Requisition No: 826997 

Agency: Department of Health

Working Title: Registered Nurse Specialist- 64000769

 Pay Plan: Career Service

Position Number: 64000769 

Salary:  $45,000 annually 

Posting Closing Date: 05/10/2024 

Total Compensation Estimator Tool

Florida Department of Health

Open Competitive

Your Specific Responsibilities:

This is a professional clinical nursing position for the Medical Foster Care (MFC) program reporting to the Registered Nursing Supervisor or Community Health Nursing Director position. The individual in this position utilizes the nursing process to provide pediatric nursing expertise in the assessment, training, implementation, and evaluation of MFC program services.

Assessment

Completes pre-service assessment for potential MFC parent. Completes interview and written assessment of prospective MFC parents and their home environment, including a home visit for on-site observation review.

Completes annual and, as needed, written assessment of evaluative process of MFC parent providers' services.

Completes MFC parent child/youth dyad assessments, at least quarterly, in context of the MFC child/youth’s specific care needs.

Evaluates MFC parent strengths, skills, and needs for quality and safety in-home service provision under the MFC program and retention of MFC parents. Completes, at least quarterly, comprehensive review of MFC parent provider documentation requirements. Completes, at least quarterly, home visits for assessment purposes and observation of the condition of the home and interaction of the MFC child/youth in the MFC home setting.

Completes community visits as needed for additional assessment needs.

Assesses availability of MFC beds statewide by conducting initial and monthly statewide MFC bed searches, as requested, and directed by Community-Based Care (CBC) and Department of Children and Families (DCF), when local MFC beds are unavailable for referred children/youth. Completes summary information, tracks responses to requests, and provides follow up information as indicated by.

Shares assessments and reports, as appropriate, with MFC program stakeholders.

For fee-for-service (FFS) Medicaid clients, completes MFC child/youth nursing assessments and MFC care plans.

Prepares and participates in MFC staff meetings to provide MFC parent and client updates, reviews strengths and needs to identify challenges or concerns, and develops strategies for resolutions, completes necessary documentation.

Attends and participates in Children's Multidisciplinary Assessment Team (CMAT) staff meetings.

Communication

Provides quality verbal and written communication with MFC and community stakeholders to ensure understanding and engagement throughout process. Facilitates coordination in the scheduling of MFC staffing's ensuring timely notification and engagement of necessary MFC stakeholders including, but not limited, to the MFC client's Medicaid Managed Medical Assistance (MMA) plan and CBC representative. Engages, advocates, and supports opportunities for current or future caregiver participation, as appropriate, and family-centered approaches in the MFC program.

Provides verbal and written nursing education and documentation of training and technical assistance to MFC and community stakeholders.

Provides consistent messaging that aligns with statutes, rules policies, procedures, and processes which affect decisions, determinations, and management of the program. Responds to regional and statewide requests for information about MFC program coordination.

Acts as the MFC program liaison in communication with other community providers and stakeholders. Serves as a liaison between the MFC provider and the MMA Plan.

Attends and participates in other meetings as assigned.

Education and Training

Provides pre-service MFC training for foster parents considering the MFC program.

Provides or assists in the provision of MFC program onboarding training. Provides or coordinates and oversees annual training requirements. Tracks program training requirements to ensure completion.

Provides or oversees child/youth specific training. Child/youth specific training includes comprehensive training with return understanding or demonstration of necessary knowledge and skills needed to care for medically complex needs of child/youth being admitted into the MFC parent home. Provides ongoing child/youth specific training based on evolving and changing needs of child/youth and MFC parent.

Provides or oversees the provision of child/youth specific training with biological or adoptive parents in preparation for reunification discharge from the MFC program.

Provides training and technical assistance to MFC parent to ensure program requirements and MFC parent skill requirements are exceeded or met.

Provides community outreach and education to community stakeholders regarding the MFC program and requirements.

Provides community outreach and education to community stakeholders to identify potential families for MFC parent recruitment.

Implementation

Coordinates all clinical day-to-day operations of the MFC Program.

Reviews MFC program referrals to determine availability of MFC parent provider with the appropriate strengths, skills, and home dynamics to match the individual child/youth needs. Reviews potential appropriate matches with MFC medical director for consideration of authorization of recommendation for placement authority consideration.

Prepares and coordinates for admission of MFC child/youth into the MFC program and MFC parent home, collaborating with necessary stakeholders. Includes facilitation or completion of required activities such as the MFC Plan of Care (POC); obtains necessary equipment, medications, supplies, and other client specific necessary resources and supports.

Prepares and reviews the MFC in-home record and child/youth specific needs with the MFC parent. Completes or verifies necessary child/youth specific training, ensuring return knowledge or demonstration. Completes other activities as needed to ensure a safe admission into the program and MFC provider home. Documents activities accordingly.

Provides ongoing clinical nursing support and follow up for MFC parent and program requirements including ongoing reviews of services and documentation requirements with verbal and written guidance, feedback, or technical assistance. Ongoing support of MFC parent includes ensuring necessary skills and resources for the quality and safety of in-home service provision, in context of the specific parenting care needs of the MFC child/youth in their home, with a focus on retention of MFC parent and quality program outcomes.

Documents all program activities in electronic documentation system in accordance to program requirements.

Assists MFC parents with navigating Medicaid enrollment processes as needed. Provides MFC parent with support and linkage to MMA plans for their credentialing process.

