Registered Nurse Ii (Phn Option)

READ THIS ENTIRE BULLETIN FOR INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO REAPPLY FOR THIS RECRUITMENT

THIS IS A REOPENING OF A CONTINOUS EXAMINATION. If you have previously applied or started an application for the Registered Nurse II (PHN Option), Examination #19-5305-01, and choose to reapply, please contact the examination analyst, Angelica Cuevas at [email protected] to have your previous application released back to you.

The scores and dispositions of candidates for this examination will be merged with previous exam participants. If you have previously submitted an application and choose to reapply, your new score/disposition will replace your current disposition.

Application and Supplemental Questionnaire: A properly completed Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted with each application. Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Failure to submit the supplemental questionnaire will result in disqualification.

Applications will only be accepted on-line.

ABOUT THE HEALTH CARE SERVICES AGENCY

Alameda County's Health Services Program is administered by the Health Care Services Agency and includes the following program areas: Behavioral Health Care Services, Public Health, Environmental Health Services, and Office of the Agency Director. The ultimate mission of the Health Care Services Agency is to provide fully integrated health care services through a comprehensive network of public and private partnerships that ensure optimal health and well-being and respect the diversity of all residents.

PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT

The mission of the Alameda County Public Health Department is to work in partnership with the community to ensure the optimal health and wellbeing of all people. Alameda County Public Health Department has worked for over 80 years to improve the health and safety of its residents and the neighborhoods they live in. The Public Health Department staff are committed to the following values:

Healthy People in Healthy Communities
Equity and Social Justice
Accountability and Quality
Leadership and Innovation
Trust and Transparency
Humility and Respect

Traditional public health concerns such as disease outbreaks, environmental hazards and access to health care are compounded by contemporary concerns such as: economic disenfranchisement and homelessness, racism, sexual and reproductive health and rights, crime, violence, and substance abuse. Each of these poses a threat to public health and wellness and calls for innovative solutions, in close partnership with impacted communities. For more information about our Alameda County Public Health Department, please visit the Alameda County Public Health Department Website and latest Annual Budget document found on www.acgov.org

THE POSITION
Registered Nurse II positions are located in the Health Care Services Agency, Social Services Agency and Community Development Agency. Registered Nurse IIs provide a variety of nursing care services, case management, treatment plan, teaching, counseling and referral to clients and families in a home and/or community setting, provide nursing assessment, planning, intervention and evaluation; coordinate care with other health care providers, professionals and other agencies and community representatives; assist in the prevention of communicable diseases; and perform related duties as required.

THE VACANCIES
The current Registered Nurse II (PHN) vacancies are in all County locations. These positions are situated in the Social Services Agency and in the following programs/units within the Public Health Department: Acute Communicable Disease, California Children's Services, Tuberculosis (TB) Control Section, the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP), and the Foster Care Assessment Center. However the eligible list resulting from this recruitment may be used to fill future vacancies in other program areas.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT: In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications below, these positions require possession of a current and valid Public Health Nursing (PHN) Certificate issued by the California Board of Registered Nursing.

Acute Communicable Disease Unit
Alameda County Public Health Nurses, in the Acute Communicable Disease Unit, are responsible for the surveillance, investigation, and control of cases, contacts, and outbreaks of over 75 reportable communicable diseases; all reportable communicable diseases except for HIV, sexually transmitted infections and tuberculosis. Program activities include interviewing clients with reportable diseases, as well as their family members and health care providers, to collect clinical and risk factor information and to identify potentially exposed contacts. ACD staff educate clients about disease symptoms, transmission, treatment and prevention; identify and locate exposed contacts to provide education about potential symptoms and if appropriate, post-exposure preventive treatment; recommend interventions to prevent disease transmission in households, schools, day care facilities, health care facilities, and other congregate settings; maintain accurate surveillance of reportable conditions and review trends to identify areas for enhanced prevention and control efforts; initiate and lead key functions in the public health response to infectious disease emergencies; and serve as on-call duty officers to conduct mandated public health response to urgent communicable cases and outbreaks in the evening, on weekends, and holidays.

