Public Health Nurse

Thank you for your interest in Madison County.

Description

Work Unit Overview: Madison County Public Health Department’s mission is to protect and promote the health of county citizens and the environment through the efforts of dedicated and skilled employees and application of sound public health principles. The department’s role is to identify community health problems; assess and investigate health problems and health hazards in the community; and enforce laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety.
Job Summary: The Public Health Nurse provides comprehensive nursing services in preventive health and clinic programs through assessment, teaching, counseling, and prevention services to individuals, families, and groups to promote health and wellness to clients. This includes administering public health programs, maintaining patient and program activity records, preparing required reports, and supervising other departmental staff as needed.

Essential Functions

• Identify health needs in the community to create and facilitate programs to promote health and welfare. Assess community health strengths, needs, and expectations to adopt a plan to utilize available medical resources and standards of nursing practices to serve families and individuals through health promotion and to serve those who are at risk of illness, injury, disability, or death.
• Provide nursing service to individuals to prevent illness, disability, or premature death. Perform physical assessments, obtaining blood pressure, temperature, measurements, etc. Retrieve information on health histories, diet histories, and family health histories. Read and interpret lab reports, administer tests, and perform a variety of related procedures.
• Promote health department goals by advising on health matters and medication options; carrying out immunization programs in schools; assessing environmental hazards; and working to prevent the spread of disease.
• Investigate and monitor reports of communicable diseases such as measles, pertussis,hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases, and tuberculosis. Coordinate efforts with physicians, school personnel, and others regarding the treatment and prevention of diseases.
• Provide health education, health promotion, health assessment, and disease prevention activities in the community to increase community awareness of the value of public health in Madison County. This includes representing the department at various community activities.
• Work with the Public Health Director to implement strategies for obtaining sustainable public health funding for the delivery of quality services and programs that meet the needs of the community members. Assist with identifying funding sources; apply for grants; stay current about funding at the local, state, and national level; promote long-term funding planning; and identify opportunities to expand billable services.
• Ensure that any programs administered by the health department operate in compliance with state and federal standards, policies, guidelines, and grant provisions. This includes monitoring and tracking demographic data on participants, conducting site inspections, compiling reports, and administering necessary budgets.
• Ensure that clinical documentation regarding clients is secure, confidential, and maintained in compliance with health department policy and state and federal regulation.
• Work with the Public Health Director to review the strategic plans for Madison County on a yearly basis to ensure they meet community health needs and that services are coordinated to maximize the effective use of resources and personnel.
• Prepare and present educational and training sessions for the community on a variety of topics to include healthy behaviors, life-saving skills, and resource navigation.

Education and Experience

The job requires a Registered Nursing Degree and two (2) years nursing experience. A Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing or higher and certification in Community Health Nursing is preferred. The job requires possession of a current license to practice as a Registered Nurse in the State of Montana and possession of a valid Montana driver’s license and current CPR certification. Must complete Incident Command Systems trainings 100, 200, 700, and 800 within the first twelve (12) months of hire.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

The job requires a Registered Nursing Degree and two (2) years nursing experience. A Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing or higher and certification in Community Health Nursing is preferred. The job requires possession of a current license to practice as a Registered Nurse in the State of Montana and possession of a valid Montana driver’s license and current CPR certification. Must complete Incident Command Systems trainings 100, 200, 700, and 800 within the first twelve (12) months of hire.

Madison County is an Equal Employment Opportunity.