Office-Based Addiction Treatment Nurse

Community Health Center of Franklin County Inc

Orange, MA, USA

Published: 6/14/2022

Healthcare

Full Time

Job Description

POSITION SUMMARY:

Provides skilled nursing services and case management to patients with substance use disorders. Performs ongoing assessment, intakes, evaluations, triage, teaching, inductions, stabilizations, and monitoring of patients in Office-Based Addiction Treatment (OBAT) model. Provides primary care of patients within the Office Based Addiction Treatment Clinic, as well as support and services to patients from other settings referred to program for stabilization and assessment. Collaborates with clinical team members, providers, and support staff as well as outside referral sites, and community-based partners. Works with providers from addiction and community health settings in assisting patients and supporting their referral needs. Supports CHCFC’s mission, vision, and values and contributes to a work environment that is caring, collaborative, and innovative.

REPORTS TO:

OBAT Program Manager

FLSA STATUS:

Non-exempt

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Clinic Nursing:

Conduct initial assessment and intake of patients seeking care for substance use disorders, including obtaining social, medical, mental health, substance use and medication history.
Review intake assessment with addiction treatment team and provider and establish appropriate plan of care for patient.
Revise patient plan of care with the addiction treatment team as needed to address patient needs and issues.
Ongoing management of patients receiving medications for addiction.
Education and assessment of patients looking to access opioid treatment programs.
Assessment of signs and symptoms of opioid withdrawal using the COW (Clinical Opioid Withdrawal) scale.
Assessment and monitoring of patients in the induction, stabilization, and maintenance phases of treatment.
Ongoing education and support of patients in all phases of treatment including; nursing visits scheduled and random urine toxicology screens, routine labs and as needed, medication teaching, monitoring, pill counts, observed dosing, and medication refills.
Provides follow up care in person and via telephone when needed.
Collects pertinent data using appropriate assessment techniques.
Prioritizes data according to the patient’s immediate conditions and needs.
Involves the patient, significant others, and appropriate health care providers in the collection of data when appropriate.
Understands and maintains standard precautions in all clinical activities, uses PPE appropriately.
Demonstrates teamwork and works to build cohesive, professional relationships with all CHCFC staff and patients.
Maintains current CPR certification.
Assists in emergencies as trained, calls for outside help when needed.
Follows State and Federal guidelines in providing care to opioid dependent patients in collaboration with licensed, prescribing providers and pharmacy.
Performs other duties as specified by the Nurse Manager.

Care Coordination:

Collaboration, communication, and meetings with addiction treatment team and primary care team as needed and required.
Conducts transitions of care according to CHCFC policies, including reviewing hospital or skilled nursing facility notes/discharge summaries, contacting hospitalists/discharge planners/specialists as needed to coordinate care, and contacting patients within the required timeframe to perform medication reconciliation and ensure that patient is medically stable and has follow-up appointments scheduled as needed with PCP and/or specialists. Documents transition of care activity per standard protocol and communicates with the primary care team.

Administrative:

Review consents and treatment contracts with patients and significant others, obtaining signatures and giving patient a copy and leaving a hard copy in patient paper chart.
Completes appropriate documentation in the electronic medical record with excellent record keeping.
Works with pharmacy and the OBAT/PCP team in obtaining medication orders, prescriptions, refills, and communications as needed.
Performs general office tasks such as faxing, answering telephone calls to the OBAT phone line, and responding to tasks from team members in a timely manner.
Responds to routine requests from the Department of Children and Families regarding patient status updates, as allowed by 42CFR consent forms.

Delegates to unlicensed personnel.

When appropriate, Office Based Addiction Treatment Nurse Case Manager may delegate nursing activities to unlicensed clinical staff (MA I – MA III).

Mentors and trains colleagues.

Participates in student, MA I, MA II, and/or MA III, LPN, or RN I orientation.
Acts as a role model in the clinical setting.
Collaborates with supervisor and new learner to review the progress of the new learner toward meeting learning objectives.
Helps create an environment conducive to learning. This includes a friendly environment for the new learner to ask questions and report and correct mistakes made.
Demonstrates skills and “think out loud” for new learner to observe clinical process and problem solving.
Assists with assessment and sign off on competencies.

Other specialty duties and competencies as assigned. Duties may include, but are not limited to:

Monitoring medication storage and assuring adequate medication supply to meet clinic needs.
Responsible for receiving and maintaining inventory of, and assuring proper disposal of injectable buprenorphine (Sublocade).
Responsible for receiving and maintaining inventory of, and assuring proper disposal of injectable naltrexone (Vivitrol).
Acting as a Quality Champion for assigned measure(s), leading and participating in quality improvement objectives, activities, and PDSA cycles.
Assisting in managing nursing staff scheduling and call-outs.

Attends and actively participates in health center medical team meetings and other staff meetings as required.

Cross-coverage and attendance: Provides cross-coverage during nursing colleagues’ time away from the office (including paid time off, scheduled, and unscheduled days off). In-person attendance including reassignment to other satellite sites as needed to maintain appropriate staffing.

REQUIRED SKILLS, EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

Education: Successful completion of an accredited nursing program and active and unrestricted registered nurse (RN) license in Massachusetts. Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing preferred.

Proficiency in written and spoken English. Bi-lingual English/Spanish, English/Moldovan, or English/Russian a plus.

OBAT RNs are required to obtain a Certified Addictions Registered Nurse (CARN) Certification within 1 year of hire.

Experience: 1-2 years of experience as a nurse preferred

Primary care office-based experience preferred.

Knowledge of Office Based Addiction Treatment experience preferred.

Skills:

Exceptionally organized, detail-oriented, and timely.
Strong patient communication and patient education skills.
Ability to work harmoniously with ethnically, culturally, racially, and gender diverse staff and patients.
Ability to work within a harm-reduction, medication-first treatment modality.
Ability to efficiently operate basic office equipment (multi-line phone, fax, photocopier).
Ability to use Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, and Outlook) and Internet.
Understands and is familiar with medical terminology.
Maintain R.N. staff competencies on an annual basis.
Maintain OBAT R.N. staff competencies on an annual basis.
Attend relevant trainings related to job responsibilities including Boston Medical Center trainings: Nurse Care Manager Model of Addiction Treatment; Addiction 101; and any other relevant trainings.

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 required to stand, walk, sit, use the hands to finger, handle or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk or hear; taste or smell. Must be able to lift and/or move up to 15 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

While performing the required duties of this job, the employee is exposed to weather conditions prevalent when traveling between Health Center locations where medical care is provided. This position performs tasks that involve exposure to blood, body fluids or tissues.

This job description is subject to review in the light of changing circumstances and is not intended to be rigid and inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the employee works. Performs other duties as assigned.