Registered Nurse V
Registered Nurse V
Agency Name:
Dept. of Children and Families - formerly DSS
Official Title:
Registered Nurse V
Functional Title:
Registered Nurse V
Occupational Group:
Nursing
Position Type:
Civil Service
Full-Time or Part-Time:
Full-Time
Salary Range:
$69,289.22 to $115,620.96 Annually
Bargaining Unit:
07
Shift:
Day
Confidential:
No
Number Of Vacancies:
1
City/Town:
Springfield
Region:
WESTERN
Facility Location:
Western Regional Office - 140 High Street, Springfield, MA 01105
Application Deadline:
12-07-2015
Apply Online:
No
Posting ID:
J51146
This position is funded from the Commonwealth's annual operating budget.
Duties:
The DCF Regional RN (nurse) is an integral and collaborative member of the DCF Health and
Medical Services Team (HMST) and will work in collaboration and partnership with the
Substance Abuse, Domestic Violence and Mental Health specialists in the Region. The nurse
helps implement healthcare-related agency policy and provides consultation to internal DCF staff
and to DCF foster/adoptive parents and guardians. The nurse assesses the medical needs of
children in his/her region and recommends policy changes/improvements and solutions to the
HMST Supervisor. The nurse attends periodic administrative meetings, trainings, foster home
visits, Central Office meetings and hospital discharge planning meetings and will periodically
travel to Area Offices to meet with the staff as necessary.
The nurse will be based in the DCF Regional Office and provide consultation to staff in that
Regional Office and the four Area Offices in the Region. The nurse reports directly to the
Supervisor of the DCF HMST who is located at the DCF Central Office and has accountability to
a manager at the DCF Regional Office. The nurse will be responsible for one DCF Region and
periodically cover other Regions. The nurse will participate in an initial training and orientation,
periodic trainings as needed and monthly staff meetings at the Central Office in Boston. Travel
will be required to DCF Area Offices, healthcare facilities and providers, foster homes and other
locations as necessary.
Primary Responsibilities of the Regional Nurse:
• Consult on child-specific healthcare issues with DCF Regional and Area Office staff;
• As necessary, coordinate consultations with the Regional Substance Abuse, Domestic Violence
and Mental Health Specialists.
• Assist DCF staff with interpreting medical record documentation;
• Help coordinate healthcare services through communication with healthcare providers,
including assistance with hospital discharge planning;
• Participate in home visits as requested to assist DCF staff with assessing the healthcare needs
of children;
• If requested, review medical documentation related to payment of foster parents for care of
children with special needs (PACT reviews);
• If requested, assist Area and Regional Office staff with assessing proposed DNR orders and
accessing physicians to provide second opinions when DNR orders are proposed;
• Assist with documentation of healthcare information in FamilyNet and add healthcare-related
documentation to the hardcopy case file;
• Support social work staff in compliance with the 7 day medical screening and 30 day
comprehensive medical examination requirement for children entering placement;
• Identify children who are appropriate for the Special Kids/Special Care program and submit the
written referral to MassHealth;
• Assist the HMST with trainings for staff and foster parents and help coordinate trainings on
healthcare issues with the DCF Child Welfare Institute;
• Identify children appropriate for HMST case conferences and participate in these meetings;
• Develop relationships with local healthcare providers such as physicians, hospitals, school
nurses, home care agencies and mental health providers to help DCF social workers identify a
network of providers for accessing necessary services; and
• Learn and access the computerized MassHealth system to research information necessary to
respond to questions related to MassHealth eligibility, third party insurance, prior approval and
claims.
Additional Responsibilities of the Regional Nurse:
• Work with the Supervisor to establish methods to document actual job responsibilities and
measure satisfaction of DCF staff and implement the methods upon approval by the Supervisor;
• As requested, assist social work staff with assessing appropriateness of HIV testing for
individual children;
• Provide monthly written reports and weekly e-mail or verbal updates to the Supervisor on
consultation and other activities and ad hoc reports as requested;
• As requested, consult with staff on cases before the Regional Fatality Review Boards;
• Participate in HMST meetings held at the DCF Central Office and meetings in the Regional
and Area Offices as requested by the Supervisor;
• Participate in DCF Regional Clinical Review Teams and monthly Special Kids/Special Care
Case Review Team meetings as needed;
• As necessary, assist with the assessment of foster parent’s ability to provide for the healthcare
needs of children currently placed in their homes and those who may be placed in their homes;
and
• Assist with the coordination of treatment plans for medically complex children who are
transitioning into new foster homes, group homes and residential placements.
Qualifications:
MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Applicants must have at least (A) three years of full-time, or equivalent part-time, experience as
a registered nurse in a recognized hospital, clinic or medical facility and (B) of which at least two
years must have been in a supervisory, administrative, or managerial capacity, or (C) any
equivalent combination of the required experience and the substitutions below.
