Human Resource Services
Alameda Skyline

Registered Nurse III (PHN Option)

Recruitment #15-5315-02

Introduction

THIS IS A NEW ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION. The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year, but can be extended.

Applications must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Postmarks are not accepted. Applications will only be accepted on-line.

Supplemental Questionnaire:  A properly completed Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted with each application. Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Applications will only be accepted on-line. Postmarks are not accepted.  Failure to submit the Application or Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification.

DESCRIPTION

HEALTH CARE SERVICES AGENCY
Alameda County's Health Services Program is administered by the Health Care Services Agency and includes the following program areas: Behavioral Health Care, Public Health, Environmental Health, and Agency Administration/Indigent Health. The ultimate mission of the Health Care Services Agency is to provide fully integrated health care services through a comprehensive network of public and private partnerships that ensure optimal health and well-being and respect the diversity of all residents. Health Care Services Agency currently has multiple career opportunities for experienced licensed professionals to become part of a service delivery team dedicated to the optimal health and well being of Alameda County residents.

PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT (PHD)
Alameda County Public Health Department has worked for over 80 years to improve the health and safety of its residents and the neighborhoods they live in. Traditional public health concerns such as disease outbreaks, environmental hazards and access to health care have been joined by contemporary concerns: bioterrorism, crime, violence, and substance abuse. Each of these poses a threat to public health and wellness. And each calls for short and long-term solutions that lie well outside traditional public health boundaries.  For more information about our Alameda County Public Health Department, please visit the Alameda County Public Health Department Website and latest Annual Budget document found on www.acgov.org

THE POSITION
Under general supervision, to act as lead nurse providing consultation and assisting in the oversight of Registered Nurses I/II and a multidisciplinary staff within a program; to plan, implement, monitor and evaluate the delivery of nursing care services to both the individual and communities; assist in the management of a program/project; and to perform related duties as required.

THE VACANCIES
The current vacancies for this position are in Alameda County Public Health's Field Nursing Unit, and Acute Communicable Disease Unit. However the eligible list resulting from this recruitment may be used to fill future vacancies in other program areas.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT: In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications below, these positions require possession of a current and valid Public Health Nursing (PHN) Certificate issued by the California Board of Registered Nursing.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Field Nursing Unit
Alameda County Public Health Nurses, in the Field Nursing Unit, assist low-income, high-risk Alameda County residents such as; single adults, families with children, older adults, persons with disabilities, and pregnant women, to gain access to needed medical, social, educational and other services after a comprehensive assessment and periodic reassessment are conducted to create an individualized care plan, provide health education and information and referral and linkage to resources and services with monitoring and follow-up.  Services are provided in the client’s own home, clinic, school, or other community setting.  Additionally, the nurses administer childhood and adult vaccinations, conduct health screenings at health fairs, attend community meetings, and participate in inspections of city and county correctional facilities.

Acute Communicable Disease Unit
Alameda County Public Health Nurses, in the Acute Communicable Disease Unit, are responsible for the surveillance, investigation, and control of cases, contacts, and outbreaks of over 75 reportable communicable diseases; all reportable communicable diseases except for HIV, sexually transmitted infections and tuberculosis. Program activities include interviewing clients with reportable diseases, as well as their family members and health care providers, to collect clinical and risk factor information and to identify potentially exposed contacts. ACD staff educate clients about disease symptoms, transmission, treatment and prevention; identify and locate exposed contacts to provide education about potential symptoms and if appropriate, post-exposure preventive treatment; recommend interventions to prevent disease transmission in households, schools, day care facilities, health care facilities, and other congregate settings; maintain accurate surveillance of reportable conditions and review trends to identify areas for enhanced prevention and control efforts; initiate and lead key functions in the public health response to infectious disease emergencies; and serve as on-call duty officers to conduct mandated public health response to urgent communicable cases and outbreaks in the evening, on weekends, and holidays.

IDEAL CANDIDATE
The ideal candidate is an experienced public health nurse, who is a proven problem solver, and effective team leader with the ability to work independently, demonstrate initiative, collaborate with community partners, and is dedicated to providing timely, courteous and knowledgeable consultation and education to clients, external community, health care partners, internal staff and team members.

Additionally, the ideal candidate will be detail-orientated and able to review documentation of case management activities for accuracy and completeness, as well as provide oversight to public health nurses who conduct case assessment/investigation, case management and care coordination services to high risk, low income Alameda County residents in their own homes, clinics, schools, or other community settings. The ideal candidate thrives in a rapidly-changing work environment, is able to shift direction and priorities as needed, is proficient with entering, managing and retrieving information from web-based information systems, and must have a commitment to providing the highest quality of services. The ideal candidate must be able to maintain focus and composure while responding to urgent situations requiring rapid response, and possess the ability to work with and embrace individuals from diverse backgrounds.

The ideal candidate will also be an exceptional listener and analytical thinker/investigator who possesses strong written and verbal communication skills, and demonstrates competence in the following areas; analysis and assessment, policy development and program planning, cultural competence, public health sciences, training, mentoring, leadership and systems thinking.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Either I
Experience:

The equivalent of two years of full-time, recent experience within the last 5 years as a Registered Nurse II in the Alameda County classified service. (Non-classified includes District Attorney's Office, Hospital Authority, and the Consolidated Courts.)

