Nurse Consultant

Job Description

Job Description

JOB SUMMARY:

The Nurse Consultant position contains clinical, wellness, advocacy and administrative responsibilities pertaining to the health and wellbeing of RCRC Clients. More specifically the position entails, but is not limited to, the following:

DUTIES:

Clinical - Provide clinical consultation and support to Clients, their families, regional center staff and community agencies/organizations working with the developmentally disabled; participate as a member of interdisciplinary teams in program planning and evaluation and in the development and implementation of individual service treatment plans; participate in clinical and service coordinator staffings; arranges for nursing assessments; provide record/file review & interpretation of medical records ; advocate for & consult with generic resources for medical care; participate as a team member of special teams (e.g., CPP, QA, Policy & Procedures, TACT, Early Start, Mortality Review, etc.); make clinical determinations regarding ancillary services for Clients (e.g., bus passes, fishing licenses, etc.); provide review of clinical Purchase Of Service authorization requests, advocating for generic resources first; provide or arrange for clinical trainings and inservices for Clients, staff and service providers; provide training to vendors- preservice, inservice and ongoing; provide quality assurance and technical assistance as it relates to special incident reports.

Wellness - Support wellness in Clients & families; gather and assess pertinent information to verify that Clients have a complete array of health services; visit Clients in their residences and community settings to insure that special health care needs are being met and to identify any health and safety concerns; provide documentation related to observations, interventions, teaching, record review and planning; provide health and wellness related information to Clients, families, service providers and other involved persons; provide or arrange for wellness-based trainings and inservices for Clients, staff and service providers.

Advocacy - Assist in facilitating Client access to primary and specialty health care services; assists regional center staff in locating existing clinical services in the community; assist Clients with generic funding and billing processes for heath services, equipment and supplies; attend Clients’ clinical related appointments (as needed) to help ensure all parties have an accurate and comprehensive understanding of the Client’s condition.

Administrative - Develop clinical protocols as well as protocols to assist Clients access to health care; identify the need for the development of clinical services; interpret the role of the regional center and act as a liaison with community agencies and organizations; help orientation of new staff regarding clinical services; participate in numerous administrative functions such as attending meetings, writing policies and procedures, completing various forms, etc.; participate in administrative hearings; participate in obtaining substitute informed consent; provide outreach/community education; document Clients’ clinical activities/interventions.

EDUCATION, LICENSURE & EXPERIENCE:

Education - A Master’s Degree in nursing from an accredited college or university or a Bachelor’s Degree in nursing plus one year post-graduate experience.

Licensure - A California License as a Registered Nurse and a Public Health Nursing Certificate are required. One year additional experience in providing nursing services to developmentally disabled persons or in community nursing may be substituted for the Public Health Nursing Certificate.

Experience - One year post-graduate experience in nursing service, preferably working with the developmentally disabled.

KNOWLEDGE, ABILITIES & SKILLS:

Knowledge - Knowledge of nursing principles, practices and procedures and how they apply to individuals with developmental disabilities; knowledge of best clinical practices in the field of developmental disabilities; knowledge of health and disease aspects of diagnosis and treatment; knowledge of professional boundaries and the scope of nursing practice; knowledge of medical resources in the community; knowledge of health related resources in the community; knowledge of training procedures.

Abilities - Ability to anticipate potential health issues that may occur for individuals; ability to communicate cogently and accurately, both in writing and orally; ability to prepare appropriate reports; ability to provide timely, cogent and appropriate documentation of Clients’ clinical involvements; ability to provide clear and effective consultation; ability to carry out duties and responsibilities with a high degree of independence while working in a team-oriented environment; ability to work in a fast-paced environment and at times, cope with complex and potentially stressful situations; ability to train and teach professional and lay persons.

Skills - Recognize and understand parameters of intervention for individuals and families under stress; effective use of the computer and on-line clinical resources; confer and team with other agency departments, units and teams; adhere to agency policies & procedures.

OTHER:

Travel within the community in the course of fulfilling the above-noted duties and responsibilities; travel to participate in out-of-area meetings, including overnight trips as appropriate. This position requires reliable transportation, possession of a valid driver’s license, minimum vehicle insurance as prescribed by law or the ability for independent transportation.

This position may require extensive sitting in office settings for meetings and for travel. Frequent walking, standing and occasional lifting up to 15 pounds with occasional bending, stooping, reaching and stretching to complete work duties may be required. Adequate manual dexterity and coordination for operation of automobile, computer and other standard office equipment is needed. Any of the above with reasonable accommodation.

This position is an exempt position.

SUPERVISION: This position is supervised by the Director of Clinical Services