STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
HUMAN RESOURCES
CLASSIFICATION: NURSE SPECIALIST
Class Code: 6560-25
Date Established: 07-17-01
Occupational Code: 7-4-9
Date of Last Revision: 12-28-01
BASIC PURPOSE: To perform professional nursing duties
within a designated area utilizing specialized knowledge and skills in
observing, teaching, assessing, implementing, and evaluating the overall
physical and emotional needs of patients/residents or the developmentally
disabled.
CHARACTERISTIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
·
Applies nursing
techniques and performs physical assessments on patients utilizing professional
nursing knowledge and skills in observing and evaluating overall physical and
emotional needs.
·
Provides
therapeutic/medical intervention in accordance with standard practices of the
profession and develops treatment plans with nursing staff and other medical
personnel.
·
Works cooperatively
with other staff members and other disciplines in evaluating patients' progress
in terms of goals of the total treatment plan.
·
As required, provides
individualized counseling/teaching for patients/residents or staff on specific
health concerns or disease processes.
·
Assists in developing
and maintaining a therapeutic environment.
·
Participates in the
orientation and in-servicing of nursing staff; guides and instructs designated
personnel engaged in patient care and treatment.
·
Observes and
interprets the behavior patterns of patients receiving special care and
treatment.
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DISTINGUISHING FACTORS:
Skill: Requires skill in developing formats
and procedures for special applications OR in investigating and reviewing the
use of equipment and data for a specialized function.
Knowledge: Requires logical or scientific
understanding to analyze problems of a specialized or professional nature in a
particular field.
Impact: Requires responsibility for achieving major
aspects of long-range agency objectives by planning short- and long-term
organizational goals, reviewing recommendations for procedural changes, and
developing or revising program policies.
Errors at this level result in incorrect decisions at an administrative
level, and are detected subsequent to implementation in an overall evaluation
process.
Supervision: Requires direct supervision of programs
or of employees doing work which differs from the supervisor, including
disciplining employees, solving personnel problems, recommending hiring and
terminating employees, and developing work methods. The supervisor in this position manages a working unit or
section with responsibility for employee performance appraisal.
Working Conditions: Requires performing regular job
functions in an environment which includes exposure to continuous physical
elements or a number of disagreeable working conditions with frequent exposure
to minor injuries or health hazards.
Physical Demands: Requires medium work, including
continuous strenuous activities such as frequent reaching, bending, or lifting
as well as performing work activities which require fine manual dexterity or
coordination in operating machines or equipment.
Communication: Requires reviewing summaries and
reports and making decisions to solve problems or to achieve work objectives as
well as articulating and expressing those solutions and goals. This level also requires formal
presentations of solutions and goals to employees and the general public to
increase the responsiveness of the agency toward the demands of its client
system.
Complexity: Requires coordinating a combination of
diverse job functions in order to integrate professional and technical agency
goals. This level also requires
considerable judgment to implement a sequence of operations or actions.
Independent Action: Requires independent judgment in
planning and evaluating work procedures and in supervising the development of
professional, technical and managerial standards under administrative direction
and according to broad departmental guidelines.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Education: Bachelor's degree from a recognized
college or university with major study in nursing or a related human service
field. Each additional year of
approved formal education may be substituted for one year of required work
experience.
Experience: Three years' experience as a registered
nurse in a health care facility or a related human service field working in the
specialty area in which the vacancy exists. Each additional year of approved work experience may be
substituted for one year of required formal education.
License/Certification:
1. Licensure as a
Registered Nurse in the State of New Hampshire.
2. Certification by the
American Nurses Association or an organization recognized by the ANA in a
speciality that is consistent with the job accountabilities and appropriate to
the institution or agency in which the vacancy exists.
RECOMMENDED WORK TRAITS: Knowledge of the theories of
professional psychiatric and/or gerontological nursing. Ability to recognize health related
problems. Ability to prepare
factual reports. Ability to
instruct and guide others. Ability
to administer detailed therapeutic prescriptions. Ability to follow directions in exact detail. Ability to deal effectively with the
personnel engaged in treatment and training programs. Ability to exercise tact in working with patients and
co-workers. Ability to maintain
records and charts. Ability to
work without constant supervision.
Ability to provide for orientation, in-servicing, and continuing
education of nursing staff. Must
be willing to maintain appearance appropriate to assigned duties and
responsibilities as determined by the agency appointing authority.
DISCLAIMER STATEMENT: This class specification is descriptive
of general duties and is not intended to list every specific function of this
class title.
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Last Updated 05/10/02
URL: http://www.nh.gov/hr/classspec_n/6560.htm