Public Health Nurse
- Summary
- Public Health – Seattle and King County values diverse perspectives and life experiences. The Department encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, and veterans.
As the only county in the United States named after Martin Luther King Jr, one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nations' history, King County is a vibrant community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the artistic and social traditions of many cultures.
We continue to build on an enduring legacy of shared values of equity and social justice, employee engagement, innovative thinking, and continuous improvement. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda aimed at advancing regional change and is developing the systems and standards necessary to achieve better outcomes for all of our residents, regardless of their race or income. All of these qualities make this King County one of the nation's best places to live, work, and play.
Public Health Seattle-King County is looking for a self-motivated, flexible, and compassionate Public Health Nurse (PHN) to join the Mobile Medical Program's Street Medicine Team. In this role, you'll work with a multidisciplinary team that addresses the medical and behavioral health care needs of people living homeless. The Street Medicine Team includes a nurse practitioner, public health nurse, outreach worker, education specialist, and disease research intervention specialist.
The Street Medicine Team seeks out and brings care directly to people living outside and in encampments. The team aims to engage people in health education, professional and peer support, and treatment for their medical and behavioral health conditions via a trauma-informed and harm reduction approach. Street medicine is a new service offering at Public Health that will provide this position with a unique opportunity to inform and shape program development.
At Seattle/King County Public Health we strive to be accessible to those we serve. This position may require flexibility to accommodate different work schedules and work locations.
Who May Apply: This recruitment is open to all qualified candidates.
Schedule: This position has a regular schedule of Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and may be required to work outside of these hours, and may include Saturday hours. This position is non-exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and is overtime-eligible.
Work Location: The administrative office is located in the Chinook Building at 401 5th Ave in Seattle. This position will be required to provide patient care at various sites throughout King County.
Contact: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment please contact Erika Yanak, Human Resource Analyst, at erika.yanak@kingcounty.gov. - Job Duties
- Provide outreach and direct medical treatment to people living homeless in community settings including day centers, encampments, and on sidewalks.
- Provide support to clients and Street Medicine colleagues to facilitate linkage to primary care, behavioral health care, and specialty care
- Share the responsibility with other Street Medicine Team staff to drive and park a sprinter van to various community sites.
- Obtain and document health history and make nursing diagnosis based on nursing assessment.
- Documents in medical records per policy and standards.
- Provide expertise regarding public health nursing scope, practice and policy at many levels.
- Provide program planning, monitoring local work plans and progress toward program goals.
- Participate in quality assurance activities to meet laws, regulations, policies and procedures.
- Provide training, orientation and education to staff, clients, students and the community.
- May provide birth control and pregnancy options counseling.
- Track client engagement and connections to community health agencies. Provides required weekly/monthly data collection reports as required through an electronic or manual. Participates in professional development opportunities and attends staff/team meetings as deemed necessary.
- Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills
Licensing/Certification Requirements:
- Washington State Registered Nurse License in good standing.
- Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN) from an accredited National League of Nursing (NLN) university or equivalent.
Qualifications:
- Knowledge of public health nursing principles and processes; human systems; infectious disease management and control; health care system structure and function.
- Knowledge of child and adult learning and health education techniques and principles.
- Knowledge of research techniques and principles.
- Knowledge of personal safety standards, safety techniques and principles.
- Demonstrated abilities performing comprehensive nursing assessments and successfully engaging clients in a plan of care.
- Demonstrated ability to work in homes and community settings without on-site supervision; communicating effectively with patients and their families and with other health and human services staff; developing and maintaining therapeutic relationships with patients; and working with culturally and socio-economically diverse populations.
- Demonstrated ability providing reproductive health education, services, community outreach, and working with community partners and agencies.
- Demonstrated ability working in a fast paced environment independently, multi-tasking, demonstrating attention to detail, crisis intervention and problem solving skills and effective time management.
- Demonstrated ability completing medical record documentation, problem-solving and case management.
- Demonstrated organizational and leadership abilities.
- Willing to provide options counseling.
Certification Requirements:- Documentation of current BLS CPR certification with AED training required prior to time of hire. CPR/AED Heartsaver courses do not meet this requirement.
- Experience providing health education and nursing care to individuals who are living homeless with substance use and mental health conditions.
- Applies knowledge of harm reduction, trauma-informed care, and equity & social justice principles to nursing practice
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, independently manage time and handle multiple tasks
- Personal flexibility, a sense of humor and the ability to accept feedback while working with a highly collaborative team
- Skilled in motivational interviewing
- Experience in verbal de-escalation and physical interventions in emergent situations to maintain a safe and secure environment
- Bilingual language skills desired.
- Supplemental Information
• The selected candidate may be required to pass a thorough background investigation.
• This position will be expected to use their own car or take public transit to the community locations where services are provided; A Public Health - Seattle & King County car is available if needed, and Washington State Drivers License required.
• Public Health relies on office automation (Microsoft Office) and web-based enabled tools, therefore candidates must be proficient and comfortable with computer use to perform functions associated with on-going work.
• Regular and reliable attendance, effective communication skills, and development of effective working relationships are requirements of all Public Health positions.
• Employees are required to protect the privacy and security of protected health information as defined in State and Federal Law.
• Staff may be required to play an active role in the event of a public health emergency, which may include changes in responsibilities and working hours.
• If you need a disability accommodation in the application or testing process, please call the contact number listed on the job announcement.
Union Affiliation: This position is represented by Washington Nurse Association.
King County offers a highly-competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and support our employees' health and well-being. Eligible positions receive the following benefits and have access to the following programs:
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage: King County pays 100% of the premiums for eligible employees and family members
- Life and disability insurance: employees are provided basic coverage and given the opportunity to purchase additional insurance for both the employee and eligible dependents
- Retirement: King County employees are eligible to participate in a pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems and a 457(b) deferred-compensation plan
- Transportation program and ORCA transit pass
- 10 paid holidays each year (plus 2 personal holidays)
- Generous vacation and paid sick leave
- Paid parental leave, family and medical leaves, and volunteer leave
- Flexible Spending Account
- Wellness programs
- Onsite gyms and activity centers
- Employee giving program
- Employee assistance programs
- Flexible schedules and telecommuting options, depending on position
- Training and career development programs
This is a general description of the benefits offered to eligible King County employees, and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. If any information on this document conflicts with the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the CBA prevails. Also, in the event of any incorrect information in this document, applicable laws, policies, rules, CBAs, or official plan documents will prevail.
NOTE: Benefits for Term Limited Temporary (TLT) or Short Term Temporary (STT) positions, including leave eligibility and/or participation in the pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, will vary based upon the terms and details of the position. Short Term Temporary positions are not eligible for an ORCA transit pass.
For inquiries about the specifics of this position, please contact the recruiter identified on this job posting.
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01Describe the number of years and type of experience you've provided care for patients living homeless with complex, co-occurring behavioral health and primary care conditions.02Describe your experience providing outreach and building relationships with vulnerable populations.03Do you have experience providing foot care and wound care? If yes, please describe.04To provide care to unsheltered people, the Street Medicine Team will be required to travel to various locations in King County. Some clinics will require walking outside in variable conditions for two hours while carrying a small backpack of supplies. Do you have any concerns about these conditions? If yes, please describe.05Are you able to work evenings 1-2 times per week?
- Yes
- No
06Are you able to provide birth control and pregnancy options counseling?- Yes
- No
Required Question