Public Health Nurse

Closes: 2/7/25

Carlton County Public Health and Human Services is an engaging and safe place to work with a flexible day-time weekday schedule. Ample opportunities for training, development, and career growth, with the possibility of telecommuting. Very competitive salary and benefit package with respectful and open atmosphere.

Why join Carlton County? The Public Health & Human Services department is committed to providing a welcoming environment. We offer:

• 41 hours personal paid time off and 12 paid holidays
• Flexible scheduling and opportunity for part-time remote work
• Comprehensive insurance including medical, dental, vision
• Advancement/professional development opportunities
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee well-being valued and culture of self-care
• PERA pension plan
• Limited evening and weekend hours may be worked for some positions.
• The Minnesota Rural Public Health Nurse Loan Forgiveness program may be applied for if meet criteria(competitive)
• https://www.health.state.mn.us/facilities/ruralhealth/funding/loans/publichealth.html

Healthcare Benefits:

Family Health Insurance - Monthly Premium of $320.16

Single Health Insurance - Paid in Full by Employer

**HEALTH INSURANCE DEDUCTIBLES COVERED IN FULL WITH A VEBA ACCOUNT FUNDED BY EMPLOYER

BASIC FUNCTIONS (SIX AREAS OF PUBLIC HEALTH RESPONSIBILITY):

• As an independently licensed position operating under limited administrative supervision of the unit supervisor, perform professional public health nurse duties to ensure the proper administration and coordination of established public health programs per state statute, regulations, and guidance. Collaborate closely with local, regional, state, and Tribal health systems, governmental systems, and other agencies to develop interdependent programs. Provide a full range of public health nursing, case management, public health education, and health promotion within the six areas of Public Health (PH) Responsibility per MN State Statute 145A: assure an adequate local PH infrastructure; promote healthy communities and healthy behaviors; prevent the spread of communicable disease; protect against environmental health hazards; prepare for and respond to emergencies; and assure health services through community health services to individuals, families and the community.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
General Public Health Intervention (adapted from the Public Health Nursing Practice Standards)

• Participate in public health surveillance: monitor health events; collect, analyze, and interpret health data to plan, implement, and evaluate public health interventions.
• Disease and other health event investigation: identify threats to population health; determine mitigation measures; implement as appropriate.
• Perform outreach: identify populations of need and provide relevant information.
• Administer screening: appropriately identify screening tools and use critical thinking to identify individuals with risk factors; secure appropriate response to the various screening tools.
• Continuously practice case-finding: locate individuals and families with risk factors and connect them to resources.
• Perform referral and follow up: link individuals, families, groups, organizations, and/or communities with available and proper resources.
• Provide case management: empower individuals and families with a strengths-based and reflective approach; build the capacity of the community to coordinate and provide services.
• Perform delegated functions: operate under the authority of the Public Health Medical Consultant as allowed by law; serve as a peer mentor for nurses within the Public Health or Long-Term Care units; direct and/or review any assessments where guidelines may require a co-signature.
• Perform health teaching: effectively communicate with individuals, families, systems, and communities to encourage change in knowledge, behaviors, and health status.
• Practice a counseling role: engage the community, a system, family or individual to increase self-care and coping skills and strategies to build relationships, connections, and mental health and well-being.
• Practice consultation: respond to perceived problems or issues with a community, system, family, or individual through information gathering and interactive problem solving.
• Collaborate with partners: work together to promote and protect health and well-being.
• Build coalitions: promote and develop connections to solve problems and address health concerns.
• Organize communities: mobilize the community in relation to public health priorities; engage communities to change policies, systems, and environments to promote positive population health and/or prevent adverse health.
• Act as an advocate: help to develop the community, system, individual, or familys capacity to act on their own behalf; use a health-equity lens in policy, system, and environmental change work.
• Apply social marketing principles and technologies to create change movement for health promotion.
• Perform policy development and enforcement, as applicable, to assure that laws, rules, regulations, ordinances, and policies are followed to promote and protect health.