Or II

The equivalent of three years of full-time, recent nursing experience within the past 5 years, at a level of or higher than the class of Registered Nurse II in a clinical and/or public health setting.

License/Certificate:

Possession of a current and valid license to practice as a Registered Nurse in the State of California.

Some positions may require possession of a current and valid Public Health Nursing (PHN) Certificate.

Some positions may require a valid California Motor Vehicle Operator's license.

Special Requirements:

1. In compliance with the Administrative Simplification provision of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), employees in this classification are required to possess a National Provider Identifier (NPI) number prior to their first day on the job.

2. In Compliance with Medicare regulations, employees in this classification are required to complete the "Medicare Enrollment Process for Physicians and non-Physician Practitioners" through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, prior to their first day on the job. Active enrollment in Medicare is a condition of employment. Failure to attain or maintain active enrollment will result in termination.

NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

Knowledge of:

• Theories, principles, procedures, techniques, standards and practices of public health nursing.
• Wellness to illness continuum and major disease processes.
• Nurse Practice Act rules and regulations.
• Interviewing, assessment, counseling and teaching techniques.
• Health systems, institutions and community resources.
• Basic principles and practices of supervision and leadership.
• Cultural, environmental, sociological and psychological differences and problems.
• Nursing theories, principles, methods and practices.
• Safety and infection control principles, practices and methods
• Quality assurance and quality improvement indicators.
• Control and prevention of communicable disease.
• Principles and practices of public health nursing.
• Medical terminology and documentation.
• Basic auditing skills.

Ability to:

• Communicate effectively orally and in writing.
• Plan, organize, assign and evaluate the work of others.
• Understand, interpret, explain and apply laws, regulations, policies and written and oral direction.
• Exercise interpersonal sensitivity to establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff, clients, other agencies and the public.
• Gather and analyze data.
• Problem solve and draw logical conclusions.
• Prioritize work and coordinate several activities to meet critical deadlines
• Work independently and adapt to change.
• Assess the health status and concerns of clients and communities.
• Assess, monitor, implement and evaluate program services and operations.
• Exercise sound independent judgment within scope of authority and practice.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of nursing interventions.
• Provide public health nursing services and case management.
• Maintain patient confidentiality.
• Respond effectively to emergency situations.

EXAMINATION COMPONENTS

The examination will consist of the following steps: 1) A review of candidates' applications to verify possession of minimum requirements. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process. 2) A review of candidates’ Supplemental Questionnaires to select the best qualified applicants to continue in the process. 3) An oral interview which will be weighted as 100% of the candidate's final examination score. The oral interview may contain situational exercises. CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING ON EACH PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION. We reserve the right to make changes to the announced examination components.

Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit.  Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position.  Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position.  Other recruitments may be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.

To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the “What You Need to Know” section of our website, www.acgov.org/hrs.

Selection Plan

Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance. The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency:

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN

Deadline for Filing:                                                            5:00pm, Monday, July 18, 2016
Review of Minimum Qualifications:                                                Monday, July 25, 2016
Review of SQ for best qualified:                                                     Friday, August 5, 2016
*Panel Interviews:                                                                    Thursday, August 25, 2016

*Updated 8/5/2016

Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statutes. To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement before the last date of filing. Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statutes.

For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website, www.acgov.org/hrs.

BENEFITS

Alameda County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many different employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall well being.  These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Welfare Benefits

  • Medical – HMO & PPO Insurance
  • Dental – PPO & DHMO Insurance  
  • Vision
  • Basic Life Insurance 
  • Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage) 
  • County Allowance
  • Health Flexible Spending Account
  • Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
  • Accident, Critical Illness & Hospital Indemnity
  • Long Term Care Insurance
  • Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

  • Short-term Disability Insurance
  • Long-Term Disability Insurance
  • Retirement Plan – (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
  • Deferred Compensation Plan

For your Work/Life Balance

  • 11 paid holidays
  • Vacation and sick leave accrual
  • Vacation purchase program
  • Management Paid Leave**
  • Group Auto/Home
  • Commuter Benefits Program
  • Guaranteed Ride Home
  • Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
  • Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
  • Child Care Resources
  • 1st United Services Credit Union 

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement.  This provides a brief summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

** Non-exempt management employees are entitled to up to three days of management paid leave. Exempt management employees are entitled to up to seven days of management paid leave.

Conclusion

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @acgov.org and alamedacountyHR@acgov.org as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the "My applications" button on the Current Job Openings page.

Please take the steps recommended above to insure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment.

NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box alamedacountyHR@acgov.org are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. If you have questions please go to our website at www.acgov.org/hrs. You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the job announcement for the recruitment for which you have applied.

Lindsay Christopher, Human Resources Analyst
Human Resource Services, County of Alameda
510-272-6393
Lindsay.christopher@acgov.org

Alameda County is an Equal Opportunity Employer