COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSE

SIHB Core Competencies

Core Competencies are foundational commitments and skills that all SIHB staff are expected to develop. These competencies define common measures for performance that are applied to every role in the organization.

• Commitment to Indigenous and Organizational Values: Everything we do at SIHB is centered on Traditional Indian Medicine. It is our responsibility to maintain cultural integrity in all that we do.
• Accountability: All employees of SIHB effectively manage their own work and the work of their teams. We take ownership of our actions and decisions. We all strive to deliver the highest quality work and care, while respecting our teammates and relatives.
• Collaboration: SIHB is a team-oriented organization. As team members, we share the responsibility of working toward a common purpose. We collaborate with our colleagues across the organization to deliver the highest quality of care and results in alignment with our mission, vision, values and Theory of Change.
• Communication: We practice effective and clear communication with staff, relatives, teams and community. We demonstrate empathy among each other and with those we serve, and transparency in our decision making.
• Customer Service Orientation: All employees of SIHB recognize the needs of the diverse community we serve. We put the needs of our relatives first by delivering the highest quality, professional, responsive, and innovative care. Our relatives come first and deserve the best.

Position Summary: The role of an SIHB RN is to provide and coordinate therapeutic and clinical care services through assessment, nursing diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation in an environment that integrates medical, dental, behavioral, and traditional health practices. Nurses must function in a multi-disciplinary clinical setting, working with a wide variety of patients and providers. Nurses will provide care for underserved populations, including patients experiencing homelessness, chemical dependence, domestic violence and personal and social trauma. They must demonstrate the ability to work under stress and maintain a professional and compassionate demeanor.

Organizational Structure/Reporting Relationships: Each nurse is assigned to a care team and will be supervised by the Nurse Care Manager (NCM) of their care team. This position has no direct reports.

Organizational Responsibilities

• Hold Indigenous values and practices with respect and integrity
• Hold yourself accountable to the highest standard by being resourceful, innovative, creative and solutions-oriented
• Actively participate in organizational activities with the understanding that success is achieved through teamwork.
• Recognize that communication is central to the organization's success and actively champion your words and actions to maintain respect for others, encourage constructive feedback, be open to share laughter and acknowledge differences in skills and opinions, all while keeping others' best intentions in mind.
• At SIHB, we refer to our customers as Relatives. Our Relatives come first and deserve the best. Serve the needs of our Relatives first by delivering the highest quality, professional, responsive and innovative care.

Job Responsibilities

• Function as a Nurse in direct patient care by demonstrating and documenting completion of:

o Assessment and nursing diagnosis of patients

o Care planning

o Implementation of safe nursing care

o Evaluation of patient responses to nursing care

o Patient teaching

o Patient advocacy

o Transitional care management

• Perform a broad range of clinical skills including OB, prenatal care, pediatric care, medical triage, phone triage, wound care, and assisting with medication assisted treatment (i.e. buprenorphine).
• Participate in chronic disease management through outreach, education, monitoring, and carrying out care plans.
• Direct patients, families, visitors and staff members in emergencies and complex situations
• Perform clinical procedures and practice based on changing technology, current research, and experience
• As a clinical resource to the healthcare team, identify and resolve patient care problems using clinical judgement, case management, patient chart, and triage
• Collaborate with all members of a community health clinic to ensure continuity of care and to meet patient care needs
• Participate and represent SIHB at AI/AN outreach and community events
• Utilize appropriate policies, procedures, protocols, and standards of practice to perform clinical duties and perform related self-evaluations
• Conduct and present components of organization-wide in-services
• May initiate nursing grand rounds; conduct formal or informal in-services; present components of organization-wide educational offerings;
• Develop educational or clinical projects for specific patient groups to enhance the delivery of patient care
• Participate in the Quality Assurance program by identifying areas for investigation; assisting in date collection; monitoring; and development and implementation of corrective actions.
• Assist and direct new employees, supplemental, professional, agency, per diem and ancillary staff, and students following an established learning plan
• May act as a preceptor for new graduates or experienced nurses/employees by assessing learning needs, developing, implementing and monitoring the learning plan, and evaluating the learner's progress
• Lead various initiatives and projects throughout the agency and may be called on for their expertise and experience to help promote growth and improvement of services for staff and patients
• Demonstrate proficient delegation in the coordination of patient flow and clinical care.
• Actively participate in internal quality improvement teams and work with members proactively to drive quality improvement initiatives in accordance with the mission and strategic goals of the organization, federal and state laws and regulations, and accreditation standards, when assigned.
• Provide training, support, and delegate to medical assistants and other members of the care team to achieve the care plan.
• Participate in evaluation of relatives outside of the clinic setting, which could include at outreach events sponsored by SIHB or in relatives' homes.
• Other duties as assigned.

Background Qualifications

Required:

• Associates Degree in Nursing, Bachelor's Degree preferred
• Education and/or work experience beyond 2 years would be desirable, but not required to satisfactorily perform the position's duties and responsibilities
• Washington State Nursing License

Work Environment: Clinic environment; regular hours; may have some weekend clinic or off-site clinic hours assigned; may be assigned off-site hours for AI/AN community events.

Environmental Considerations: may be regularly exposed to any of the following:

• Use of chemicals for cleaning and sterilization
• Cedar Oil and other pesticides used for fumigation
• Exposure to several aerosol agents for cleaning, sterilization, odor control, fumigation
• Exposure to strong odors from clients
• Exposure to sage, sweetgrass, and cedar smoke from traditional medicine practices
• Potential exposure to 3rd hand smoke from patients
• Exposure to service animals in the clinic