Community Health Nurse II

The salary for this position is: $6,257 - $8,322 monthly.

Thurston County Public Health and Social Services (PHSS) is recruiting for two (2) Community Health Nurse II positions for our Disease Control & Prevention (DCP) Division. 

As a Community Health Nurse II, you will play a pivotal role in protecting and improving the health of the communities you serve. You’ll apply your clinical expertise and compassionate care to investigate and manage cases of communicable diseases – focusing on sexually transmitted infection (STI), general communicable disease (GCD), and tuberculosis (TB) control and prevention programs. Working collaboratively with your team, you will coordinate and provide disease control and prevention services to patients, case contacts, health care providers, institutions, organizations, public health partners, and the community. This is a unique opportunity to create meaningful, lasting change in the community by working on the front lines of public health. If you’re driven by a passion for improving community health and making a difference in people’s lives, we would love to hear from you!

Essential functions may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Use public health knowledge to serve clients in need of disease control & prevention services such as (but not limited to) TB services, STI services, Perinatal & Hepatitis B program, and general communicable disease management.
• Investigate, respond to, and report conditions of public health importance.
• Provide a client-centered approach while performing direct observation therapy or video observation therapy to support clients in meeting their highest potential.
• Assess and monitor client medication and symptom management.
• Develop and implement action plans in collaboration with clients to include alternatives to attain desired outcomes.
• Develop job aids such as presentations, social media content, and educational material for operational improvement projects.
• Provide clients with education and resources to a variety of vital community services.
• Collaborate with providers for care coordination and case reviews.
• Maintain working relationships with organizations, divisions, and community partners to gain insights into challenges and needs within the community.
• Comply with local, state, and federal laws and clinic policies related to mandatory reporting.
• Enter investigation data into web-based electronic database.
• Identify most up-to-date evidence-based practice based on identified health issues.
• Respond to phone and email inquiries from the public and health care providers.
• Assist in managing vaccination clinics, with the potential for other additional public health clinic services in the future.
• Perform other work as required or assigned, including, but not limited to, a 24/7 response during public health emergency situations and disease outbreak investigations.

To view the full job classification, click here: Community Health Nurse II

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Work Environment - Quiet office setting in Olympia, Washington. May perform in-home visits to serve clients.
• Schedule - Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 5:00pm, with the potential option of alternative or compressed schedules and/or remote working with an in-office requirement of two (2) to three (3) days a week (subject to change.)
• Travel Requirements - Occasional travel may be required to attend meetings or trainings and perform field work 
• Customer Interactions - Daily interactions with Thurston County staff and the public

WHO WE ARE:

Public Health and Social Services (PHSS) is Thurston County’s local health jurisdiction and human services department and is responsible for protecting the health and promoting the well-being of all people who live, work, and play in Thurston County. We value diversity and strive to foster a sense of belonging, honoring the unique experiences, cultures, skills, backgrounds, identities, and perspectives of our employees and community. As an agency actively working to address health equity, we aspire for everyone to have the opportunity to attain their highest level of health, regardless of their individual circumstances.

Thurston County values the diversity of the people it hires and serves. Inclusion to us means fostering a workplace in which individual differences are recognized, appreciated, and responded to in ways that fully develop and utilize each person’s talents and strengths. We are dedicated to recruiting and developing a talented workforce from various cultures, lifestyles, backgrounds, and perspectives who are committed to our vision and core values. Thurston County Racial Equity and Inclusion Webpage

QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Bachelor’s degree in nursing with coursework in community or public nursing. Completion of a BSN program within six (6) months of hire may be considered.
• Two (2) years of experience as a community health nurse or relevant experience in a hospital, medical clinic, public health, or related service. Any equivalent combination of experience and education that provides the applicant with the desired knowledge, skills, and ability required to perform the work will be considered.
• Currently licensed as a Washington State Registered Nurse.
• Depending on work assignment, a valid Washington State Driver’s License or an appropriate accommodation, may be required.

DESIRED SKILLS: 

• Experience independently conducting field investigations in a wide range of settings delivering client-centered care that respects individuals from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds
• Experience applying tools and strategies to control the spread of infectious diseases
• Experience with case management of communicable diseases including contract tracing and outbreak response
• Experience presenting public health messages to the public and community stakeholders
• Experience interpreting and communicating laws, rules, and regulations as they apply to the problems of disease control
• Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with governmental, voluntary and private organizations, and groups concerned with public health services
• Knowledge of epidemiological principles and practices, microbiology and pathophysiology
• Strong knowledge of infectious disease processes including transmission, incubation, and prevention strategies
• Familiarity with public health surveillance systems and electronic health records (EHRs)

Respect and Organizational Culture

• Create an environment where employees and partners can safely express needs or concerns and where employees can make and correct mistakes
• Effectively interact with sensitivity while working with persons from diverse cultural, socioeconomic, educational, racial, ethnic, and professional backgrounds, and persons of all ages, gender identities, sexual orientations, and lifestyles
• Thrive in a fast-paced, robust organization maintaining a positive work environment

Communication

• Serve the public in a timely, complete, accurate, and professional manner while ensuring that written and verbal communication is clearly understood by others
• Maintain cultural competency to support diverse perspectives in developing, implementing, and evaluating policies, programs, and services that affect the health of the community
• Strong oral communication for networking and interpersonal relationships
• Excellent written communication including the ability to craft correspondence, reports, and articles or web postings with minimal grammatical and syntax errors

Goal Setting and Accomplishment

• Use strategic thinking and planning for goal setting and evaluation
• Effectively plan, organize, and manage competing priorities and challenges under pressure
• Create a sense of mission by articulating and modeling confidentiality, professional values, and ethics with honesty and integrity
• Operate with a high degree of flexibility, initiative, attention to detail, and commitment
• Delegate and use persuasion and negotiating skills for shared responsibility and acceptance of change