RN - Specialty

Primary Title: RN-Infectious Disease Care Coordinator I Secondary Title: RN- Specialty Care Coordinator I

Core values

The core values of Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas (CHC/SEK) are dignity and stewardship. Each staff member is expected to perform their job duties in a way that preserves dignity for our patients and maintains good stewardship of the organization’s resources.

General description of position

The RN – Infectious Disease Care Coordinator is an integral member of the multidisciplinary clinical care team. This role provides comprehensive nursing care and care coordination for patients receiving infectious disease services (including HIV and Hepatitis C), addiction treatment services (ATS), and medication assisted treatment (MAT). Responsibilities include in-clinic patient care, triage, care coordination, medication management support, patient education, and acting as a primary communication link between patients, providers, and the care team.

The RN – Infectious Disease Care Coordinator provides oversight and guidance to Medical Assistants and supports clinical workflows to ensure safe, high-quality, and patient-centered care.

Requirements

Essential duties

• Oversees and supports the patient rooming process, ensuring accurate collection of health histories, medication reconciliation, allergy verification, and vital signs; prioritizes complex, new, and establishing patients; ensures exam rooms are clean, stocked, and prepared.

• Provides clinical support to providers and care teams, including performing specialty procedures, administering injections/treatments, phlebotomy, EKGs, and routine in-house laboratory testing.

• Provides oversight and verification of vaccines administered by medical assistants, ensuring accuracy, safety, and compliance with established protocols.

• Collaborates with the refill nurse and providers to support timely prescription refills, adhering to Medication Refill Protocols and Controlled Substance guidelines; facilitates communication for approvals when needed.

• Assists with medication-related prior authorizations, including submission through EHR, phone, or fax; gathers and submits supporting documentation; coordinates peer-to-peer reviews and supports denial and appeal processes.

• Performs in-clinic and phone triage, collaborates with the multidisciplinary care team to provide complete patient care, prioritize and schedule patients appropriately, and supports same-day access for urgent patient needs.

• Coordinates labs, appointments, specialty services, and reporting requirements; monitors patient flow and scheduling to maintain efficiency; participates in daily care team huddles.

• Provides patient education at discharge, ensuring understanding of medications, provider instructions, follow-up care, and treatment plans.

• Oversees sample medication distribution, maintains inventory and stocking of supplies, ensures proper cleaning/sterilization of equipment, transports specimens safely, and responds to medical emergencies as needed.

• Complete Screening and Brief Intervention Referral for Treatment (SBIRT) on patients as needed.

The essential functions listed are not an exhaustive list of every task the employee is required to complete. Employees are expected to perform all other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Possession of a valid Kansas Registered Nurse license required. Must obtain valid multistate Registered Nurse license in nurse’s state of residence within ninety (90) days of hire.

• One year nursing experience in infectious disease, MAT and/or ATS, preferred.

• Must obtain Basic Life Support (BLS) certification through American Heart Association within ninety (90) days from hire.

• Complete the required trainings for HIV, Hepatitis C, and SBIRT within first 90 days as assigned by nursing director.

• Complete CHC/SEK training for Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) within first year.

• Must apply for certifications in HIV or Addiction Treatment after 2 years in clinic. If previous experience working in an infectious disease (HIV/AIDS) clinic, application for certification exam may be applied for prior to meeting the 2 years of CHC/SEK practice experience. Nursing leader will assign and/or approve the HIV Certification prior to the employee applying for the exam. Once certification is obtained, employee may be eligible for RN Infectious Disease Care Coordinator II position.

• Must successfully pass annual nursing competency.

Knowledge, skills and abilities

• Social and cultural sensitivity appropriate to ethnically and economically diverse patient-and employee-base

• Demonstrate knowledge of the rationale of appropriate patient care.

• Communicates through appropriate channels. Use proper chain of command for patient complaints.

• Ability to handle emergency situations calmly and effectively.

• Must be computer literate, especially with Microsoft Office products and be able to use the Internet.

• Must be able to maintain good inter-personal relationship with co-workers and other members of the health care team and the organization.

• Provide customer service in accordance to the organization’s mission.

• Be courteous and respectful when interacting with patients and family members.

• Maintain patient confidentiality in accordance to organization’s policy and procedure and HIPAA requirements.

Working conditions

While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to sit up to entire shift; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand. The employee is occasionally required to walk.

The employee must regularly lift and /or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. Prolonged periods, up to entire shift, of computer work is required.

Regular exposure to high-demand, high volume environment with urgent needs that require quick problem-solving and frequent interruptions. Hazardous material inventory and MSDS available. Wears personal protective equipment as needed.

May be exposed to patients/public with communicable diseases.