Nurse Consultant - Clinical Resources Unit Immunization Branch

State of Colorado•Denver, CO

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

This position is within the Immunization Branch of the Division of Disease Control and Public Health Response (DCPHR) at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). The Immunization Branch works to reduce vaccine-preventable diseases and ensure access to vaccine services for all Coloradans. The Clinical Resources Unit supports this mission by developing and implementing programs to positively influence immunization uptake across the lifespan, providing clinical expertise, and addressing vaccination coverage disparities. The role involves providing clinical consultation, technical assistance, and training to providers and the public on pediatric, adolescent, and adult immunizations, coordinating immunization assessment activities, and conducting provider education. This includes conducting Immunization Quality Improvement for Providers (IQIP) site visits, providing data assessments, and promoting quality improvement activities to increase immunization coverage. The position also offers clinical consultation on the Colorado Immunization Information System (CIIS) vaccine recommender, supports the annual School and Child Care Immunization Data Reporting (SCCIDR) survey, and provides coverage for the vaccine administration clinical support customer service line.

Requirements

Master’s degree from an accredited institution in Nursing, Global Health, Biology, Epidemiology, Public Health, or other closely related field
Current, valid licensure as a Registered Nurse from the Colorado Board of Nursing or any state participating in the Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact (eNLC)
Three (3) years of professional experience in public health nursing, vaccination, immunizations, providing technical assistance and training, and coordination of immunization resources and education to providers and the public, or other closely related experience related to the work assigned to the position.
Residency Requirement: Must be a resident of the State of Colorado at the time of submitting application.

Nice To Haves

Experience in pediatric, adolescent, and adult clinical immunization consultation and vaccine administration.
Experience in clinical leadership or being a program lead.
Experience with immunization quality improvement and outreach activities for immunizing for providers and the public.
Experience in epidemiology and data analysis.
Experience with implementing evidence-based recommendations in a healthcare setting.
Understanding of immunization-related regulatory requirements for vaccination and immunization.
Experience using evidence- based strategies to increase vaccination rates.
Experience creating and facilitating in-person and remote trainings for medical professionals.
Experience in utilizing and learning computerized information systems, training platforms, and multimedia.

Responsibilities

Conducts IQIP site visits with providers to assess immunization workflows, identify opportunities for process improvement, and provide technical assistance and other resources to develop action items tailored to the individual provider.
Generates provider-level immunization coverage assessment reports for baseline and follow-up progress measurements for the IQIP cohorts.
Provides assessment and interpretation of practice-specific immunization rates, and information regarding planning and implementation of immunization strategies that can increase immunization rates in provider settings.
Collaborates with provider staff through 2- and 6-month check-ins to support the selected quality improvement (QI) strategies and related activities.
Follows up with additional practice-specific rate assessments for 12 months, with consultation on QI activities and strategies, and assistance in addressing barriers to success.
Ensures timely and accurate data entry into the CDC-developed IQIP database for each stage of the IQIP cycle.
Develops and implements ongoing educational opportunities for public and private health care providers, local public health agency staff, partner organizations, and other agency staff.
Provides technical assistance and clinical consultation for complex situations in which clinical judgment and experience are critical to interpret guidelines and provide clinical advice.
Responds to queries from CDPHE VFC and CIIS staff and health care providers statewide regarding clinical immunization issues.
Provides information on planning and implementing immunization strategies to increase immunization rates in organizations or communities.
Provides education for immunization providers, including vaccine administration, schedules and intervals, valid and invalid doses, contraindications and precautions, missed opportunities.
Provides education on proper storage and handling of vaccines, documentation requirements, adverse reactions and actions to be taken, and standards of practice for immunization service delivery.
Participates in a rotating clinical on-call system to ensure phone and email coverage for clinical questions from providers or the public.
Provides clinical updates to the CDPHE’s Online Immunization Education Module.
Tailoring public-facing materials, trainings, and the CDPHE’s Online Immunization Education Module so the material can be more easily understood by those outside of the public health or clinical communities.
Provides clinical consultation to the Immunization Branch, CIIS users, providers, and stakeholders who call the vaccine administration customer service line with vaccination or vaccination recommendation inquiries.
Responds to queries from CIIS users and Immunization Branch staff concerning vaccine recommendations and the CIIS vaccine forecasting algorithm.
Submits tickets to the CIIS vendor regarding vaccine and vaccine recommender questions for issues that are identified in CIIS.
Translates vaccine recommendations for computer programming staff to ensure CIIS provides appropriate clinical recommendations.
Collaborates with the CIIS Training and Outreach Unit to review, edit, and finalize the CIIS recommender section of the monthly CIIS User Impact document.
Develops vaccine and vaccine recommender communications for posting on the CIIS News Feed.
Evaluates and recommends modifications to CIIS Code Tables to ensure vaccine and vaccine name details are accurate and easy for CIIS users to differentiate.
Implements vaccine forecaster testing following CIIS upgrades to ensure that forecasting logic is performing as expected.
Supports the Immunization Data Unit with the annual (SCCIDR) survey.
Participates in preplanning activities, including providing input on the SCCIDR survey during the annual change cycle window to support user access, ease of use, and understanding.
Provides training to schools (K-12), childcare programs, colleges/universities and local public health agencies.
Responds to user inquiries within the SCCIDR helpdesk that operates during the reporting period.
Provides updates to the SCCIDR webpage, user guides, FAQs, and worksheets.
Leads immunization data reporting for colleges and universities, which includes updating the reporting form, communicating with college/university partners, offering training, and reviewing and validating college/university data submissions.
Performs quality improvement activities after the annual reporting period ends to support the SCCIDR project over time.

Benefits

Free parking and access to RTD bus lines.
Flexible working arrangements
Retirement (PERA options), Medical and dental health plans
Defined Benefit Plan or the PERA Defined Contribution Plan, plus optional 401K and 457 plans
Paid life insurance
Short- and long-term disability coverage
11 paid holidays per year and generous personal time off
Tuition assistance
Wellness programs
Professional development opportunities on a wide variety of subjects
Career advancement opportunities throughout the State system
Some positions may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program.