Substitutions:
I. A Graduate degree with a major in Nursing may be substituted for a maximum of one year of
the required (A) experience.* No substitutions will be allowed for the required (B) experience.
*Education toward such a degree will be prorated on the basis of the proportion of the
requirements actually completed. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL LEVELS IN
SERIES: Current and valid registration as a professional nurse under the Massachusetts Board of
Registration in Nursing . *
*Recent graduates from an approved school of nursing must have applied for the first available
registered nurse examination.
Special Requirements: Based on assignment, possession of a current and valid Massachusetts
Class D Motor Vehicle Operator's license may be required.
Preferred Qualifications:
• A Bachelors Degree from an accredited college or university in nursing or a healthcare or
human services discipline;
• Minimum of 3 years recent professional nursing experience with ethnically, culturally, racially
and/or economically diverse populations;
• Demonstrated ability to assess individual children’s medical status and healthcare needs and
make recommendations;
• Demonstrated ability to navigate systems and work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary
team;
• Knowledge of methods for assessing and improving healthcare outcomes for children;
• Knowledge of the healthcare issues of abused and neglected children;
• Demonstrated ability to provide consultation and advice regarding healthcare issues as part of a
multidisciplinary team to respond to inquiries about a wide range of medical topics and provide
understandable advice and recommendations to non-medical professionals;
• A valid drivers license and the ability to travel within the state; and
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate clearly
via electronic mail and to utilize computer applications such as Word and Excel.
The following qualifications will be considered a plus:
• A Masters degree in nursing, public health, or a related field is a plus;
• Several years recent nursing experience working in an acute hospital pediatric inpatient unit or
in pediatric community health nursing or school nursing, working with children who have
complex medical conditions;
• Working knowledge of issues regarding domestic violence, substance abuse and mental health
and how these issues affect children; and
• Training or work experience in the child welfare.
Comments:
This is a Civil Service position.
The Department of Children and Families (formerly, DSS) seeks dedicated child welfare
professionals who are committed to upholding the fundamental responsibility of protecting
children from abuse and neglect. The Department’s vision is to ensure the safety of children in a
manner that holds the best hope of nurturing a sustained, resilient network of relationships to
support the child’s growth and development into adulthood. DCF is revising its core work
processes and policies to align with its core practice values and is approaching organizational
change at three levels: clinical, managerial and systemic. Preferred applicants will possess a
demonstrated commitment to the core practice values: 1) child-driven, 2) family-centered, 3)
strength-based, 4) community-focused, 5) culturally safe, and, 6) committed to continuous
learning. A commitment to diversity and cultural competence is central to the agency’s
organizational change.
A criminal background check will be completed on the recommended candidate as required by
the regulations set forth by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services prior to the
candidate being hired. For more information, please visit http://www.mass.gov/hhs/cori
and click on "Information for Job Applicants."
How To Apply:
Click the email link then send an email with your resume and cover letter to:
DCFInitiative@MassMail.State.MA.US.
** If you have not clicked the above email link, please ensure your email subject line includes
Hiring Coordinator’s Name AND Posting ID Number (as listed below).
If you are mailing application materials, please send two (2) copies of cover letter and resume to:
Susan McDonough
Children, Youth and Families
Employment and Staffing Unit
600 Washington Street – 7th Floor
Boston, MA 02111
**Please reference the Posting ID J51146 on ALL correspondence. Resume and cover letter
must reference the Posting ID number. Materials submitted must be post marked by the posting
deadline date in order to be considered.
PLEASE NOTE: All interested DCF employees should send a completed INTERNAL JOB
APPLICATION, SUPERVISOR’S REFERENCE FORM and LAST ANNUAL EPRS/ACES. If
mailed, please forward two (2) copies of your application materials.
Please submit a separate resume and cover letter if applying for multiple positions.
Customer Service Line 1-800-510-4122, option # 2.
Agency Web Address:
http://www.mass.gov/dss/
The Commonwealth acts in good faith to affirmatively recruit a diverse population.If you wish to
self-identify, please click on the links below. Completing this formis voluntary. If you choose to
self-identify, please note that all Affirmative Actionand Disability data is kept in a confidential
file.
Link to Disability Form (return this form to the ADA Coordinator listed below)
http://www.mass.gov/anf/docs/hrd/odeo/veterans/disabled-veteran-applicant-self-id-form.doc
Link to the Veterans Forms (return this form to the Diversity Officer listed below)
http://www.mass.gov/anf/docs/hrd/odeo/veterans/gender-race-veteran-applicant-self-id-form.doc
Diversity Officer/ADA Coordinator:
Ms. Diane Chang, (617) 748-2104
An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Females, minorities, veterans, and persons
with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.