Public Health Nurse

Summary

At the Indian Health Service (IHS), Nurses do more than practice medicine—they change lives. Guided by our mission to raise the health of American Indian and Alaska Native people, you'll deliver compassionate care where it's needed most.

Your expertise brings healing and hope across generations. Begin your journey with purpose - and receive a recruitment/relocation sign‑on bonus, if you are eligible.

Total Compensation Package:
Check out IHS's outstanding total compensation package for this job:
Registered Nurse Total Compensation | Pay (ihs.gov).

• Under close supervision, supports community/public health nursing services by assisting higher-level nurses in applying the nursing process to deliver care in home, school, clinic, and community outreach settings.
• Collects and documents demographic, clinical, and basic epidemiologic information; helps maintain registries (e.g., immunization tracking) and supports routine communicable disease surveillance activities using established tools and protocols.
• Provides basic health education and prevention messaging using approved materials and reinforces established plans of care, including culturally safe health promotion across the lifespan.
• Assists with referrals, follow-up, and documentation in the electronic health record (EHR) and participates in quality improvement and reporting activities in accordance with standing orders, professional standards, and supervisory guidance.

• With minimal supervision, independently provides comprehensive community/public health nursing services to individuals and families across the lifespan using the nursing process in home, school, clinic, and community settings.
• Develops, implements, and evaluates individualized and family-centered plans of care, including outreach, screening, immunization follow-up, referral, early intervention, and case management.
• Participates in population health assessment and communicable disease control by collecting, validating, and documenting data and assisting with case reporting, investigation, contact follow-up, and implementation of control measures in coordination with public health entities.
• Coordinates care and transitions with interdisciplinary teams and tribal/community partners, delivers cultural and literacy-appropriate health education, and supports program documentation and quality improvement activities consistent with regulatory and professional standards.

• Independently plans, prioritizes, and delivers community/public health nursing services to individuals, families, groups, and defined populations, integrating public health principles with clinical practice (e.g., primary prevention, chronic disease management, maternal/child health, and communicable disease prevention/control).
• Conducts comprehensive population and community assessments by analyzing demographic, clinical, and epidemiologic data to identify trends, priority health issues, high-risk groups, and disparities, and translates findings into targeted prevention and early intervention strategies.
• Leads or coordinates communicable disease investigations and outbreak response activities and develops, implements, and evaluates community-based health programs in collaboration with public health entities and community/tribal partners.
• Serves as a clinical and public health resource through consultation, mentoring, and training, and advances program effectiveness through evaluation, quality improvement, accurate documentation, and adherence to nurse practice acts and public health nursing standards.

• Conditions of employment, including potential trial or probationary period.
• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Direct deposit must be set up for payroll.
• This is a designated position covered by Public Law 101-630, requiring contact or control over Indian children; applicants must not have been found guilty of or pleaded nolo contendere or guilty to certain crimes.
• IHS Selectees that will work in an IHS health care facility may be subject to…