Comments From This Job Announcement

Summary:

The purpose of this position provides assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of health conditions, as well as counseling and referral services. The ultimate purpose is to provide healthcare services and have a positive impact on community, and related work as apparent or assigned. Work is performed under the administrative supervision of the Public Health Director of Nursing and supervising provider.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities include:

o The major responsibility is to provide physical and psychosocial assessment with diagnosis, treatment, and referral when indicated across clinical areas servicing Women's Health, Maternal Care, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and Family Planning and according to State/Federal guidance.
o Complete the new obstetric exam with identification of any problems complicating pregnancy or pre-existent to pregnancy with referrals as appropriate.
o Initiate plan of care/diagnostic testing/interpretation of labs/treatment plan based on individual patient medical/surgical history.
o Provide patient education relating to pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care.
o Perform fetal and perinatal assessments within outlined protocol and specific to the physician extender's scope of practice.
o Management of gynecological patients for routine care and/or treatment of common gynecological problems including but not limited to:
" All methods of family planning and counseling for reproductive life planning,
" Routine Well Woman Exams and Pap Smears
o Provide direct and comprehensive health care services, ranging from complete physical examinations to episodic care for chronic and acute illnesses within Women's Health and other clinical areas.
o Complete and maintain all documentation associated with the delivery of care for the patient including maintaining electronic progress notes in individual client records, prepare paper encounter forms (primarily for billing and statistical purposes) on patients and update patient information in the electronic health record as needed.
o Prepare requested reports of services provided.
o According to professional knowledge and scope of practice, provide anticipatory guidance, counseling, and preventive education.
o All other duties as assigned and appropriate for this position.

The responsibilities and duties outlined above are intended to provide a general outline and summary of this role. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or comprehensive list of duties and responsibilities. Additional tasks may be assigned as needed, with or without notice, to meet the needs of the department and county.

Education & Experience:

Licensed as a Physician Assistant by the North Carolina Medical Board or approved to practice as a Nurse Practitioner by the North Carolina Board of Nursing and the North Carolina Medical Board and one year of experience as a Physician Extender working in Women's Health. Physician Assistant or Nurse Practitioner must have supervising physician to practice in Women's Health.
OR
Completion of a post-graduate certificate midwifery program, or a Master's in Nursing Degree midwifery program or another appropriate Master's degree program; national certification, continuing education, and recertification required as indicated by the North Carolina Board of Nursing; and verification of American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB) Certification.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

" Thorough knowledge of techniques of interviewing, medical and relevant history taking, physical assessment, ordering and interpretation of laboratory tests, principles and practices of general medicine, and knowledge of disease states as they relate to the care of the client population. Thorough knowledge of health appraisal tools, laboratory tests (procedures and findings), relevant medical material, and therapeutic procedures as they relate to the care of the client population. Ability to examine patients, detect abnormalities, record accurately and completely all findings, and develop/implement a plan of care according to the assessment findings. Considerable knowledge of available referral resources and appropriate referral methods. Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing. Ability to teach and counsel individuals, families, and groups in the areas of health maintenance, preventive medicine, and any other area related to school health services. Ability to work efficiently, whether independently or collaboratively with other public health personnel and community agencies. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with patients and their families.

Work Environment / Physical Requirements:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
" This work requires the occasional exertion of up to 50 pounds of force; work frequently repetitive motions and occasionally requires standing, walking, sitting, speaking or hearing, using hands to finger, handle or feel, reaching with hands and arms, tasting or smelling, pushing or pulling and lifting; work requires ability to adjust focus, depth perception, color perception and peripheral vision; vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word; hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels; work requires visual inspection involving small defects and/or small parts and using of measuring devices; work is generally in a quiet location (e.g. library, private offices).

License & Certifications:

Approval to practice medical acts by the N.C. Board of Medical Examiners, and for a Nurse Practitioner, licensed as a Registered Nurse with the North Carolina Board of Nursing, Licensed as a Physician Assistant by the North Carolina Medical Board or Certified Nurse Midwife with approval by the North Carolina Board of Nursing and verification of American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB) Certification. All physician extenders shall have a collaborative provider agreement with a collaborating provider and maintain signed and dated copies of the collaborative provider agreement as required by practice guidelines and any rules adopted by the joint subcommittee of the North Carolina Medical Board and the Board of Nursing.
The person in this position may achieve and maintain certification by the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) to perform and interpret point-of-care fetal ultrasound as appropriate for practice.

Work Location:

This role must work from the location identified at the time of hire with work travel required as needed. Any change of work location, even on a short-term or interim basis, must be reviewed by the Supervisor and HR for approval.

Additional information:

Individuals hired must be able to perform essential duties satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Cleveland County provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.
This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

This position is a part of the Cleveland County Public Health Center which is considered a Health and Human Services Department. By General Statue 166A-19.3, Departments of Health and Human Services are agencies that are a part of the State Emergency Response Team for occurrences or imminent threat of widespread or severe damage, injury, or loss of life or property resulting from any natural or man-made accidental, military, paramilitary, terrorism, weather-related, public health, explosion-related, riot-related cause, or technological failure or accident, including, but not limited to, a cyber incident, an explosion, a transportation accident, a radiological accident, or a chemical or other hazardous material incident. In the event that the State Emergency Response Team is activated, this position will be required to participate if deemed necessary.


SELECTION PROCESS:

Selection will be by structured interview. Applications will be reviewed to select the best qualified applicants for admission to a structured interview. This position is subject to pre-employment drug screening and background check.