COVID-19 2020-12-17 Health Department Seeking Applicants for Nursing and Contact Tracing

The Tompkins County Health Department is seeking qualified applicants for various positions to assist with COVID-19 response efforts, including contact investigations and tracing. The Department has two permanent positions open in the role of Community Health Nurse and several temporary positions in the role of Registered Professional Nurse. The Department also has a number of temporary positions open in the role of Project Assistant to assist with contact tracing efforts. Qualified individuals are encouraged to apply, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Open positions can be found on the Tompkins County Human Resources Department’s vacancies web page.

“The Health Department has scaled up operations consistently since the beginning of the pandemic. Our nurses and other County staff have gone above and beyond to assist in our contact tracing efforts, we’re grateful for the opportunity to expand our team by bringing more professionals on board.” Kruppa continued, “COVID-19 is continuing to spread in our community, and as we’ve seen since the beginning of the pandemic, contact investigations and tracing have been one of our best tools to help stop the spread. We’re looking for team members who are critical and independent thinkers, committed to serving the public and sharing the compassion of our nursing staff.”

Full-Time Community Health Nurse Positions

Community Health (CH) Nurses assess the health needs and develop plans for individuals and families. CH Nurses implement nursing care plans and evaluate individual and family nursing needs, including tele-health for individuals who test positive for COVID-19. CH Nurses manage contact investigations and communicate directly with individuals upon testing positive for COVID-19. CH Nurses supervise other department nurses and act as team-leads where appropriate.

All applicants are strongly encouraged to fully complete all applicable fields in the application. Applications are scored on a training and experience spectrum, fully completed applications are necessary to correctly score applications. Anything beyond minimum qualifications increases an applicant’s score.

• Details on the Community Health Nurse positions are available on this document. The application is available on the Tompkins County Human Resources website.

Part-Time and Full-Time Registered Professional Nurse Positions

This professional nursing work includes responsibility for providing skilled nursing care and communication in accordance with a prescribed nursing care plan. The work is performed under the general supervision of a supervisory level nurse. Registered professional nurses manage contact tracing duties, including communicating with individuals positive with COVID-19 and their close contacts.

All applicants are strongly encouraged to fully complete all applicable fields in the application. Applications are scored on a training and experience spectrum, fully completed applications are necessary to correctly score applications. Anything beyond minimum qualifications increases an applicant’s score.

• Details on the Registered Professional Nurse positions are available on this document. The application is available on the Tompkins County Human Resources website.

Part-Time and Full-Time Project Assistant Positions, Case Investigators & Contact Tracers

Project Assistant duties will include notifying positive COVID-19 cases, determining who had contact with diagnosed patients, conducting remote assessments of symptoms, and ensuring that those placed under isolation or quarantine comply with regulations.

Case Investigator/Contact Tracer Responsibilities:

• Coordinating case investigation and contact tracing efforts with Supervisors from the Local Health Department.
• Conducting interviews in a professional manner that reflects emotional and cultural awareness.
• Collecting and recording accurate information using Commcare software.
• Calling newly diagnosed patients to trace individuals they had contact with and determining exposure.
• Interviewing traced contacts, assessing symptoms, and referring them for testing.
• Providing contacts with regulated information on isolation and quarantine procedures.
• Collaborating with designated local authorities in supporting the isolation and quarantine of individuals.
• Maintaining ongoing virtual communication to monitor symptoms.
• Referring contacts to available community resources.
• Complying with all Health Department regulations, including those aimed at protecting personal information.
• Details on the Project Assistant position is available on this document. The application is available on the Tompkins County Human Resources website.

To-date Tompkins County’s contact tracing has been an effective tool in stopping the spread of COVID-19. Health Department nurses have been able to identify the source of exposure for approximately 56% of positive cases, compared to an estimated 20% at the State level.