RN/Paramedic - Hybrid Telehealth Integrated Care bei None

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITES:

The SEIC RN/Paramedic – Hybrid Telehealth Integrated Care is a licensed healthcare professional responsible for delivering onsite support to hybrid telehealth services that integrate primary care, psychiatric medication management, and behavioral health treatment for individuals with Substance Use Disorder (SUD), mental health conditions, and co-occurring physical health needs. This role is designed in alignment with North Carolina’s Advanced Medical Home (AMH) standards under NC Medicaid Managed Care, promoting whole-person, person-centered care that addresses medical, behavioral, and social determinants of health such as housing, employment, and transportation.

The RN/Paramedic oversees and operates telehealth equipment (e.g., telecarts) to connect clients with remote providers, ensuring adherence to NC Telehealth regulations (NCGS § 90-21.80 et seq.), including requirements for informed consent, HIPAA/42 CFR Part 2 privacy protections, and Medicaid reimbursement standards for virtual services. In addition to facilitating telehealth encounters, the role provides direct onsite clinical care, develops therapeutic rapport, and delivers recovery-focused interventions that support sustained sobriety, psychosocial stability, and community reintegration. Care delivery is guided by SAMHSA best practices and the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) Criteria, with emphasis on Dimensions 3–6 to holistically address emotional, behavioral, and social recovery needs.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITITES:        

• Telehealth Operations: Manage and operate telehealth equipment (e.g., telecarts with video conferencing, vital sign monitors, secure connectivity) at sites such as the Ron Barnes Center for Recovery and other integrated care facilities. Ensure proper setup, troubleshooting, and compliance with NC Telehealth regulations for real-time audio-video interactions.
• Hybrid Visit Facilitation: Prepare clients for virtual visits by obtaining informed consent, assisting with remote physical exams (e.g., presenting vitals, wounds, or symptoms), and ensuring privacy and security. Support virtual encounters with primary care physicians, psychiatrists, and advanced practice providers for assessments, treatment planning, and medication management.
• Clinical Assessments: Conduct onsite nursing/paramedic evaluations including vital signs, structured assessments (e.g., AIMS for antipsychotic monitoring), and screenings for medical conditions, relapse risks, and mental health symptoms. Integrate findings into each client’s Person-Centered Plan (PCP) and share with remote providers.
• Medication Management: Administer and document medications (RN-specific; Paramedics assist under supervision), including Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for Substance Use Disorder. Provide education on adherence, potential side effects, overdose prevention, nutrition, and overall health promotion.
• Client Engagement: Build therapeutic rapport to foster participation in integrated care. Address barriers such as unemployment, criminal justice involvement, or cultural disconnection (e.g., among Lumbee Tribe members) using trauma-informed and recovery-oriented approaches to strengthen coping skills, self-efficacy, and community reintegration.
• Care Coordination: Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams (QPs, counselors, peers), remote providers, and external partners (e.g., NC Works, Lumbee Tribe Vocational Rehabilitation) to ensure seamless care transitions, linkage to resources, and compliance with AMH Tier 3 requirements (e.g., care management for high-risk clients, health risk assessments, social determinants of health screening).
• Interventions and Education: Deliver preventive, therapeutic, and developmental interventions such as psychoeducation on relapse prevention, wellness self-management, and independent living skills. Incorporate recovery-focused strategies into daily routines (e.g., chores as therapeutic interventions consistent with ASAM Dimension 6).
• Crisis Response: Participate in crisis interventions using nonviolent de-escalation (e.g., NCI), respond to medical emergencies, and assist with transportation to offsite care or scheduled appointments as needed.
• Documentation and Compliance: Complete documentation of all billable encounters, telehealth sessions, and interventions in SEIC’s EMR (e.g., Echo Vantage) within 24 hours. Ensure clinical notes reflect rehabilitation-focused outcomes (restoring skills impaired by SUD), align with ASAM Criteria, and meet NC Medicaid policies (e.g., 8A-12 SAIOP, 8A-13 SACOT, 8D-3 ASAM 3.1).
• Client Intake Support: Assist with intake and eligibility processes including insurance verification (NCTracks), Medicaid applications or transfers to managed care plans (e.g., Trillium), and SA Funds applications for uninsured clients.
• Team Education: Provide education to interdisciplinary team members on symptom monitoring, medication side effects, and telehealth best practices.
• Additional Duties: Perform other responsibilities as assigned, including support for workforce development activities (e.g., job readiness as part of recovery) and ensuring culturally responsive care delivery.
• Supervisory Responsibilities:
   This role may provide direction to LPNs or paraprofessional staff in medication administration support and telehealth facilitation activities; however, it does not carry full supervisory or managerial authority.

Qualifications
 To perform this role successfully, an individual must be able to carry out each essential duty effectively. The requirements below outline the expected knowledge, skills, and abilities. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Education & Experience

• Minimum of one (1) year of experience working with adults with Substance Use Disorder (SUD), serious mental illness, or co-occurring conditions in integrated care settings.
• Associate’s Degree in Nursing (RN) or equivalent Paramedic certification/training required.
• Prior experience with telehealth platforms and equipment preferred.

Required Skills & Abilities

• Demonstrated proficiency in telehealth facilitation, including equipment setup, troubleshooting, and compliance with NC Telehealth standards (secure connections, patient consent, reimbursement eligibility).
• Strong clinical competencies in assessments, vital signs, crisis intervention, and medication management (RN-specific), with applied knowledge of AMH guidelines for integrated care.
• Ability to engage clients and families using evidence-based approaches such as Motivational Interviewing (MI), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques, and recovery-focused interventions.
• Working knowledge of NC Medicaid workflows, ASAM Criteria, and SAMHSA best practices for integrated SUD/mental health treatment.
• Capacity to work independently with minimal supervision while collaborating effectively within interdisciplinary teams.
• Proficiency in electronic medical record (EMR) documentation and ability to extract and synthesize relevant clinical information.

Certificates, Licenses, & Registrations

• Valid North Carolina RN License or NC Paramedic Certification; Compact RN License acceptable if valid in NC.
• Current, unrestricted NC Driver’s License with proof of insurance.
• Required certifications: CPR/First Aid, Bloodborne Pathogens, Medication Administration, and Nonviolent Crisis Intervention (NCI).

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here represent conditions an employee may encounter while performing essential job functions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.

Work is primarily performed onsite in residential and clinic settings (e.g., Ron Barnes Center), with hybrid telehealth components that involve interactions with remote providers. Employees may be exposed to environmental factors such as cigarette smoke, domestic animals/pets, household pests, variable heating or cooling conditions, and other circumstances related to client residences or facilities.

Physical Demands
 The physical demands described here outline the requirements for successfully performing essential job functions. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.

While performing job duties, the employee is regularly required to:

• Stand, walk, talk, and hear.
• Use hands to handle or operate objects, tools, and telehealth equipment.
• Detect and respond using the senses of sight, smell, and, at times, taste.

The employee is frequently required to:

• Reach with hands and arms.
• Stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.

The employee is occasionally required to:

• Sit, climb, or balance.

The employee must be able to:

• Lift and/or move up to 20 pounds regularly, and up to 50 pounds occasionally.
• Maintain specific vision abilities, including close vision, distance vision, color perception, peripheral vision, depth perception, and focus adjustment.
• Safely drive and operate a personal vehicle in compliance with state and traffic laws.