Registered Nurse - Addictions and Primary Care

Registered Nurse

The Registered Nurse provides direct clinical nursing care within Health Care for the Homeless' low-barrier addiction treatment clinic (MAT clinic) and during designated clinical time in primary care. In collaboration with medical providers and the interdisciplinary care team, the RN supports the assessment and treatment of substance use disorders, including initiation and continuation of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), medication administration and management, harm reduction, health education, and care coordination to address clients' substance use, as well as acute, chronic, and preventive health needs. The position is supervised by the Lead MOUD RN.

Key Role Responsibilities

Complete nursing assessments, including relevant medical, medication, mental health, substance use, withdrawal, and social histories; identify immediate clinical needs and collaborate with a medical provider or other team members on the plan of care.

Use trauma-informed, harm reduction, and motivational interviewing approaches that draw on each client's strengths, goals, resiliency, and readiness for change.

Safely manage and administer medications, immunizations, long-acting injections, and other prescribed treatments while maintaining proper storage, handling, inventory control, and accountability in accordance with agency policies and applicable requirements.

Provide client-centered education about prescribed medications, particularly medications for opioid use disorder and other substance use disorders, overdose prevention and naloxone, safer substance use, and other risk-reduction strategies.

Assess barriers to care and coordinate solutions to help clients navigate the internal and external health care system, including medication access, primary care, behavioral health, specialty and recovery services, pharmacy and insurance processes, prior authorizations, referrals, appointments, and transitions of care.

Actively participate in daily huddles, case conferences, staff meetings, performance improvement activities, and interdisciplinary care planning, contributing nursing observations and collaborating across addiction treatment and primary care to promote continuity of care.

Accurately complete documentation in the electronic medical record and other required systems in a timely manner.

Participate in infection prevention, emergency response, and other activities that support safe, equitable, and effective care.

MAT Clinic

Provide direct clinical nursing care in the low-barrier addiction treatment clinic (MAT clinic) and during designated primary care assignments, adapting to walk-in, scheduled, and other clinical workflows as needed.

Support initiation, continuation, and adjustment of medications for opioid use disorder in collaboration with prescribing providers, including conducting clinical withdrawal assessments, assessing medication adherence, and applying internal guidelines to make client-centered medication continuation or adjustment recommendations.

Manage incoming patient phone calls during clinic hours in collaboration with other team members.

Maintain patient panel tracking tools to support treatment continuity, timely follow-up, identification of care gaps, and outreach to clients who may need additional support.

Primary Care Clinic

Provide primary care nursing services during assigned clinical sessions, including triage and nursing assessment of walk-in and scheduled clients, chronic disease management, preventive health care coordination, screenings, immunizations, medication reconciliation and education, care coordination, and follow-up of acute and chronic health needs.

Key Agency Responsibilities

In addition to role responsibilities, every staff member has the following responsibilities as a part of their employment:

Models and reinforces the core values of dignity, authenticity, hope, justice, passion and balance

Actively participates in performance improvement and advocacy activities that support the mission

Protects clients' personal health information by maintaining compliance with HIPAA and other relevant health care-related IT security regulations

Performs other duties on an as-needed basis

Knowledge, Experience and Skills

Formal Education and Training

Bachelor's degree in Nursing preferred; Associates degree with 5 years direct experience in addictions medicine

Possess current licensure as a Registered Nurse in Maryland

BLS CPR certification required

Experience

Experience in community health, primary care, addiction care, harm reduction, or public health nursing preferred

Experience working collaboratively in a multidisciplinary ambulatory clinical setting preferred

Skills

Strong interpersonal skills necessary to work with vulnerable populations and to collaborate with other team members, other staff members, and personnel of other agencies

Possess the ability to make independent decisions when circumstances warrant such action

Able to cope with interruptions, be flexible and be a team player

Able to work with ill, disabled, emotionally upset and sometimes hostile individuals

Success Profile

Core Competencies

Compassion

Demonstrates empathy and patience in words and actions; continually strengthens these skills

Demonstrates self-awareness about one's own perspective and biases; seeks to become more open

Shares credit with others and recognizes success results from the combined efforts of many

Courage

Thoughtfully engages with difficult issues in order to solve them

Provides constructive, direct and, actionable input and feedback

Navigates conflicts head-on to resolve them in a positive manner

Values Differences

Seeks to understand different perspectives and cultures

Interacts respectfully with people

Considers situations and issues from different perspectives and offers solutions with those perspectives in mind

Balance

Maintains a conscious balance between work and personal life

Demonstrates the ability to prioritize work tasks

Sets, maintains, and respects professional boundaries and supports others to do the same

Functional Competencies

Quality Management

Proactively seeks to provide the highest quality services that meet the needs of customers/clients

Demonstrates a commitment to continuous improvement through use of data and empowerment of others

Contributes to a work environment that leads to efficient and effective work processes

Ethics and Values

Acts in accordance with core values during both good and bad times

Operates within the workplace boundaries most other would agree to

Helpful to others in making decisions on ethical matters in the workplace

Decision Quality

Actively seeks input from pertinent sources to make timely and well-informed decisions

Incorporates evidence-based guideline properly in practice

Makes sound decisions, even in the absence of complete information

Time Management

Sets priorities and concentrates efforts on the more important priorities

Displays good judgment in the use of one's time and the time of others

Utilizes effective methods for managing workflow and pacing one's work.

Leadership Competencies

Instills Trust

Gains confidence and trust with others

Expresses thoughts and ideas in a credible and transparent manner

Models high standards of honesty and integrity

Customer Focus

Places stakeholders at the forefront

Delivers solutions that meet expectations

Establishes and maintains effective professional relationships

Drive Results

Persists in accomplishing objectives despite obstacles and setbacks

Pushes self and helps others achieve results

Always keeps the end in sight; puts in extra effort to meet deadlines

Action Oriented

Displays a can-do attitude in good and bad times

Uses necessary steps in planning and thought, then readily takes action on challenges

Shows initiative in tough situations and seizes opportunities

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements

Activity - Some - Freq - Work Position %

Lift - 0-50 lbs. - X - Sitting - 50%

Carry - 0-50 lbs. - X - Walking - 25%

Push - 0-50 lbs. - X - Standing - 25%

Pull - 0-50 lbs. - X

Stoop, Kneel - X

Crawl - X

Climb - X

Balance - X

Physical Requirements - Hazards