Job Description

Posting number: 508

Department: HEALTH

Job classification: Public Health Nurse I/II - Nurse Residency

Posting type: Open

Categories: Public Health, Nursing

With equity and compassion, we protect, serve, and educate, empowering everyone in Gaston County to achieve their best health.

Examples of duties

The hourly pay rates for the Public Health Nurse Residency Program are as follows:

• Public Health Nurse I: $27.45
• Public Health Nurse II: $30.43
  
  

The duties listed below are not all of the duties that may be assigned but are those that are considered as essential for an employee to perform.

Public Health Nurse I:

• Clinic Duties: Provides professional nursing care to individuals and families in public health programs under general supervision. Delivers care through assessment, counseling, education, and treatment to promote health and prevent disease. Performs duties in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, provider orders, and evidence-based practices. Works in clinic and community settings with limited supervision, applying nursing knowledge and critical thinking to ensure safe, effective care. Provides clinical support, as needed or assigned, for programs and services relevant to the position, which may include Family Planning, STI, Immunizations, Communicable Disease, and Tuberculosis Control. Provides appropriate follow-up based on assessment findings. Adapts Public Health Nursing care to individuals, families and groups based on cultural needs and differences. Conducts comprehensive assessments and screenings based on program guidelines and client needs. Other duties as assigned.
  
  
• Disaster Response: Responsible for preparedness activities in the event of a natural disaster, disease outbreaks and other threats to the health of the public. This position will be required to participate in preparedness response activities which may include mass vaccination clinics or sheltering.
  
  
• Education: Participates in yearly competency activities for PHS Division staff. Participates in in-services, trainings and meetings. Completes required competencies per NC Board of Nursing to ensure compliance with nursing license.
  
  
• Health Equity: Implement strategies aimed at achieving Health Equity, including but not limited to: attending trainings to better understand inequities, identifying and addressing barriers to health, serving on the Health Equity Team or its subcommittees, engaging in internal or external efforts to eliminate health disparities.
  
  
• Performance Management: Carryout Performance Management (PM) roles and responsibilities, including identifying and communicating performance improvement opportunities and adjusting performance and practice to achieve established PM goals.
  
  

Public Health Nurse II:

• Clinic Duties Provides advanced professional nursing care to individuals and families in public health programs such as Family Planning, STI, Immunizations, Communicable Disease, and Tuberculosis Control with increased independence and responsibility. Delivers care through comprehensive assessment, counseling, and treatment to promote health and prevent disease. Participates in program activities such as data collection, review, and quality improvement. Performs duties in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, policies, provider orders, and evidence-based practices. Applies advanced clinical judgment and critical thinking in more complex situations.
  
  
• Leadership Assumes expanded clinical duties, including functioning as charge nurse when assigned, supporting clinic operations, and ensuring quality and continuity of care. Participates in program activities such as data collection, review, and quality improvement.
  
  
• Assigned Follow-up Performs triage, completes patient follow-up, performs routine clinic audits and checks, and provides clinical support across programs as needed.
  
  
• Disaster Response: Responsible for preparedness activities in the event of a natural disaster, disease outbreaks and other threats to the health of the public. This position will be required to participate in preparedness response activities which may include mass vaccination clinics, or sheltering.
  
  
• Education: Participates in yearly competence activities for PHS Division staff. Participates in in-services, trainings and meetings. Serves as a preceptor to new staff. Completes required competencies per NC Board of Nursing to ensure compliance with nursing license.
  
  
• Health Equity: Implement strategies aimed at achieving Health Equity, including but not limited to: attending trainings to better understand inequities, identifying and addressing barriers to health, serving on the Health Equity Team or its subcommittees, engaging in internal or external efforts to eliminate health disparities.
  
  
• Performance Management: Carryout Performance Management (PM) roles and responsibilities, including identifying and communicating performance improvement opportunities and adjusting performance and practice to achieve established PM goals.

Upon successful completion of the 1-year Nurse Residency Program, the NC Public Health Nurse Credentialing Course, and fulfillment of the minimum experience requirements, employees will advance to the Public Health Nurse II classification and assume additional responsibilities.

Qualifications

Public Health Nurse I:

• Associate's degree in Nursing
  
  

Public Heath Nurse II:

• Associate's degree in Nursing, one year of full-time professional nursing experience required or a Bachelor's degree in Nursing.
  
  

All applicants must possess a current state of North Carolina RN License; Valid CPR Certification; Valid vehicle operator's license and succesfully complete the North Carolina Public Health Credentialing Course within 1 year of hire.

A COPY OF YOUR RN LICENSE AND CPR CERTIFICATION MUST BE ATTACHED TO YOUR APPLICATION. FAILURE TO ATTACH THESE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS MAY RESULT IN YOUR APPLICATION BEING REJECTED.

Supplemental information

The applicant selected must undergo a criminal background check and pass a drug screening test prior to employment.
In compliance with G.S.153A-94.2 (b), if the position being filled requires an applicant for employment to work with children in any capacity, the County must require the applicant, if offered the position, to be subject to a criminal history record check conducted by the SBI. These checks must be performed in accordance with G.S.143B-1209.26, which authorizes the SBI to provide fingerprint-based state and national criminal record checks to cities and counties.