Overview
Public Health Nurse: 10 Months
School Health
“Follow Your Calling, Find Your Career”
Hiring Range: $57,691.20 – $75,719.70
Application deadline: Interviewing for 2024/25 school year
This is an exempt (salary) position.
Pay rates are based on education, skill, experience level and internal equity. Internal equity considerations include an assessment of the applicant’s salary history and qualifications in comparison to the market rate and requirements for the job.
About Us
At Mecklenburg County, you’ll have the chance to build a career as unique as you are with support, inclusive culture and technology to become the best version of you. We’re counting on YOUR unique voice and perspective to help Mecklenburg County Public Health become even better, too. Join us and build an exceptional experience for yourself, and a healthier world for all.
As a member of the Mecklenburg County Public Health team, you will become a subject matter expert in the public health field. The CDC foundation explains that “Public health is the science of protecting and improving the health of people and their communities. This work is achieved by promoting health lifestyles, researching disease and injury prevention, detecting, preventing, and responding to infectious disease”.
Come be a part of Mecklenburg County’s Public Health department’s vision to “assure the health and safety of our diverse and changing community today and for future generations.”
To experience School Health, please click HERE, prior to applying, to view a realistic video from some of our School Health Heroes to give you an awesome understanding of our School Health Program.
Please note: This is a Full-Time permanent 10-month position. What that means is you will be working for 10 months of the year, August to June, and be off on a summer break for eight (8) weeks over the summer. During this time, you will not be receiving pay since you are not working. However, your benefits do continue during this time. During the 10 months that you are working, you will be paying a prorated amount to cover the cost of your benefits during the summer months that you are not working.
This position may include a sign-on bonus up to $10,000.00.
Position Summary
This is a public health nurse position that works primarily in a school setting but may work in an office, clinical or other community setting.
Performs work with individuals, groups, or families to plan or implement programs designed to improve the overall health of communities. This position may have onsite or offsite supervision, assesses patient health problems, and needs; develops and implement nursing care plans; administer nursing care to patients and/or delegates tasks to unlicensed assistive personnel; advises patients on health maintenance and disease prevention; and provides care management.
All Registered Nurses employed by the Mecklenburg County Health Department are Public Health Nurses. Public Health Nurses, regardless of official title or classification, may provide nursing services during urgent and/or emergent public health events. These services include, but are not limited to, administration of immunizations for various ages and groups, mass medication distribution, and provision of health services in shelter environments.
Essential Functions
· Ensure compliance with agency policies, procedures, and protocols, as well as Board of Nursing laws, rules, and standards.
· Utilizes the nursing process in care delivery.
· Monitor, record, and report symptoms, medical information, vital signs, or changes in patient’s health status.
· Provide health services in accordance to standing orders and/or specific orders from health care providers.
· Consult and coordinate with healthcare team members to assess patient care plans.
· Develop, evaluate, implement, and/or modify plans of care (e.g., standardized treatment plans, individualized health care plans, or emergency action plans).
· Perform administrative duties as needed and maintains accurate, detailed reports and records.
· Train unlicensed assistive personnel to perform delegable tasks.
· Provide health education/health promotion topics and anticipatory counseling to individuals, families, and other groups.
· Assess the needs of individuals, families, or communities, including assessment of individuals’ home or work environments, to identify potential health or safety problems.
· Assess compliance with immunization laws; participates in special immunization clinics provide by Mecklenburg County Public Health which may include administering immunizations during the clinics.
· Provide health care services, first aid, specified laboratory tests, exams, screenings, immunizations, or related assistance in various locations.
· Refer clients to specialized health resources or community agencies for assistance unavailable at Mecklenburg County Health Department.
· Document patient history, related findings, and service performed in electronic health record.
· Mecklenburg County Health Department employees: Respond in cases of urgent and/or emergent events that require public health interventions. Employees may be trained for and assigned duties unrelated to their regular work; work outside normal business hours and workdays and/or in a different work location may be required. Emergency events include, but are not limited to, communicable disease outbreaks, severe weather situations (e.g., snow or ice storms, tornados, hurricanes), natural disasters (e.g., earthquakes), fire, or power outages, and acts of terrorism.
Minimum Qualifications
Experience:
Minimum of two years of professional nursing experience.
Education:
Graduate from an accredited/approved nursing education program.
Non-BSN incumbents are required to complete state Public Health nursing coursework and exams within a year of hire.
Combination of relevant education and relevant experience accepted?: N/A
Licenses and Certifications
· Current license to practice as a Registered Nurse (RN) in NC issued by the NC Board of Nursing or another Nurse Licensure Compact State.
· Certification in Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers (CPR & AED) by the American Heart Association that is valid for at least 90 days after hire. Maintenance of this certification is required and as funds are available may be supported as part of employment.
· May require a valid North Carolina or South Carolina driver’s license.
· May require County Driving Privileges
· May require an Annual Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) check required.
