Public Health Nurse
Public Health Nurse - Infusion
The self-directed public health infusion nurse provides home care services to Kaiser Permanente patients in community based and facility settings. This position may provide nursing services to patients in the home health, hospice, home infusion, palliative care, or other programs under the direction of the patient's physician(s) to provide quality health care outcomes and facilitate the achievement of maximum independence of the patient utilizing health care resources within Kaiser Permanente and the community. Essential Functions: - Provides nursing services to patients consistent with agency policy, state practice acts, and applicable state and federal regulations as directed by the patient's physician. Manages the care of the patients from admission to discharge, coordinating the multi-disciplinary plan of care, including appropriate referrals to other disciplines, community resources, supervision of the home health aide plan of care, coordination of the discharge plan and appropriate documentation to reflect all activities provided in program appropriate care settings. - Assesses the learning needs of the patient/caregiver to develop the plan of care that meets patient and family needs and goals, including the provision of effective teaching, supervision and delegation of care to achieve desired health care outcomes and timely discharge consistent with quality care. - Partners with agency management in the development and review of programs within Continuing Care Services. Facilitates the initiation of cost-effective home care and provides consultation to clinicians regarding appropriate care setting alternatives. - Participates in program and department quality management/improvement activities: including but not limited to clinical record review, occurrence reporting, focused studies, process and outcome measurement, peer review, CQI projects, review of infusion policy and procedures, and partners in defining and achieving agency productivity standards. - Assures professional competency through maintaining state-of-the-art nursing skills, knowledge consistent with Medicare and JCAHO regulations, applicable nurse practice acts and agency policies. - Participates in rotation of 24 hour home infusion call duty consistent with agency policy. - Performs other duties as requested. Qualifications: Basic Qualifications: - Candidates must pass a 20 net wpm typing test, administered by Kaiser Permanente in order to be interviewed for this position. Please contact the Kaiser Permanente Employment Office at (503) 813-3601 for typing test instructions. This requirement does not apply to current Kaiser Northwest Registered Nurses. - Minimum of 2 to 4 years experience in medical-surgical in an acute care setting or 2-4 years experience in home health or infusion therapy. - Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing or commensurate knowledge and experience. (Commensurate knowledge and experience may include recent experience in areas of care coordination, case management, community health and public health). - RN License in Oregon and Washington. Requires Oregon or Washington license prior to first day of employment. Licenses in both states required within six (6) months of hire. Application for licensure in secondary state must be made within six (6) weeks of start date. - Basic Life Support CPR card for Health Care Provider. Must be obtained prior to patient contact and within two weeks of hire. - Valid drivers license. NOTE: This position requires a reliable automobile to travel to and from patient homes. - Thorough knowledge of teaching/learning principles. - Able to perform complete physical, psychosocial and spiritual assessments. - Able to learn to operate a laptop computer to perform clinical documentation and keyboarding or typing skills. - Effective problem solving, written and verbal communication, organizational and timemanagement skills required to accomplish case management responsibilities within allocatedimeframes. - Ability to be flexible with multiple daily schedule changes as patient referral needs are prioritized. - Ability to adjust teaching style to the age/needs of the patient and/or family. - Demonstrated ability to teach patient/ family the technical infusion home care without additional stress. Preferred Qualifications: - Operational knowledge of computerized clinical documentation and office application systems, including the use of laptop/notebook computers. - Knowledge of Medicare regulations/requirements - Evidence of excellent IV skills, including peripheral and central line management. - Able to perform venipuncture and IV insertion and management. - PICC Certified or desire to be trained to place PICCs - CRNI Certification - Working knowledge of the managed care industry. - Pediatrics, including well child care. - Oncology. - Hospice care and the dying process. - Thorough knowledge of principles and practices of infusion therapy. - Working knowledge of the pharmacology of intravenous drugs. - Able to operate multiple IV pumps/infusion devices. Previous experience in: - Home Health Nursing. - Pediatric and Well Child Nursing. - Oncology and Hospice Nursing. - IV Therapy Nursing. - Intensive Care Nursing. - Program development.