California Children's Services (CCS)
California Children’s Services (CCS) is a statewide program that provides case management and care coordination for clients' birth to 21 who have chronic, disabling and/or life threatening conditions. There are medical, financial and residential eligibility requirements. Under the direction of the CCS Nurse Manager, the Registered Nurse IV (RN IV), the Registered Nurse II (RN II) performs medical utilization review and comprehensive case management for a case load of children who have CCS medically eligible conditions. The RN II works in multi-disciplinary teams to determine medical eligibility and provides medical care coordination from the point of intake and initiation of the treatment care plan as part of the CCS interdisciplinary case management team. Nurses also ensure that clients are receiving necessary services with the most appropriate provider.

The RN II is expected to have knowledge of: principles, methods and procedures for utilization review and relating to acute hospitalizations, home care, medical and nursing services and other levels of institutional care, CCS and Medi-Cal regulations; health care delivery system with respect to medical services available to the child and family; and family adaptation to handicapping conditions involving physical and psycho-social needs.

Tuberculosis (TB) Control Section
Registered Nurse IIs in the TB Control Section work under the supervision of the TB Nurse Manager (RN IV) and under the guidance of an RN III to provide case management to a caseload of clients with active and suspected active TB disease; to conduct monthly visits to the family, investigate contacts and assure access to care; oversee direct observation therapy (DOT) as needed, and to perform other duties as assigned. The work of the Registered Nurse IIs in the TB Control Section is specific to TB cases and their contacts, and requires knowledge of public health nursing standards, access to health care in the local community, knowledge of tuberculosis disease and transmission, diagnosis and treatment of active TB disease and latent TB infection, knowledge of co-morbidities and complex socio-economic problems that adversely affect TB treatment outcomes, and responsibility for assuring completion of TB treatment; contact tracing, early identification of secondary cases and contacts at risk for rapid progression to TB disease if infected; surveillance (including case reporting); understanding of epidemiology of tuberculosis in Alameda County and how it guides public health nursing practice, and performing outreach (when resources permit) to persons at high risk for TB infection and disease.

Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP)
Nurse-Family Partnership is a home visiting program that partners nurses with low income first-time moms in Alameda County, in order to give babies the best start in life. Case management services begin in pregnancy and continue until the child reaches two years old. During that time, parents are provided with health education, support, and child development information so that families can create better lives for their child and themselves.

This position will be situated within Public Health and includes nursing care management with prenatal and postpartum clients and their children up to the age of two. Nurses in this program receive intensive training to administer this evidence based home visiting program whose goal is to improve birth outcomes, increase child development and increase families' self-sufficiency. Nurse-Family Partnership nurses establish relationships with young, at-risk mothers during home visits and provide guidance for the emotional, social, and physical challenges first-time moms face as they prepare to become parents. NFP nurses work with culturally diverse families in communities with broad-based socio-inequity. We serve a high population of Oakland clients.

Foster Care Assessment Center
The Assessment Center (the AC) is a non-residential, short-term shelter child-friendly environment that operates 24 hours per day. The AC is staffed and managed by West Coast Children's Clinic, Inc., a community-based organization under contract to the Alameda County Social Services Agency. The AC has the capacity to receive and care for all ages of children and youth newborn to 21 years of age (Non-Minor Dependents NMDs).The purpose of the AC is to provide a supportive, child-friendly place where children can be looked after safely while more thoughtful placements are researched, including assessment of relative placement options, allow qualified staff to provide timely crisis intervention services to lessen the trauma of removal and initiate basic physical and mental health screenings, appropriate linkages and referrals.

Under the supervision of the RN IV, the PHN II at the AC serves as an interdisciplinary team member of the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and is responsible for implementing the daily nursing operations at the AC, which includes conducting nursing assessments on children received at the AC; communicating the need for timely follow-up of abnormal health assessment findings and/or acute health findings to placement providers, medical providers, child welfare staff, childcare staff, and PHNs in the Health Care Program for Children in Foster Care; facilitating the coordination of care between the AC, DCFS, Public Health Department, emergency foster homes, health care providers, schools, and any other relevant agencies invested in the total care of vulnerable children; providing onsite skilled, professional nursing consultation to the child welfare staff, including the Child Welfare Workers and other relevant personnel, child care staff, and biological and/or foster family; collaborating with child welfare staff to develop and maintain a systematic process for obtaining the basic medical history of the child at the time of removal from the caregiver’s home; gathering and interpreting information obtained from birth records, medical/dental records, immunization records, lab and radiological reports; documenting relevant information in the CWS/CMS database; researching medical insurance coverage for children to assist with urgent medical needs; training childcare providers on method of administering a brief health checklist for children brought to the AC; taking the lead to address the identified health care needs of each child/youth/non-minor dependent (NMD) admitted to the AC, including coordination of needed medical appointments, follow-up, and medication refills; administering, supervising and monitoring all medications prescribed; performing prescribed treatments. The PHN at the AC is expected to have knowledge of the health care delivery system available to children in foster care, family dynamics of the child removed from an abusive and/or neglectful home and the emotional adaptation to out of home placement and the effects of family separation.

