Licensed Vocational Nurse at Interfaith Community Services

About Interfaith Community Services:

At Interfaith, we empower individuals and families in need by providing essential resources and services with compassion and integrity. Together, we foster a community of hope, accountability, and dignity. 

Founded in 1979 in direct response to rising rates of hunger and homelessness in North San Diego County, Interfaith Community Services works to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness by Helping People Help Themselves. Interfaith is the most comprehensive nonprofit social services agency in North County, providing both immediate safety net services and long-term, life-changing programs designed to meet the holistic needs of people in crisis. Together, in partnership with 250+ diverse faith communities, more than 650 recurrent volunteers, and a growing staff of over 200, Interfaith provides a safe haven and pathway towards self-sufficiency for more than 17,000 community members annually.

If you're passionate about making a difference and thrive in a service-driven environment, we invite you to be part of our mission!

What You'll Do:

In the Licensed Vocational Nurse role, you’ll provides high-touch, community-based recuperative care (medical respite) services to individuals with serious and complex physical health, behavioral health and social service needs who are experiencing homelessness. This role supports clients in achieving or maintaining individual stability and prevent hospital admission or readmission and system disengagement by providing persistent outreach, advocacy, health education and coordination of care across multiple service domains. The LVN focuses on improving functioning, enhancing quality of life, and promoting long-term stability to prevent returning to homelessness.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Conduct daily rounds and assess client health, including checking and recording vital signs. 
• Monitor client progress and report significant changes to the supervising nurse or clinical program manager. 
• Engage in frequent client contact through scheduled or unscheduled visits, in program outreach, and telephonic support—often multiple times per week.
• Provide weekly medication management, including but not limited to; assistance with organizing medication in pill organizer, ensuring adherence to prescribed regimens, educating clients about medication purpose and potential side effects, assisting with prescription refills. 
• Perform a minimum of weekly compliance checks to ensure the medication list is present, and boxes are secure, up-to-date, and correctly stocked.
• Assist patients with blood glucose monitoring and provide instruction in self-administered insulin injections.
• Deliver basic nursing care, including but not limited to wound dressing changes, catheter care, and hygiene support.
• Educate clients on medical conditions, self-care practices, diet, smoking cessation, and treatment compliance.
• Support clients in achieving health-related goals by teaching disease management and wellness practices.
• Promote clients’ self-determination by establishing individual care goals and educate clients on individual health conditions, medications, and self-care skills.
• Assist with trainings and educate staff and clients on various medical/health-related topics.
• Provide oversight and support to Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs), interns, and volunteers.
• Review patient referrals and determine initial eligibility for services as needed.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date patient records, including vitals, medication logs, progress notes, and incident reports.
• Assist with scheduling medical appointments and coordinating transportation to appointments scheduled as often as needed.
• Communicate client health changes or concerns to interdisciplinary staff and external healthcare providers.
• Collaborate with case managers with discharge planning to ensure linkage to medical resources and referrals and facilitate transition to stable or alternate housing.
• Participate in case reviews, multidisciplinary team meetings, and quality improvement initiatives.
• Maintain accurate, timely, and confidential documentation in compliance with agency and regulatory standards.
• Ensure meeting rooms and medical supply areas are prepared and adequately stocked and maintained.
• Participate in all staff meetings and trainings as requested
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Who You Are:

You're passionate about making a lasting impact, whether supporting individuals directly or enhancing our organizational effectiveness. To thrive in this role, you'll:

• Graduate of an accredited LVN program
• Current and unrestricted LVN license in the state of California. 
• Minimum of 1 year of clinical nursing experience required; experience in behavioral health, community health, or residential care, preferred.
• Knowledge of alcohol and other drug recovery field, preferred
• Experience working with clients who are medically fragile or experiencing homelessness, preferred
• Basic Life Support (BLS) for healthcare providers (American Heart Association preferred) to be completed within three (3) months of hire
• Bilingual (Spanish/English), preferred

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Ability to establish and maintain professional boundaries with clients
• Knowledge and skills in mental health treatment, co-occurring disorders, substance abuse treatment models, and crisis intervention
• Ability to apply methods and techniques of professional nursing
• Ability to anticipate and react calmly to emergency situations
• Ability to identify problems, and research and recommend resolutions
• Knowledge of community and social service agencies
• Knowledge of adult development
• Demonstrated computer skills and proficiency in Microsoft Office
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing
• Able to work independently and as part of a team
• Projects a professional demeanor and exercises mature judgment
• Ability to maintain and execute confidential information
• Highly motivated and able to coordinate multiple projects/tasks simultaneously in high high-pressure environment
• Ability to enforce personal and professional boundaries
• Compassionate nature, non-judgmental, and even-tempered

SKILLSETS / ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Strong clinical assessment and patient care skills
• Strong clinical judgment and ability to manage high-acuity cases.
• Ability to apply methods and techniques of professional nursing
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in fast-paced environments.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Ability to establish and maintain professional boundaries with clients
• Working knowledge and skills in mental health, co-occurring disorders, substance abuse treatment models, and crisis intervention
• Ability to react calmly and professionally to emergency situations
• Ability to identify problems, and research and recommend resolutions
• Knowledge of community and social service agencies
• Knowledge of adult development 
• Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Must be highly organized and demonstrate attention to detail
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple deadlines and working effectively under pressure, using independent judgment to produce quality work under time constraints
• Demonstrated experience working with a collaborative team
• Working knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel, and Outlook)
• Maintain a high degree of confidentiality over all matters in the course of business operations including client and employee information
• Ability to multi-task in an efficient, thorough, and prioritized manner
• Ability to work quickly, accurately and independently

WORKING CONDITIONS / PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

The physical requirements described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.

• Must be able to perform work in an office setting
• May be subjected to adverse conditions, including contact from hostile people
• Potential exposure to contagious diseases, hazardous chemicals, and other hazardous fluids 
• Must have the physical ability to sit for long periods of time, stand, walk, bend, kneel on a frequent basis
• Occasionally lifts, carries and balances objects weighing up to 30 pounds
• Pulls and pushes such objects as file drawers, computers and similar office equipment and supplies
• Prioritizes and multi-tasks work and projects requiring good memory, concentration and analytical thinking
• Occasionally is required to perform the safe operation of office equipment and machines, and recognize and abate safety hazards within the workplace
• The noise level in the work environment is usually low

Location: Onsite/Escondido

Hourly Rate: $35.00-$38.00

Hours: Monday-Friday: 10am-6:30pm

EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

· Paid Time Off

· Paid Holidays – 13 scheduled

· Flexible Work Schedules

· Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance

· AD&D / Group Life Insurance

· Flexible Spending Accounts – Medical and Dependent Care

· Matched 401(k) Retirement Plan

· Early Release Days!

· Work Anniversary Bonuses

· Tuition Reimbursement and Public Service Loan Forgiveness Eligibility

· Employee Assistance Plan (EAP)

· Home Ownership Assistance Program

· Casual Work Environment

· Professional Growth and Career Development Opportunities

Interfaith is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to age, race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, pregnancy, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability, nationality, sex, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, Interfaith will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.