Women's Health Specialist APRN

This Rural Health Transformation Program is supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $206,927,896.80 with 100 percent funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government.

Principal Function:  The Women's Health Specialist APRN provides prenatal, postpartum, reproductive, gynecologic, and preventive women's health services while helping WCCH establish a sustainable regional maternal-health access point. Working as part of the integrated NEST team, the APRN participates in developing clinical workflows and protocols, coordinating care with delivering hospitals and regional partners, improving EHR and quality-tracking systems, and connecting patients with the clinical and community supports needed to improve maternal and infant outcomes.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:  Duties include, but not limited to:

• Provides evidence-based prenatal, postpartum, reproductive, gynecologic, and preventive care within the APRN's education, certification, clinical privileges, and scope of practice.
• Performs comprehensive health histories, physical examinations, risk assessments, diagnosis, treatment, counseling, and follow-up across the lifespan.
• Provide prenatal and postpartum care consistent with established protocols, including risk stratification and timely consultation, escalation, or referral to delivering hospitals, obstetric specialist, maternal-fetal medicine, or a higher level of care. this position does not provide delivery services.
• Provides gynecologic and preventive services, including breast and pelvic examinations, cervical cancer screening, sexually transmitted infection evaluation and treatment, reproductive-life planning and menopausal care.
• Provides contraceptive counseling and management and, when trained, credentialed, and privileged, performs long-acting reversible contraception procedures such as IUD and contraceptive implant insertion and removal.
• Orders, performs when appropriately trained and privileged, reviews, and interprets laboratory testing, diagnostic studies, and imaging; communicates results; and ensures appropriate treatment and follow-up.
• Prescribes medications and performs office-based procedures consistent with applicable law, WCCH policy, clinical privileges, and the collaborative practice agreement.
• Screens for behavioral health needs, substance use, intimate partner violence, and social barriers to health, and works with the NEST team to provide warm handoffs and coordinated follow-up.
• Coordinates care with the collaborating physician and the multidisciplinary team, including nursing, medical assistants, community health workers/navigators, radiology, laboratory, pharmacy, behavioral health, informatics, quality, and care-management staff.
• Helps establish and maintain referral, consultation, escalation, and closed-loop communication pathways with OB/GYN practices, delivering hospitals, maternal-fetal medicine, WIC, health departments, and other regional NEST partners.
• Participates in developing and maintaining prenatal, postpartum, reproductive-health, ultrasound, laboratory, referral, emergency-response, and care coordination protocols and workflows.
• Participates in multidisciplinary service-planning meetings, staff training, case review, and imp0lementation activities needed to establish and strengthen the WCCH women's health and prenatal service line.
• Work with informatics and quality staff to develop and improve EHR templates, prenatal registries, tracking lists, clinical decision support, referral tracking, and quality-reporting workflows.
• Maintains accurate, complete, and timely EHR documentation and supports reliable communication and continuity across the care team.
• Supports measurement and improvement of grant and clinical outcomes, including first-trimester prenatal-care entry, completion of recommended prenatal care, postpartum follow-up within 12 weeks, referral completion, and other required maternal and infant health measures.
• Participates in patient and partner education, outreach activities, regional maternal-child health meetings, and development of accessible health-education materials.
• Uses current evidence and quality-improvement methods to identify service gaps, test practical solutions, and help build sustainable clinical operations.
• Complies with WCCH policies, privacy and safety requirements, professional standards, applicable federal and state law, credentialing requirements, and the collaborative practice agreement.
• Performs other duties consistent with the role as assigned.

Education, Licensure, and Experience

• Graduate nursing degree from an accredited advanced practice registered nursing program.
• Current, unrestricted Indiana registered nurse and advanced practice registered nurse licensure, Master of Science in Nursing.
• Current national board certification appropriate to the services provided, such as Women's Health Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner, Certified Nurse-Midwife, or another APRN certified accompanied by documented competence in prenatal, reproductive, and gynecologic care.
• Indiana prescriptive authority-controlled substance and DEA registration.
• Ability to enter into and practice under a collaborative practice agreement consistent with Indiana law, credentialing requirements, and WCCH policy.
• Current Basic Life Support certification; additional emergency or obstetric training as required by WCCH for assigned duties.
• Demonstrated clinical competence in prenatal, postpartum, reproductive, and gynecologic care.
• Experience with long-acting reversible contraception, rural or FQHC care, patients affected by substance use or significant social barriers, service-line development, quality improvements, and EHR optimization is preferred.

This job has no formal supervisory responsibilities. The APRN may provide clinical guidance, education, and mentorship to members of the care team within the scope of the role.