State of Maryland

A Community Health Nurse I is the intermediate level of work providing direct nursing care to patients in various community settings and local health department clinics.  Employees in this classification do not supervise.

Employees in this classification receive moderate supervision from a Community Health Nurse Supervisor, other higher-level nurse or other designated higher level administrator.   Employees may be subject to call-in and overtime based on staffing needs.  The work may be performed at patients’ homes, schools and other community settings where travel is required and the environment is often unpredictable.  Employees are required to observe infection control precautions in order to prevent contamination and spreading disease.  The work may require lifting and positioning nonambulatory patients and lifting wheelchairs and other heavy equipment.  The work may require long periods of standing, walking, bending and reaching.

Positions in this classification are evaluated by using the classification job evaluation methodology.  The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of the classification specification.

The Community Health Nurse I and Community Health Nurse II are differentiated on the basis of degree of supervisory control exercised by the supervisor over these employees.  The Community Health Nurse I performs duties under close supervision at times and under general supervision at other times depending on the complexity of the specific duty being performed.  The Community Health Nurse II performs the full range of duties and responsibilities under general supervision.

Provides community health nursing services to individuals, families and the community;

Works with professionals from other disciplines to plan and implement nursing services for health programs in schools, day care centers, clinics and other settings;

Participates in identifying community health needs and participates in the development of solutions using health department and community resources;

Assesses the current health status of the patient, identifies nursing needs, develops and implements a plan of patient care in conjunction with other members of the health team and the patient;

Provides the nursing care intervention identified in the care plan as delineated in the Nurse Practice Act (medication administration, tracheostomy care, IV therapy, sterile dressings, etc.);

Evaluates the effectiveness of nursing interventions and revises the patient care plan as necessary;

Records health status of patients, treatments administered, and other appropriate information in the patients’ record and reports to the patient’s physician and to the nursing supervisor as indicated;

Educates and assists patients in understanding present health status, developing self-care measures and improving and maintaining maximum health care status;

Provides counseling, guidance, and education necessary in the treatment of physical, mental, and emotional health problems to patients and their family members and other caregivers;

Makes appropriate referrals to a variety of community resources;

Participates in the investigation of communicable diseases;

Maintains accurate statistics;

Participates in community health events involving health promotion and disease prevention programs;

Participates in nursing research as assigned;

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of the principles and practices of registered nursing;

Knowledge of theory of registered nursing practices;

Skill in the application of the nursing process and performing nursing procedures;

Skill in measuring the effects of nursing intervention;

Skill in accurate documentation and record keeping;

Ability to assess physical, emotional and social needs of patients;

Ability to develop a plan of care for the patient and evaluate the effectiveness of nursing measures;

Ability to work effectively with patients, co-workers and the general public.

Education:   Determined by the Maryland State Board of Nursing under the licensing requirements for Registered Nurse.

Experience: None.

1. Candidates for positions in this classification must possess a current license as a Registered Nurse from the Maryland State Board of Nursing, 4140 Patterson Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21215.

2. Employees in this classification may be assigned duties which require the operation of motor vehicle. Employees assigned such duties will be required to possess a motor vehicle operator’s license valid in the State of Maryland.

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies.  Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Professional Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Professional Service positions.  Some positions in Professional Service classifications may be designated as Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is assigned to Bargaining Unit E, Health Care Professionals classes. As provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial, and confidential employees are excluded from collective bargaining. Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.

This classification is one level in a Non-Competitive Promotion (NCP) series.  NCP promotions are promotions by which employees may advance in grade and class level from trainee to full performance level in a classification series.  In order to be non-competitively promoted to the next level in a NCP series, an employee must: 1) perform the main purpose of the class, as defined by the Nature of Work section of the class specification; 2) receive the type of supervision defined in the class specification and 3) meet the minimum qualifications of the classification.