Nurse Specialist

We are seeking a skilled Nurse Specialist to join our team at Friendship Community Care. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in pediatric care and a passion for working with children with special developmental and medical needs.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide skilled nursing care to preschool children, identifying health-related problems and adapting appropriate interventions.
• Consult with the Director of Nursing on medically specific issues and frequently review medical charts to ensure all medical orders are followed.
• Conduct in-service training for staff on documentation and certain procedures as requested.
• Assure medical documentation/information is complete and in compliance with regulatory agencies/clinic standards and placed in EMR as required.
• Represent Friendship Community Care to communities served, especially to medical community members, allied health personnel, individuals, and groups as needed.
• Assure Pediatric CPR and other vital medical emergency responses are available to preschool children between daily arrival/departure hours.
• Promote continuity, consistency, and expediency of care to children and their families.
• Perform all clinical skills according to acceptable standards.
• Makes sound nursing decisions based on interpretation of facts and experience as shown in intervention.
• Serves as a resource for all staff in areas of primary health care, infection control, disease processes, and emergency procedures.
• Makes suggestions regarding in-service training and continuing education with Early Childhood Developmental specialists, classroom staff, and other staff regarding child health/safety.
• Participates in continuing education seminars as needed.
• Administers physician-prescribed medications and maintains documentation in EHR as required.
• Performs Doctor-ordered medical procedures as ordered when needed.
• Monitors child immunizations to keep them up to date.
• Assists in care coordination with multidisciplinary staff, including developmental pediatricians, audiologists, speech pathologists, occupational/physical therapists, nutritionists, neuropsychologists, and psychologists.
• Communicates with families timely.
• Completes Preschool site tours as needed.
• Ensures FCC Policies/Procedures manual maintained/followed.
• Ensures safe, clean facility is maintained.
• Maintains/updates MARS as needed in EHR system.
• Exhibits knowledge of developments/trends in developmental disabilities. Stays current on information/new practices in serving children with developmental disabilities.
• Serves as Liaison with public schools, educational cooperatives, developmental disability services, Department of Human Services, and medical community, as well as city/county officials and civic organizations as needed.
• Represents FCC at professional meetings and conveys information as appropriate as needed.
• Assures all services are family-centered/friendly.
• Assures services are provided in manner upholding client dignity and civil/human rights are observed/protected.
• Attends internal/external meetings, conferences, and events as required.
• Maintain job skills/personal qualities for position.
• Projects professional image and attributes.
• This is a safety-sensitive position.

Maintains confidentiality of all information received regarding Friendship Community Care, and the clients. Conditions of confidentiality shall comply with Friendship Community Care Non-Disclosure Policy and HIPAA Policies.

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive, and the employee will also perform other reasonable related business duties as assigned by immediate supervisor and other management as required.

This organization reserves the right to revise or change job duties as the need arises. This job description does not constitute a written or implied contract of employment.

Qualification Requirements:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience:

Associate degree in nursing, a registered nurse diploma, or a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing and currently be licensed as a registered nurse in the state of Arkansas. Must have an in-depth knowledge of children with special developmental and medical needs. Must have a thorough understanding of early childhood development and early intervention protocols.

Language Skills:

Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to write simple correspondence. Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers, clients, and other employees of the organization.

Ability to interrelate with all physicians, including pediatricians, child psychiatrist, pediatric psychologist, neuropsychologist, psychological examiner, and speech/language pathologists; Medical Director, clinic administrator, Quality Assurance staff, Early Childhood Developmental specialists, administrative assistant, physical/occupational therapists, nutritionist, social worker, and audiologist. Ability to relate with allied health personnel, occasionally individuals, and groups within the service area to promote public relations and marketing activities.

Mathematical Skills:

Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.

Reasoning Ability:

Ability to apply commonsense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to sit; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and taste or smell.

The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, depth perception, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus.

Quality Assurance & Compliance: To adhere to the following and comply with all Quality Assurance's & HIPAA procedures:

• The Code of Conduct and Compliance Investigation Procedures as read and discussed in the new employee training must be followed at all times.
• Consumers' progress notes be maintained and completed daily or as needed on the prescribed forms.
• Consumers' records must be maintained weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly. All information must be filed in consumers' records as needed and updated as prescribed by funding sources.

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.