IHSS Program

The IHSS Program is a home visiting program across all 58 counties in California. The Alameda County Public Health Nurse primary role is to conduct an assessment/reassessment of clients that are at risk for out of home placement and to prevent premature institutionalization and/or nursing home placement. The program serves eligible individual across the lifespan who are aged, blind, and disabled to remain safely in their own homes. The public health nurse carries a caseload focused exclusively on IHSS recipients identified as having paramedical service needs for example GT feedings/Tracheostomy/diabetes management/home dialysis. The PHN conducts comprehensive in-home assessment and reassessment to address the medical, nursing, and psychosocial aspects of the client’s health. In addition, the PHN provides health education and management of chronic medical conditions. The PHN is expected to have knowledge of the health delivery system, applying the nursing process, comfortable conducting a thorough assessment, and communicate effectively with clients.

Under the supervision of the Supervising Public Health Nurse (RN IV); the RN II/PHN serves as part of a multidisciplinary team who are responsible for assessing clients’ ability to live safely in their home by evaluating the risk for institutionalization, monitoring client’s progress through any prescribed rehabilitative, and providing case management in coordination with other departments, agencies, and health providers.

License/Certificate:

• Possession of a current and valid license to practice as a Registered Nurse in the State of California.
• Some positions may require a valid California Motor Vehicle Operator's license.
• Possession of a current and valid Public Health Nurse (PHN) Certificate issued by the State of California

Special Requirements:

1. In compliance with the Administrative Simplification provision of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), employees in this classification are required to possess a National Provider Identifier (NPI) number prior to their first day on the job.

2. In Compliance with Medicare regulations, employees in this classification are required to complete the "Medicare Enrollment Process for Physicians and non-Physician Practitioners" through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, prior to their first day on the job. Active enrollment in Medicare is a condition of employment. Failure to attain or maintain active enrollment will result in termination.

Either I
Experience:

The equivalent of six months of full-time experience as a Registered Nurse I in the Alameda County classified service. (Non-classified includes District Attorney's Office, Hospital Authority, and the Consolidated Courts.)

Or II

The equivalent of one year of full-time recent experience with the last five years at a comparable level as a Registered Nurse in a clinical and/or public health setting.
Some positions may require one (1) year of experience in a specialty area.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT: In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications below, these positions require possession of a current and valid Public Health Nursing (PHN) Certificate issued by the California Board of Registered Nursing.

NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

The examination will consist of the following steps:

Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance. The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency:

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN

Deadline for Filing: Continuous

Review of Minimum Qualification & SQ: Ongoing

Department Hiring Interview: TBD



Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statutes. To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement before the last date of filing. Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statutes.

For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website, www.acgov.org/hrs.

Alameda County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many different employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall well being. These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Well-Being

• Employee Assistance Program
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Basic Life Insurance
• Dental – HMO & PPO Plans
• Share the Savings
• County Allowance Credit
• Flexible Spending Accounts - Health FSA, Dependent Care and Adoption Assistance
• Vision or Vision Reimbursement
• Voluntary Benefits - Accident Insurance, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity and Legal Services
• Medical – HMO & PPO Plans
• Short-Term Disability Insurance
• Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage for eligible employees)

For your Financial Future

• Deferred Compensation Plan (457 Plan or Roth Plan)
• Retirement Plan - (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)

For your Work/Life Balance

• Child Care Resources
• Pet Insurance
• Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Group Auto/Home Insurance
• Commuter Benefits Program
• Guaranteed Ride Home
• Catastrophic Sick Leave
• Vacation purchase program
• Floating Holidays
• Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
• 12 paid holidays
• 1st United Services Credit Union

• Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement. This provides a brief summary of the