Public Health Nurse

PLEASE NOTE - This position may require temporarily relocation to other TONHC Facilities:
Sells Hospital, Santa Rosa Health Center, San Simon Health Center, and San Xavier Health Center.

The Public Health Nurse (PHN) serves as a community health advisor and provides comprehensive nursing services to schools, individuals, and families on the Tohono O'odham Nation.

This position is located within the Tohono O'odham Nation Health Care Sells Hospital, San Xavier Health Center, Santa Rosa Health Center, and San Simon Health Center. The incumbent works under the supervision of the Director of Public Health Nursing, who defines and establishes overall program objectives and operations according to Standards of Care for Public Health Nursing (PHN) Programs. According to the PHN priority policies for home visits, each PHN independently plans and schedules comprehensive nursing services for their geographic areas and determines the nature of assessment, counseling, teaching, and treatment to be provided.

(Depending on the area of assignment, an incumbent may not be required to perform some of the duties listed below):

• Evaluate, promote, and maintain the health of at-risk individuals, families, and the community through teaching disease prevention activities, counseling, advocacy, referral, coordination of care, and appropriate health assessments and interventions.
• Assists with the coordination of the immunization program to include the tracking and follow‑up.
• Manages and participates in public health screening clinics, including interviewing and counseling clients, performing clinical tasks, administering prescribed treatment, documentation of care, and making the necessary referral.
• Participate in emergency/bioterrorism preparedness and planning activities and respond and assist during emergencies, such as flooding, fires, microbursts, etc.
• Utilizes the public health nursing process of assessment, diagnosis, planning, intervention, and evaluation when: assessing the patient's condition and needs: setting outcomes; implementing appropriate nursing actions to meet the patient/family physical, emotional, spiritual, social, and safety needs; and evaluating the patient's progress. Refer the patient to the appropriate resources; organizes patient caseload in the assigned geographic area.
• Application of care treatment and intervention according to principles of population based health care and standing public health orders.
• Identifies and reports child abuse or dependent adult abuse and incidents of domestic violence.
• Provides maternal and child health services; makes home visits as necessary.
• Monitor prenatal patients and provide prenatal education, and participates in sonogram clinics. Plans and exchanges information with other health care entities for effective patient care; cooperates with other agencies in planning for patient care.
• Utilizes the RPMS systems as appropriate for position requirements and enters information into RPMS patient care packages as necessary.
• Coordinates response to outbreaks of reportable/infectious disease on the Tohono O'odham Nation. Work closely with state and tribal health departments in testing and contact investigation. Respond to communities for direct care and education. Utilize MEDSIS for investigation and surveillance of communicable diseases.
• Assists the physician in control and treatment and consults with various agencies (i.e. health department) on communicable disease issues.
• Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) general:
  Coordinates care provision, case and contact investigation efforts, organize education efforts, and acts as liaison with State and Federal entities dealing with STD issues.
• Tuberculosis…