reporting system within 10 working days of the
report;
14. Completes all paperwork required by KDHE regarding a reportable communicable disease
and entering all disease in Disease Surveillance Reporting System within 10 working days
of receiving report via mail, fax, lab, or phone;
15. Enrolls clients in appropriate medical assistance programs and completes all paperwork,
facilitating the referral;
16. Coordinates the activities of the Pottawatomie County Traffic Safety Coalition/Safe Kids
Chapter as assigned: 17. Refers clients for further evaluation and/or treatment when necessary and document all
information in electronic health record and electronic referral system;
18. Maintains client records in organized concise manner, integrated with other health
department records;
19. Collaborates with other public and private health care providers to provide integrated,
comprehensive services;
20. Collects program data for use in community health assessment and planning;
21. Provides and monitors TB drugs as assigned;
22. Provides support for the health department preparedness coordinator as assigned;
MARGINAL FUNCTIONS
1. Performs supply inventory and data entry of information;
2. Performs school screening as trained (vision, hearing, growth, scoliosis, immunization
status);
3. Works with Volunteer organizations (ACS, ADA, MoD, United Way, Salvation Army,
CERT Team,) in programming and support work.
4. Procures and organizes brochures and other educational publications and audio-visual
materials at the Health Department.
5. Provides community education to groups, schools, and the public as needed. Develops
and displays health exhibits at appropriate events, such as health fairs. Promotes events
such as Great American Smoke Out and Breast Cancer Awareness Month;
6. Promotes health department services such as flu shots, immunization clinics, and lead
testing;
7. Utilizes the media effectively to promote and educate the public;
8. Performs other duties as deemed necessary or assigned.
Requirements:
EDUCATION/TRAINING/EXPERIENCE:
Education: A high school diploma or GED, and graduation from an accredited School of Nursing.
Employee should be a Registered Nurse and be currently licensed to practice in the State of Kansas.
Experience: One year of similar or related experience is recommended. Employee is expected to have
acquired the necessary information and skills to perform the job reasonably well within six months
to one year of employment.
WORKING CONDITIONS AND PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
The work environment and physical demand characteristics described here is representative and
not intended to be fully inclusive of those an employee encounters while performing the essential
functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with
disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to outside weather
conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Exposure to human
blood and body fluids or communicable disease is possible.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger,
handle, or feel and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to walk, sit, and reach with
hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to stand; climb or balance; stoop, kneel,
crouch, or crawl; and taste or smell. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 10
pounds, frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds, and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50
pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color
vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY:
A thorough knowledge of nursing assessment skills, procedures and immunization techniques and
a working knowledge of mathematics is required. The ability to operate medical equipment and
phlebotomy with a high degree of accuracy is required. Employee must be able to read and
interpret patient charts, reports, policies and written instructions, and make proper referrals.
Excellent interpersonal relation and writing and oral communication skills are also required.
Employee must have good driving skills and a current Kansas driving license.
Employee must be able to read, analyze, and interpret common scientific and technical journals,
financial reports, and legal documents. Position requires the ability to respond to common
inquiries or complaints from customers, regulatory agencies, or members of the business
community. Employee must be able to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw
valid conclusions. Person must possess the ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical
instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
Employee must have knowledge of the principles of community education and knowledge of the
significance of disease prevention measures in the improvement of public health. Employee must
have knowledge of the social and economic forces in society that affect health. Person must have
the ability to plan and adapt education measures to persons of diverse cultural, socioeconomic and
age groups. Employee must have comprehensive knowledge of the principles of nursing practice
with special emphasis on public health. Person must have assessment skills with the ability to
develop a plan of care to enhance a positive outcome for the client.
Employee must conform to HIPAA privacy regulation specific to the position held. The employee
creates and records protected health information (PHI). The employee is only authorized to use
the information for categories for work performance. Disclosures are only allowed as necessary
for treatment or to other providers/business associates or as required by law. Access to PHI and
information is only allowed for health care operations.
PROBLEM SOLVING:
Problem solving is involved in this position. This employee encounters problems with complaints
from clients, fluctuating workloads, communicating with problematic medical systems, helping
client’s access health care and community services. Other problems often encountered are dealing
with non-compliant clients and with severe socio-economic constraints of families.
DECISION MAKING:
Decision-making is a factor in this position. Decisions this employee may encounter include
assessing client complaints and concerns, determining appropriate referral sources and providing
accurate information to clients.
MACHINES/EQUIPMENT USED:
Personal Computer and related software
Multi-line phone
Postage Meter
Facsimile
Copier
Shredder
Printer
Scanner
SUPERVISION/ACCOUNTABILITY:
This employee works with little supervision from the Pottawatomie County Health Department
Director.
FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY:
Employee is responsible for departmental equipment, but does not participate in the annual
departmental budget process.
PERSONAL RELATIONS:
Frequent contact with the general public, co-workers and supervisory personnel is expected.
An offer for employment for this position is contingent upon the applicant passing pre-employment background checks which may include, but are not necessarily limited to: Drug Screening, Driving Record, Criminal History, Physical Capacity, and/or Skills Testing.
