Department of Community and Human Services

DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES (DD) RESIDENTIAL SERVICES

Registered Nurse (At-Will)

Developmental & Intellectual Disabilities

An Overview

Are you compassionate and committed to helping others? Do you enjoy advocating for those you support and collaborating with treatment team(s) to achieve optimal health care for residents? Are you solution oriented and enjoy working independently and in a team? Are you committed to assuring those you support have access to and receive optimal health care? Do you have experience working with individuals diagnosed with developmental and/or intellectual disabilities? If so, we invite you to apply for our Registered Nurse position.

It’s our belief and mission that all our residents deserve and need to be treated with dignity and respect, to be self-directing, and to be recognized for their inherent value as a unique person.

As a member of the Medical Team, the Registered Nurse provides direct and indirect professional nursing care to the residential individuals of the Center for Adult Services in the Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS). The registered nurse will coordinate the medical treatment of the residential individuals which will include but is not limited to: monitoring signs and symptoms of illness, monitoring medication ordering/administration procedures, reviewing response to medications, changes in vital signs, blood sugar, etc., coordinating medical concerns with the individual and their SAI, and monitoring the implementation of the Department’s policies and procedures concerning all aspects of medical care of residential individuals. Work is performed under the general supervision of the Director of Developmental Disability (DD) Residential Services.

What You Should Bring

The ideal candidate should have good knowledge of nursing, clinic policies and procedures, good knowledge of approved medical terminology and abbreviations; good knowledge of the function use, maintenance, and safety precautions of all equipment used, ability to clinically evaluate individuals/clients before medicating; ability to monitor clients on a variety of medications, ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing, ability to provide nursing services to difficult and complex patient and client cases, computer literate, ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships between staff, hospital employees, administration, physicians, visitors and individuals, ability to chart accurately, legibly, and completely all entries on medical records/controlled substance inventories. Requires demonstrated ability to work independently with minimum supervision. Requires ability to organize and prioritize.

The Opportunity

• Ensures that all residents of DD Group Homes have access to medical care, both episodic and preventive, so that residents maintain optimum health status. Medical care is monitored to ensure they meet accepted practice quality standards. Examples include:
• Ensuring that chronic illnesses are monitored periodically by appropriate specialty providers, ensuring that residents receive appropriate screening (e.g., pap smears, colonoscopy, mammogram, immunization, flu vaccine, etc.).
• Reviews all changes in medication for individual and ensures that the pharmacy has received the order, that the staff at the home is aware of the change, and that the medication arrives and is initiated in a timely manner.

• Maintains a tracking system of both routine and prn (as needed) medications to ensure that all prescribed medications are renewed promptly and that no individual goes without medications at any time.
• Maintains a monitoring system for all individuals with health problems, ensuring that staff will follow physician orders. Review MAR monthly to identify any trends (e.g., diastolic BP rising, BS out of normal range, etc.), ensuring that the residential counselor responsible for medical appointments and transport is aware of the problems and makes appointments with the appropriate provider.
• With the assistance of residential counselors, identifies individual’s response to prescribed medications, coordinating with service providers if an earlier appointment or medication change is needed.
• Coordinates medical care in conjunction with the residential counselor(s) responsible for providing medical transportation.
• Ensures that individual’s medical needs are handled promptly and that routine exams are accomplished on a yearly basis.
• Identifies problems and trends in the population in need of monitoring or intervention.
• Examples include obesity, mobility and safety issues, activity levels, etc. Collaborates with staff to work towards ameliorating problems through specific action plans.

• Participates in the admission process for new individuals by providing input on health-related issues and working towards obtaining information on health status and health problems and concerns prior to admission to the facility.

• Provides educational sessions / materials for staff in residential facilities on an as needed basis on topics related to the individuals in their care. Topics may be related to disease processes, medications, etc. and are provided at the request of the senior counselor in the group home.
• May provide skilled nursing care on an occasional basis when needed and when that care is unavailable through other outside sources.

• Performs related work as required.

About the Department
The Center for Adult Services (CAS) provides programs and services in Aging; Adult Protective Services; Clinical & Emergency Services; and Community & Residential Support Services for seniors and for persons with mental illness, intellectual disabilities and substance use disorders. CAS provides compassionate and effective person-centered services based on best practices. Our teams support self-determination, safety and recovery for Alexandria residents affected by abuse, neglect, mental illness, intellectual disabilities and substance abuse disorders.

Minimum & Additional Requirements

Graduation from an accredited school of Nursing; eligibility for, or current licensure with the State Board of Nursing of the Commonwealth of Virginia as a Registered Nurse. or any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Preferred Qualifications

At least one year of medical surgical nursing experience in either a hospital or outpatient clinic facility. At least one year of experience working with persons with intellectual disability and co-occurring mental health and/or substance abuse issues. At least one year of experience working within a residential program setting. Must have a valid driver’s license.

Notes

This position requires the successful completion of pre-employment background checks including but not limited to: FBI/Federal Records Check; VA State Child Abuse/Neglect Registry; Medicare/Medicaid Fraud Database; education/certifications; drug screening; and driver’s license.

Schedule: Varies, as needed.