Public Health Nurse

Definition of Class

• This is professional public health nursing in a generalized public health nursing program. An employee in this class is responsible for providing professional nursing service in the home and/or clinical setting by providing and demonstrating nursing care and health guidance to individuals and families, or for special nursing projects. Assignments are selected to provide experience in the practical application of public health nursing principles and are increased in difficulty when proficiency is acquired. Work is performed with considerable independence and is reviewed through field observations, quality assurance measures, and review of medical records and reports for the effective application of public health nursing principles.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Maintains public health by providing health services and information.
• Functions as a staff nurse in various clinical settings that treat or prevent communicable diseases such as vaccine preventable diseases, sexually transmitted infections and tuberculosis.
• Visits homes to provide education and encourage families to practice positive health habits in the areas of physical, mental, and emotional health and recognize early disease symptoms.
• Makes necessary referrals to appropriate health or human service agencies.
• Participates in epidemiological studies, surveys, and special projects.
• Conducts individual and group conferences for the instruction of disease prevention and health maintenance.
• Assesses and facilitates nursing needs of individuals and families for the development of care plans.
• Coordinates care with other local health agencies and communicates effectively with peers and local health professionals, providing education/information as needed/requested.
• Maintains confidential client records in appropriate format and prepares reports of findings and recommendations.
• Performs related work as required.
• The above statements reflect the general details considered necessary to describe the principal functions of the job and shall not be considered as a detailed description of all the work requirements that may be inherent in the job.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Knowledge of the principles, practices, and techniques of professional nursing and public health nursing.
• Knowledge of public health programs and public health sciences, and the ability to apply this knowledge to working situations.
• Utilizes independent judgement, often without the availability of other health care personnel.
• Knowledge of the functions and resources of private and public agencies engaged in public health.
• Knowledge of the social indicators of health affecting individual and group health.
• Ability to reference current Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other appropriate professional groups' guidelines for disease control and other health guidance.
• Knowledge of current developments in the field of public health nursing.
• Ability to apply accepted nursing techniques in the area of public health.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with individuals, their families, colleagues, general public, and community agencies.
• Ability to communicate oral and written ideas in a clear manner.
• Ability to apply good organizational skills and to prioritize work when encountering multiple demands on time.
• Evening and weekend work may be required. Alternate work schedule will be applied.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Nursing from a College or University Approved by a State Board of Nursing and Accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education or the ACEN or NLN or the National League of Nursing Accrediting Commissions
• Minimum of 1 year of Experience in a Generalized Medical-Surgical field of Nursing, OR any equivalent combination of experience and training.
• Possession of or Eligible for a Current License as a Registered Nurse as issued by the PA State Board of Nurse Examiners

Conditions Of Employment

• The selected candidate will be pre-employment required to obtain, at their own expense, 3 forms of clearance, including PA State Police Criminal History Record Check; PA Child Abuse History; and FBI Criminal History Background Check including finger printing. This pre-employment requirement applies to all County employees exercising their bumping rights. Ability to obtain appropriate transportation is necessary to perform the duties of the position.