Nurse Case Manager (Sign-On Bonus Eligible)

Position Summary: Under the supervision of the Medical Foster Care (MFC) Nursing Supervisor, the clinical Nurse Case Manager is responsible for the coordination of care for a caseload of 15 or more medically fragile or special needs children residing in foster boarding homes, as part of assuring a quality medical home at Children's Aid. Other responsibilities include making mandated monthly home visits, providing medical training for the foster parents and biological parents, accompanying foster parents to medical appointments and advocating for the needs of the children on the caseload.

Essential Duties:

Nursing assessment and patient care:

• Understand and promote the organization's Mission, Vision, and Core Values to ensure alignment with organizational policies and procedures.
• Creates implements and maintains a care plan for each identified problem.
• Provides daily management and coordination of appointments, supplies, and medication for foster children on caseload and acts as a resource to other staff members involved in patient care
• Performs mandated monthly home visits, jointly with case planner, and provides complete, purposeful, accurate and detailed assessments of the home environment, including follow-up from previous home visits.
• Accompanies foster parents to specialty appointments and acts as a liaison between the health care provider and foster parent.
• Provides training for foster and biological parents on the child's medical condition, proper administration of medication, safety precautions including response to side effects, universal precautions, age anticipatory guidance, and any other training based on the care plan.
• Shows competency in nursing practices: proper nursing skills, proper use of medical equipment and terminology, employs current nursing protocols and procedures.
• Utilizes nursing process to develop nursing assessments of foster children from comprehensive birth, developmental, health, immunization and social histories.
• Assists the NP/MD with well childcare, follow-up and sick visits of foster children on their caseload.
• Administers immunizations as directed by NP/MD.
• Makes appropriate referrals for hearing and vision screening and other problems, and follows up in a timely manner.
• Triages daily phone calls and serves as an emergency on call resource periodically.
• Accepts 24-hour beeper coverage at least four weeks annually. (Contract nurses excluded)
• Comply with all privacy laws including HIPAA, etc.

Administration

• Maintains medical records in an updated (real-time), organized, and legible condition, including medication, feeding and therapy changes.
• Assures medical reports are in the medical record within a reasonable time frame (two weeks after appointment).
• Communicates in a timely manner with team (social worker, foster parent, biological parent, psychiatrist, and pediatrician) about missed or rescheduled appointments and any special assistance required, i.e. translator, transportation, and/or cultural.
• Completes and submits school forms, reports, rate forms and summaries in a timely manner.
• Ongoing telephone communication with foster parents to ensure continuity of care.

Professional Development

• Continues to update professional knowledge both formally and informally by actively pursuing continuing education units through an accredited organization.

Interdisciplinary skills

• Attends Program-Based Health Center meetings, weekly nurse case conferences, and monthly foster care staff meetings, Family Team Conferences, and other Children's Aid (CA) site meetings.
• Works collaboratively with social workers, administrative staff, doctors and community health care providers.
• Implements philosophy and objectives of the program.
  • Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• NYS Licensed Registered Nurse required.
• Minimum Associate's Degree required, Bachelor's Degree preferred.
• Must have a minimum of two years' of experience in a hospital type setting (e.g. long-term care facilities); this should include pediatric experience. Case management experience with children who are medically fragile.

Key Competencies:

• Excellent verbal and writing skills.
• Goal oriented with strong time management skills.
• Flexibility and ability to work under pressure.
• Ambulatory experience is a plus.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) ability a plus.