Specific Public Health Intervention

• Through autonomous decision making, facilitate progress, meet objectives and deliver prescribed outcomes within a variety of public health and grant programs.
• Insure ongoing competency using best practices including peer review, reflective practice, goal setting, and self-evaluation.
• Participate in local agency Quality Improvement and Performance Management planning and policy development.
• Attend and participate in assigned local, regional, or statewide committees, task forces, teams, councils and meetings for program and policy work as relevant and based on assigned program(s).
• Assist with local and regional Community Health Assessment and Action Planning as assigned to include developing surveys, performing assessments, identifying areas of need, establishing criteria for evaluation of programs, and preparing reports. Assist in community mobilization in relation to PH priorities.
• Assist with designing relevant orientation guidelines and participate in orientation of new staff on the team and within the agency, student nurses, and interns. Serve as a resource for professional development for colleges and universities. Contribute to the support, direction and teaching of colleagues to enhance professional development.
• Maintain appropriate program-specific electronic charting. Ensure documentation is current, accurate, complete, and timely and maintains confidentiality within a legal and ethical framework.
• Initiate and draft proposals with potential grant sources. Manage grants by maintaining data related to activities, administering programmatic duties required by grant funds, and drafting periodic reports to grantors as required. May assist with health plan, local, state and federal audits of grants or programs.
• Using nursing process, perform health assessments of individuals, families and communities by evaluating their physical, mental, social, spiritual and environmental health status using the appropriate assessment tool; perform gap analysis; provide nursing and community health intervention based on assessment of need and current community resources. Convene community partners to improve health systems to address gaps.
• Comply with HIPAA, data privacy and data retention policies and procedures.
• Intervene in emergency situations, assess safety, and notify proper authorities. Act as a mandated reporter.
• Address emerging issues within health equity, health disparities, and the social determinants of health within assigned programs and with the unit to improve population health locally and regionally.
• Implement disease control measures during infectious disease outbreaks.
• Participate in planning, exercising, responding, recovering, and post-incident evaluation. Actively engage in emergency operations as needed. Provide 24/7 contact for responding.
• Provide Care Coordination to facilitate the appropriate delivery of health care services, ensure smooth transition between home and community-based settings, jail, acute, rehabilitation and nursing facilities, for the purpose of promoting health, safety, and independence.
• Work in close contact with high risk individuals. Perform direct care and hands-on nursing care including mental health assessments, physical assessments and evaluations.
• Educate and support parents to promote healthy parent child relationships

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Education: Graduation from an accredited baccalaureate degree nursing program with public health nursing preparation.
• Experience: One year of home and community-based or public health nursing preferred, or proof of applicable experience in a similar setting.
• Certificates/Licenses Required: Current licensure as a Registered Nurse and a certification as a Public Health Nurse in the State of Minnesota. Valid drivers license and proof of insurance required. Strongly recommended all WIC certifiers be a Certified Lactation Specialist or be able to obtain certification within six (6) months of employment.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

• Knowledge of public health nursing practice and theory, practice advances and updates to nursing literature.
• Knowledge of the document entitled Relevant Challenges and Considerations for Public Health Nursing Practice, May 2016, written by the Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota Public Health Nursing Practice Council.
• Knowledge of MN Statute 145A, the Local Public Health Act.
• Knowledge of health care systems structure and function; ability to make appropriate client referrals based on need, program guidelines, and community resources.
• Knowledge of health care issues and trends specific to the work specialty to which assigned.
• Knowledge of information management systems appropriate for assigned program(s).
• Knowledge of billing procedures required by Medicaid/Medicare and other third-party payers if applicable.
• Knowledge of federal, state and local laws, ordinances, resolutions and regulations relating to health programs and accompanying documentation requirements.
• Knowledge of a full range of community resources.
• Knowledge of specialized nursing and referral practices and requirements using policy and risk management as guiding principles in such areas as child abuse, vulnerable adult, chemical dependency, emergency services, crisis interventions and foster care screenings.
• Knowledge of and skill in using specialized screening tests and evaluation tools as needed in assigned program areas. May require additional training for specialized areas.
• Skill in use of medical equipment (e.g., blood pressure cuff, scale, stethoscope, thermometer, etc.).
• Skill in obtaining blood specimens.
• Skill in administering vaccines and tuberculin testing to adults/children, as well as injectable medications.
• Skill in interviewing adults and children using motivational interviewing techniques, and person-centered language.
• Skill in performing physical, emotional, and social assessments of individuals, families and communities.
• Skill in working effectively with diverse cultural or ethnic populations.
• Skill in synthesizing and analyzing data collected from medical equipment and ability to respond appropriately.
• Leadership skills required to delegate tasks, coordinate client/family care and mobilize community resources.
• Ability to maintain records, compile data in meaningful form, and prepare complex written and oral reports for local, county and state level agencies.
• Ability to access and identify current public health information and data.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing with citizens, public officials, physicians and other medical professionals and co-workers, etc.
• Ability to work cooperatively with clients, co-workers, general public and other agencies.
• Ability to organize, prioritize and complete a variety of different assignments at various stages.
• Ability to demonstrate flexibility, including in providing back-up to others, and willingness to create, implement, and adapt to new ways of doing things.
• Ability to develop, organize and deliver public health presentations, classes, fairs, workshops and other outreach activities.
• Ability to assess and use critical thinking skills and exercise independent judgment in all situations including, but not limited to, crisis or emergency situations.