About the Position
The Youth and Family Services Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant will provide care to children and youth at the Lakes campus in Santa Rosa. As the Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant, you will collaborate with other care practitioners to provide professional care, including treatment programs, medication evaluation, and medication administration. You will assess clients, prescribe psychoactive medications, monitor side effects, attend team meetings, document client activities, and provide crisis evaluations. You will also monitor side effects and treatment effects, ensuring effective patient care.
The ideal candidate will be passionate about their work, adept at handling crises, and enjoy working in a fast-paced environment. They will also possess:
• Experience in a community behavioral health setting
• Independent prescriber experience
• Experience with evidence-based practices and trauma-informed care
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Experience using Electronic Health Records (EHR)
• Ability to apply motivational interviewing and harm-reduction strategies
The Department of Health Services (DHS)
 
DHS is one of the County's largest and most complex departments. DHS consists of the Administration, Behavioral Health, Public Health, and Homelessness Services Divisions and is driven by its mission to promote, protect, and ensure access to services that support the health, recovery, and well-being of all in Sonoma County. These ideas are the basis for how DHS operates and delivers services:

• Excellence - Strive to create a culture of learning, innovation, and data-driven practices to guide internal operations, improve performance, and build staff expertise
• Collaboration - Engage and work collaboratively with partners, communities, and staff to maximize its impact across the County
• Equity - Work to reduce disparities and ensure fairness, compassion, and social justice

For more information regarding the department, its programs, services, and partnerships, visit the DHS website.
What We OfferWorking 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:

• 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
• Paid Time Off - Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year
• County Paid Health Premium Contributions - 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee family health plan options
• Staff Development/Wellness Pay - Annual benefit allowances of up to $300 and ongoing education/training opportunities
• Post-Retirement Health Reimbursement Arrangement - County contributions to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits
• Retirement - A pension fully integrated with Social Security
• Paid Parental Leave - May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) after 12 months of County employment
• Student Loan Debt Relief – County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education

*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 Service Employees International Union Local 1021 Memorandum Of Understanding (SEIU MOU) and our Employee Benefits Directory.
This recruitment is being conducted to fill a part-time (0.50 FTE, 20 hours per week) Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant in the Department of Health Services. The employment list established from this recruitment may also be used to fill future part-time and extra-help positions as they occur during the active status of this list. Qualified County employees who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment.

For a Nurse Practitioner:

Experience: Some experience in an acute care hospital, primary care health clinic, physician office, psychiatric facility, or outpatient services is highly desirable.

Education: Normally, graduation from an approved school of Nursing and completion of a State approved Nurse Practitioner program that includes a clinical preceptorship.

Licenses: Possession of a valid California license as a Registered Nurse and a certificate as a Nurse Practitioner issued by the California Board of Registered Nursing; some assignments may require a specialized certification.

Possession of a valid driver’s license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required, depending upon assignment, to perform the essential job functions of the position.

For assignments that include the ordering or furnishing of drugs:

Possession of, or ability to obtain with one year of appointment, a current Furnishing Number issued by the California Board of Registered Nursing.
Possession of, or ability to obtain with one year of appointment, a current Department of Drug Enforcement number to order Schedule II, III, IV, V drugs.
For a Physician’s Assistant:

Experience: Some experience in an acute care hospital, a primary care health clinic, physician office, psychiatric facility, or psychiatric office/clinic is highly desirable.

Education: Normally, graduation from an accredited primary care Physician’s Assistant program that includes a clinical preceptorship and training in all of the tasks listed so that proficiency can be demonstrated to the Board of Medical Quality Assurance, Division of Allied Health Professions.

Licenses: Possession of a certificate or letter of approval to practice as a Physician’s Assistant issued by the California Board of Medical Examiners, or any other license or approval that may be required by law to practice as a Physician’s Assistant. Advanced cardiac life support certification issued by the American Heart Association is desired.

Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required, depending upon assignment, to perform the essential job functions of the position.

For assignments that include the ordering or furnishing of drugs:

Possession of, or ability to obtain with one year of appointment, a current Department of Drug Enforcement number to order Schedule II, III, IV, V drugs.

Thorough knowledge of: the methods, techniques and procedures used in health services; medical and behavioral health terminology, hospital routines, procedures, equipment and facilities.

Working knowledge of: the roles of various health personnel; common medical and behavioral conditions and the procedures involved in treatment and diagnosis of these conditions; the uses and affects of medicine and narcotics; various preventive and early diagnostic techniques; basic laboratory procedures; physiology of diseases, disabling conditions, mental illness and addiction; community and regulatory standards for the documentation of patient care; environmental, sociological, psychological and physical conditions relevant to advanced practice nursing; Federal, State and local laws and regulations governing nursing; uses and side effects of medications; comprehensive physical, behavioral and social assessment methodologies to identify physical illness, mental illness, and the physical and mental symptoms associated with abuse, neglect and addiction.

Ability to: take complete and accurate physical and behavioral health assessments and examinations; compile complete and accurate medical, behavioral, and social histories of patients; diagnose common medical and behavioral health conditions; competently perform all of the therapeutic, laboratory and screening procedures listed under typical duties; follow established protocols set up by physicians; consult with physicians, nurse practitioners and other members of the staff and other agencies; observe and evaluate the patient’s emotional conditions; differentiate medical and surgical problems that require immediate consultation with the physician rather than a deferred consultation; determine abnormalities in laboratory test reports; provide health counseling and guidance to patients; safely administer medications; analyze and interpret findings resulting from histories taken, assessments and tests ordered and/or conducted; formulate appropriate treatment plans; work effectively with individuals and families to assist them in satisfactory resolution and/or management of medical, behavioral, and substance use disorders and conditions; teach physical and behavioral health care techniques to individuals and families; refer individuals as expediently as possible to appropriate resources; and prepare and maintain clear, concise and complete records, reports and charts.

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:
An Application & 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. Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• 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 & 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 & 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 applicants.
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 bulletin must be RECEIVED by the time and date specified on the first page of this job announcement. Continuous recruitments may close without notice at any time that a sufficient number of qualified applications have been received. 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: BH
HR Technician: RR