Nurse Practitioner

Nurse Practitioner

An Overview:

A Nurse Practitioner provides primary and preventive health care to patients in collaboration with other nurse practitioners and physicians. An incumbent in this class performs physical examinations in a clinic or other appropriate setting, and provides preventive health education to a target population. Tasks are performed in accordance with Federal, State and City regulations, clinic policy and procedures, and medical best practices.

The Nurse Practitioner in this position is primarily responsible for performing clinical patient care activities including well child examinations and acute care examinations with limited or no onsite access to a physician for guidance and oversight. Areas of care include treatment for: family planning, immunizations, sexually transmitted diseases, school and sports physicals, and intermittent acute/chronic care conditions. A practice agreement will be developed between the Nurse Practitioner and the Health Director, and he/she will be supervised by the Nurse Practitioner Supervisor and in collaboration with the Medical Director and Nurse Manager.

The Opportunity - Examples of Work

• Elicit client history and perform physical examination, documenting the findings in the medical record;
• Orders, performs, and interprets results of appropriate laboratory and diagnostic tests;
• Initiate client's plan of care based on the above including prescribing and dispensing therapies as needed and documenting the orders in the medical record;
• Consult and collaborate with other health care team providers including but not limited to nurse practitioners, nutritionists, social workers, and /or medical specialists as required;
• Provides health education and behavior change counseling regarding diet, activity, developmental milestones, and health promotion;
• Evaluate client response to disease processes and therapeutic interventions to determine effectiveness of care;
• Administers immunizations according to ACIP guidelines and in accordance with AHD policies and procedures;
• Participates in Teen Wellness Center team meetings to plan policy and procedure implementation and strengthen team functioning in delivery of services;
• Conducts quality assurance activities to assure services are consistent with policy and protocols for the health center and the Family Planning Title X grant requirements;
• Performs related work, as required.

About the Department

Alexandria Health Department (AHD) is one of 35 health districts in Virginia. As part of the Virginia Department of Health, AHD serves the residents, businesses, and visitors of Alexandria and works closely with the City of Alexandria and community partners to achieve its mission and vision. Alexandria, comprised of 15.75 square miles and a population of approximately 150,000, is the most densely populated city in Virginia and is rich in diversity and community engagement. AHD's mission is "Protecting and Promoting Health and Well-Being in Our Communities" and our vision is "Healthy People, Healthier Communities." We view "health" in the broadest sense and this drives our path towards continuous health improvement with a focus on equity of the social determinants of health.

The Nursing Division, with leadership from the Medical Director, is committed, engaged, and flexible in its response to the needs of the day as well as intentional planning for the future.

Requirements

Minimum: Four-Year College Degree from an accredited school of nursing with an advanced degree as a nurse practitioner; licensed as a family or women's health nurse practitioner in the state of Virginia and eligible for prescriptive authority; minimum of two years practicing within the specialty area; or any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities.

To be considered as an ideal candidate, one should also possess a current CPR (BLS or ACLS) Certification. Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications such as MS Word, Excel, etc. Experience working with youth/ adolescent population. Knowledge of child and adolescent growth and development. Knowledge of adolescent risk behaviors, including teen pregnancy. Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with other professionals and with the general public, both orally and in writing. Ability to work with other professionals and support staff as a team. Experience working in community/public health. Bilingual in English and Spanish is extremely useful.

Background Check Requirements

This position requires the successful completion of preemployment background checks including but not limited to driving record check, employment verification, education verification, national sex offender search, fingerprint based federal and local criminal history search, and DHHS Inspector General Exclusion Report search.

Work Hours

Work hours are Monday - Friday from 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM, with occasional flexing of time to accommodate evening meetings and/or outreach activities. The Teen Wellness Center follows the City of Alexandria personnel policies.