Registered Nurse

The Registered Nurse/Health Educator, Specialized Preventive Services, monitors each child's health, medical treatment, and follow-up; provides support, counseling, and training to parents or caregivers in the health and medical needs of children; coordinates internal services with outside medical agencies; makes routine and emergency home visits; obtains updated reports/information from service providers, maintains and updates all required files and records.

This position is based in Manhattan; however, we are a citywide program, and the nurse is required to travel to five boroughs.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Conducts, in concert with social work/casework staff, intake assessments of clients and obtains full data on medical history of children and family; initiates medical case planning and maintains service plan updates.
• Per supervisory direction and in concert with social work staff, monitors the well-being and quality of care of each child; assesses safety and risk; keeps parents or caregivers advised of child's condition and educates them regarding needed care. Visits any child who is hospitalized/speaks with medical personnel regarding status/treatment.
• Counsels and educates parents about their own and their children's health needs. Provides preventive health counseling to parents, stressing areas of immunization, regular medical exams, nutrition, sleep needs, proper clothing, exercise and rest. Discusses medication issues, disclosure and issues surrounding death and dying.
• Provides to parents' anticipatory guidance regarding normal developmental milestones; gives instructions on the importance of medical attention/clinical follow-up should symptoms of illness or delays occur.
• Arranges, and accompanies child and parent to initial medical appointments and, as needed, especially regarding medical specialists. Follows up to ensure medical appointments are kept/medical regimen followed; obtains specialist reports at least quarterly.
• Counsels' adolescent children in sex education and family planning; reviews current literature on the topic and makes useful books or periodicals available to social work staff.
• Plans and carries out formal and informal training for parents and other caretakers to instruct them in appropriate health practices and administration of medications.
• Makes regular home visits to observe health practices, status of children, and give support and training to parents and caregivers. Provides a physical assessment of children should this be necessary in the absence of a physician.
• Works with families to organize their medical files/keep up-to-date health information regarding each family member.
• Obtains regular medical reports regarding all children in the home, as well as immunization records.
• Participates in staff meetings and training and attends workshops or seminars on health issues.
• Ensures full compliance in program and records with internal and external requirements and regulations and completes timely progress notes and entries into CNNX and PROMIS.
• Facilitates community provider linkages and attends community meetings, fairs, etc.

RN with experience working with MR/DD and special medical populations. It can be an Associate level education as long as the applicant is a Registered Nurse.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Competency level indicates the ability to absorb and integrate information and concepts and the ability to learn quickly and undertake full job responsibility.
• Demonstrated ability to act responsibly in stressful situations to undertake the emotionally difficult aspects of SPS work.<