Provides documentation for or participates in court hearings, when requested by court order, to provide input or testimony to the court.

Provides after-hours on-call program support to MFC parent, as assigned, to facilitate urgent/emergent support to MFC parent in the context of the MFC child/youth in their home.

For fee-for-service (FFS) Medicaid clients, provides ongoing coordination and completion of the MFC POC.

 Quality Assurance

Maintain, review, and monitor MFC related data and Electronic Health Record entries.

Reviews data, assessments and documentation verifying accuracy and quality as they are being completed. In coordination with MFC stakeholders, such as the CBC or licensing agency and MMA plan, evaluates MFC parent skills, competencies, documentation, timeliness, quality of services provided and other indicated data points. Develops and monitors technical assistance plans for MFC parent for quality improvement. Provides continuous monitoring to assure correction and sustainability of performance with desired thresholds.

Implements organization, program, and individual quality assurance standards, in conjunction with management. Provides monitoring of program activities for quality assurance purposes. Participates in program quality assurance and improvement needs. Implements documented activities identified in the Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycles.

Participates in central office training, evaluation, monitoring, and related follow-up activities to improve MFC processes, activities, and outcomes. Provides reports from data base systems as requested by management.  Includes coverage of CMAT RN duties as assigned.  

This position requires On Call duty assignment.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Communication Skills
• Organizational skills
• Documentation skills

Preferred Skills:

• Clinical Observation skills
• Professional Presentation
• Proven interpersonal skills
• Soft Skills, ie:  Emotional Intelligence, relationship building and networking skills, teamwork skills

 Minimum Qualifications:

• This occupation requires an active Florida Nursing license as a Registered Nurse or a multistate Registered Nurse license from another Compact State
• Driver’s License
• Nursing experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree
• Pediatric acute care experience
• 3-5 years of nursing experience
• Foster Care experience
• Case management experience
• Bi-Lingual preferred.

Florida Department of Health Mission, Vision, and Values:

Mission:

To protect, promote & improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county & community efforts.

Vision:

To be the Healthiest State in the Nation.

Values:

I nnovation: We search for creative solutions and manage resources wisely.

C ollaboration: We use teamwork to achieve common goals & solve problems.

 ccountability: We perform with integrity & respect.

R esponsiveness: We achieve our mission by serving our customers & engaging our partners.

E xcellence: We promote quality outcomes through learning & continuous performance improvement.

Where You Will Work:

Telework with 20 % Travel within the Miami-Dade area.

The Benefits of Working for the State of Florida:

Working for the State of Florida is more than a paycheck. The State’s total compensation package for employees features a highly competitive set of employee benefits including:

• Annual and Sick Leave benefits.
• Nine paid holidays and one Personal Holiday each year.
• State Group Insurance coverage options, including health, life, dental, vision, and other supplemental insurance options.
• Retirement plan options, including employer contributions.

(For more information, please click www.myfrs.com).

• Flexible Spending Accounts.
• Tuition waivers.
• And more!

For a more complete list of benefits, including monthly costs, visit www.mybenefits.myflorida.com

Please be advised:

Your responses to qualifying questions for this position must be verifiable by documentation provided through the electronic application process.  

This position requires a security background check and/or drug screening and participation in direct deposit. Any misrepresentations or omissions will disqualify you from employment consideration. Note: You will be required to provide your Social Security Number (SSN) in order to conduct this background check Successful completion of a drug test is a condition of employment for safety-sensitive positions.

Male applicants born on or after October 1, 1962, will not be eligible for hire or promotion unless they are registered with the Selective Services System (SSS) before their 26th birthday, or have a Letter of Registration Exemption from the SSS. For more information, please visit the SSS website: http://www.sss.gov. 

If you are a retiree of the Florida Retirement System (FRS), please check with the FRS on how your current benefits will be affected if you are re-employed with the State of Florida.  Your current retirement benefits may be canceled, suspended, or deemed ineligible depending upon the date of your retirement. 

The successful candidate will be required to complete the Form I-9 and that information will be verified using the E-Verify system.  E-Verify is operated by the Department of Homeland Security in partnership with the Social Security Administration to verify employment eligibility.   

Incumbents may be required to perform emergency duty before, during, and/or beyond normal work hours or days.

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace. 

Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-877-562-7287). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation. 

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act. 

Florida has the third largest population of veterans in the nation with more than 1.5 million service men and women.  The Florida Department of Health (department) is committed to serving members of the United States Armed Forces, veterans, and their families by encouraging them to apply for vacancies that fit their area of knowledge and/or expertise.  Through the Department's VALOR program, which expedites licensing for military veterans, the Department also waives initial licensing and application fees for military veterans who apply for a health care professional license within 60 months of an honorable discharge. These initiatives help ensure that the transition from military service into the workforce is as smooth as possible and reflects our appreciation for the dedication devoted to protecting our country.    

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer, and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.

VETERANS’ PREFERENCE.  Pursuant to Chapter 295, Florida Statutes, candidates eligible for Veterans’ Preference will receive preference in employment for Career Service vacancies and are encouraged to apply.  Certain service members may be eligible to receive waivers for postsecondary educational requirements.  Candidates claiming Veterans’ Preference must attach supporting documentation with each submission that includes character of service (for example, DD Form 214 Member Copy #4) along with any other documentation as required by Rule 55A-7, Florida Administrative Code.  Veterans’ Preference documentation requirements are available by clicking here.  All documentation is due by the close of the vacancy announcement.