Home Visiting Nurse- Family Connects (Middlesex County)

Family Connects Nurse

A Family Connects Nurse provides home visiting to all families with newborns in Middlesex County. The goal is to support and assess family needs in 12 domains of physical and psychosocial wellbeing and facilitate referrals and connections to community agencies to support families in these areas.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following:

• Follow the Family Connects home-visiting protocol. Keep records of client observations and activities as required. Document information for family assessments and program evaluation. Record information in real time via in home use of computerized record system.
• Follow the Family Connects scheduling protocol. Visit target area hospitals as needed to schedule home visits for new mothers.
• Provide a health and physical assessment of mother and baby in the home to determine well-being.
• Assess family needs in 12 domains of physical and psychosocial wellbeing, including depression, substance abuse, and domestic violence. Exercise clinical skills in appraising situations and making decisions.
• Establish a trusting relationship with families during in-home visits and engage the family to establish a family support plan with goals, objectives, and activities that address family strengths and needs.
• Ability to work with nurse supervisor to implement a practice improvement and clinical development plans.
• Work with team to ensure appropriate referrals and connections to community resources as needed. Work in a team to assist parents in making and attending appointments for doctors, social service agencies, etc. Act as a liaison between families and other community agencies, serving as family advocate as required.
• Apply working knowledge of parent-child interaction, child-maternal health, child development, and child abuse/neglect to help families improve parenting skills, increase parenting supports, reduce stress, and address needs of parents; assist in creating a health plan for entire family.
• Maintain eight open visit slots, conduct, and document at least six home visits per week. Respond to client needs through flexible scheduling of home visits.
• Work cooperatively as an active member of the Family Connects team by attending weekly team meetings, clinical supervision, staff meetings, and other meetings as required. Support and encourage development of other staff and of the Family Connects Program.
• Other duties may be assigned.

Working Conditions: There are no unusual work conditions associated with this position. Noise level in the office is moderate. Professional/business attire is required. Employees are required to attend meetings at external locations and will therefore experience external weather conditions.

Requirements

Education: A.S. degree in nursing with state-level RN, and at least one year of relevant nursing experience or B.S. degree in nursing with current RN license, or B.A. degree in another field with current RN license. Knowledge and experience relating to the field of non-profit, maternal child health and education is strongly preferred. Current or compact licensure in the state of New Jersey, current CPR certification. Ability to work in a team with clinical and non-clinical staff and culturally diverse populations. Computer proficiency required with Microsoft programs including Windows, Outlook, Office 2007, Access, Excel, Power Point, Publisher and Word. Strong interpersonal & oral/written communication skills required. Valid Driver's license with the ability to provide proof of ongoing automobile insurance coverage is required. This position will entail reimbursable local and statewide travel utilizing personal vehicle.

Physical Requirements: Employees are required to occasionally lift up to fifty pounds of materials or equipment.