· May require an annual Mecklenburg County Human Resource background screening
Preferred Qualifications
· Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Knowledge of
· Applicable Federal, State, and local laws, statutes, rules, and regulations (e.g., HIPAA (FERPA, if applicable), NC Nurse Practice Act
· Nursing techniques with strong nursing assessment skills
· Medical and legal terminology
· Principles of public health and associated laws
· Human anatomy and physiology
· Infection control practices.
· Principles of child, adolescent and adult growth and development
· Nursing in a non-traditional health care setting
· Scope of nursing practice
· Principles of communicable disease prevention and epidemiology
Skills
· Prioritize and assign work
· Manage and execute multiple tasks
· Maintain various confidential records
· Medication administration and basic nursing procedures
· Work with multidisciplinary teams and diverse client populations
· Evaluate records to ensure standards, regulations and statutes are met
· Use of electronic heath records for nursing documentation
· Apply and explain applicable laws, codes, regulations, policies, and/or procedures
· Exercise judgment and discretion
· Maintain records and files complying with HIPAA and FERPA (if applicable) regulations
Abilities
· Care Management: Having the knowledge and skills to secure relevant patient care data and identify key issues and relationships in the management of patient care; understanding the relationships among assessments, interventions, and patient responses; skilled in documentation of assessments and adjusting physical and cognitive prescriptions as needed
· Commitment: Using appropriate interpersonal styles and techniques to gain acceptance of
· ideas or plans; modifying one’s own behavior to accommodate tasks, situations, and individuals involved
· Communication: Clearly conveying information and ideas through a variety of media to individuals or groups in a manner that engages the audience and helps them understand and retain the required information
· Customer Satisfaction: Ensuring that the customer perspective is a driving force behind business decisions and activities; crafting and implementing service practices that meet customers’ and own organization’s needs
· Decision Making: Identifying and understanding issues, problems, and opportunities; comparing data from different sources to draw conclusions; using effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions; taking action that is consistent with available facts, constraints, and probably consequences
· Interpersonal Effectiveness – Creating a good first impression; commanding attention and respect; showing an air of confidence
· Patient Education/Health Promotion: Supporting, explaining, and instructing patient and patient’s family (significant other, care giver, etc.) in understanding the clinical procedures and equipment used to facilitate optimum health status; promoting the lifestyle changes required of the patient and the patient’s family to achieve optimum health status
· Patient Relations: Meeting patient and patient family needs; taking responsibility for a patient’s safety, satisfaction, and clinical outcomes; using appropriate interpersonal techniques to resolve difficult patient situations and regain patient confidence
· Resource Management: Effectively managing one’s time and resources to ensure that work is completed efficiently
· Teamwork: Developing and using collaborative relationships to facilitate the accomplishment of work goals
Computer Skills
· Proficient in various computer applications including Microsoft Office Suite
Work Environment
Works in an office setting with moderate noise
Compensation and Benefits
In addition to a competitive salary, Mecklenburg County offers a generous benefits package which greatly increases your total compensation. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, life, short term disability, long term disability, accident, cancer, critical illness, medical bridge, and pet insurance; dependent care, healthcare, and commuter flexible spending accounts; health savings account; paid holiday, vacation, and sick days; near-site clinics for preventive care and illnesses; an employee discount program which provides discounts for retail, dining, shopping, travel, tickets and more; an employee assistance program including financial and legal counseling; access to Mecklenburg County fitness and aquatic facilities; paid family leave; tuition reimbursement; a 5% employer match.
Reasonable Accommodations Statement
To accomplish this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation, each essential function satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to help enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Disclaimer Statement
This is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of job-related responsibilities, duties, skills, requirements or working conditions. Other duties may be assigned based on business need and the supervisor’s request. Mecklenburg County reserves the right to revise the job description at any time. Designated positions may be required to assist in emergency and/or disaster situations.
The following may not be an inclusive list of required vaccines:
- Measles, Mumps, & Rubella (MMR) vaccine documentation or titer information
- Varicella (Chickenpox or VZV) vaccine documentation or titer information
- Tetanus, diphtheria, & pertussis (Tdap) vaccination documentation Required for all Health Department employees Proof of immunity: documentation of 1 vaccine
- All contracted staff must provide proof of immunity for Tdap upon request
- Td/Tdap booster every 10 years after Tdap
- For employees with a potential for exposure to Tetanus or diphtheria, Td or Tdap is acceptable for the recommended decennial Td booster as long as the employee has received at least one dose of Tdap.
- Hepatitis B vaccine information or titer
- Influenza vaccination (FLU)
- Tuberculosis (TB) skin testing, or Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) documentation
If history of a positive skin test or IGRA in the past, a TB evaluation is required if individual is positives Important: Must produce copies of the information below. Also, if the candidate has ever tested positive for TB before, they must send copies of the information documentation including:
- The test result reading
- Follow-up documentation
- Chest x-ray
- If medication was taken, card or documentation
