Registered Nurse II- Healthy Beginnings

Location Fairbanks, AK, US

Organization Name Health Services

Job Summary

The RN serves as a primary maternal health clinician within the Healthy Beginnings Maternal and Infant Health Program. The position provides prenatal education, breastfeeding and lactation support, postpartum follow-up, newborn care education, telehealth consultation, and related maternal-infant health services for Alaska Native women and families throughout Interior Alaska. Services are delivered through clinic-based care, telehealth, village outreach (including village travel), education, and home visiting as established by the Healthy Beginnings program.

The RN works collaboratively with Healthy Beginnings program staff, obstetric and pediatric providers, WIC, Community Health Aides, village clinics, behavioral health professionals, and community partners to provide culturally responsive, family-centered care.

Adhere to the TCC Ch'eghwtsen' model of service and guiding principle which requires providing timely and effective service along with the ability to interact with others in a way that inspires trust and demonstrates respect, compassion and empathy.

Fulfill the mission of the Nursing Department

Staff of the TCC Nursing Division strive to work at the highest level of our professions, utilizing evidence-based practice to deliver accessible holistic care to the individual, family, and community throughout the region. We promote the wellbeing of future generations by cultivating connections, honoring culture, and empowering patients to take control of their healthcare.

Essential Functions

Essential Functions

This list is ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY and is not a comprehensive listing of all functions and tasks performed by incumbent(s).

Representative

Duties

Under the direct supervision of Primary Care Nurse Manager, the job incumbent will be assigned from the following representative

duties

Leadership and Development

• Proactively engages in process improvement. Identifies needs, works with the managers to update and improve work processes and methods.

• Serves as a role model in demonstrating flexibility, positive response under stressful situations, fairness amongst staff, positive energy, appropriate delegation of tasks, be approachable, demonstrating accountability, and ensuring well-informed decisions.

Clinical

• Provides individualized lactation assessment, consultations, counseling, and breastfeeding support.

• Provides lactation and maternal-infant health services through in-person visits, telehealth, village outreach (including village travel), and home visiting as appropriate.

• Provides and supports breastfeeding education courses and other Healthy Beginnings curricula for prenatal, postpartum, and parenting education activities within the RN role.

• Provides postpartum follow-up and newborn care education within the scope of the Healthy Beginnings program.

• Provides and supports breastfeeding education courses and other Healthy Beginnings for prenatal, postpartum, and parenting education activities within the RN role.

• Provides culturally responsive, relationship-centered education and support tailored to the needs of Alaska Native mothers, infants, and families, including families living in rural and remote communities.

• Collaborates with obstetric and pediatric providers, WIC, Community Health Aides, village clinics, Healthy Beginnings staff, and other program partners to support continuity of lactation and maternal-infant services.

• Documents lactation consultations, education, telehealth encounters, outreach, and other RN services in accordance with organizational policy and program requirements.

• Maintains professional nursing and completes required education, competencies, and training applicable to the position. Operations

• Participates in development and implementation of the Healthy Beginnings Lactation Screening and Rapid Referral Protocol and supports timely access to lactation services.

• Participates in other program development activities.

• Reinforce year-round accreditation standards and readiness.

Quality and Compliance

• Support program evaluation and continuous quality improvement initiatives.

• Ensure that documentation meets current standards in collaboration with managers.

• Ensures departments meet regulatory standards for Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Care (AAAHC) and/or Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), including environment of care standards and infection control.

• Reviews policies on an annual basis.

Customer Service

• Monitors and plans customer service initiatives.

Other

Responsibilities

• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

Incumbents may meet minimum qualifications for this position with the following combinations of education, training, and experience.

• Current and active RN license in the State of Alaska.

• Associate's degree in nursing with four (4) years of clinical experience; or bachelor's degree in nursing with four (4) years of experience.

• Experience providing maternal, newborn, breastfeeding, lactation, prenatal, or postpartum care is required.

• Current International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) certification, or ability to obtain upon completion of certification criteria.

• Experience in ambulatory care or public health preferred.

• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification from the American Heart Association or equivalent.

• Must be able to maintain strict confidentiality.

• Proficiency in office procedures, record keeping, written and verbal communication, and task & time management gained through education and training or through prior work experience.

• Must pass background check pursuant to Federal Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Act Requirement and State of Alaska background check.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of evidence-based breastfeeding and lactation assessment, education, counseling, and support.

• Knowledge of maternal and newborn health across the prenatal and postpartum periods.

• Strong patient and family education skills, including the ability to provide individualized and group education.

• Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to provide culturally responsive, family-centered care and establish trusting relationships with patients, families, and community partners.

• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a multidisciplinary maternal and infant health team.

• Ability to work independently and use sound clinical judgment within RN and IBCLC scope of practice.

• Ability to provide services through telehealth and to use electronic health records and standard computer applications.

• Ability and willingness to travel to rural village communities, including travel by small aircraft or boat, as required by program activities.

• Ability to organize program activities, track deadlines and deliverables, and support accurate grant reporting.

• Ability to collaborate effectively with Quality Improvement, Information Technology, clinical teams, and program leadership to collect, interpret, and communicate program performance data.

Supervision: This position does not have supervisory responsibility.

Supervision

Physical demands: Work requires walking, standing, and occasional lifting, bending, and pushing to assist patients, move equipment, and issue supplies. Sedentary activities consist of sitting at a desk, typing, and computer operation. Knowledge of proper body mechanics and office ergonomics is required.

Ability to lift and carry up to 20 pounds routinely and a maximum of 50 pounds occasionally. Must be able to assist patients with safe transfers using appropriate body mechanics and/or equipment, including but not limited to from their vehicle to a wheelchair at TCC entrances. Incumbents must be able to work efficiently in a busy and sometimes stressful environment.

Shared office space in a clinical setting. Work environment: Work is performed in a clinic or home setting, treating patients with a wide variety of medical problems. The employee may be exposed to communicable disease during performance of duties.

Job incumbents may travel to remote locations by vehicle, small plane, boat, or alternate means of transportation. Some degree of risk is also present in working with substance use affected individuals and emotionally disturbed patients. There is a risk of exposure to toxic chemical agents and other medications.

Summation

Summary

The most important skills necessary to succeed in this position are excellent communication and problem-solving skills and dedication to ensuring the highest quality of service for medical staff and patients.