Nurse (Public Health)

Indian Health Service • Red Mesa, AZ

1d

About The Position

The Indian Health Service (IHS) is hiring a Public Health Nurse to serve communities in the Navajo Region. The role provides comprehensive public health nursing services—including community assessment, preventive care, health education, and quality improvement—to promote wellness and improve outcomes for individuals, families, and communities. A REAL ID will be required beginning May 7, 2025, in accordance with 6 C.F.R. 37.5 (2021).

The position is described at GS-7, GS-9, and GS-11 levels. At GS-7, the nurse works under close supervision, assisting higher-level nurses with care in home, school, clinic, and outreach settings. Duties include gathering and documenting basic health information, maintaining registries, supporting routine communicable disease surveillance, providing basic prevention education, assisting with referrals and follow-up, and contributing to documentation and quality improvement.

At GS-9, the nurse works with minimal supervision to provide community and public health nursing across the lifespan. The nurse develops and evaluates individualized and family-centered care plans; supports outreach, screening, immunization follow-up, referrals, early intervention, and case management; contributes to population health assessment and communicable disease response; and coordinates care with interdisciplinary teams and tribal and community partners.

At GS-11, the nurse independently plans and delivers services to individuals, families, groups, and populations. The role includes analyzing population health data, identifying priority health issues and disparities, developing and evaluating community health programs, coordinating disease investigations and outbreak response, and serving as a resource through consultation, mentoring, and training. The nurse advances program effectiveness through evaluation, quality improvement, accurate documentation, and compliance with professional and regulatory standards.

The position requires an accredited professional nursing education and current, active, unrestricted professional nurse licensure or registration. Applicants must also meet the education and specialized experience requirements for the grade level sought. The position may require on-call or standby duty, staff clinical privileges, a federal background investigation, and a financial suitability review. Selectees may be subject to a probationary period and a service agreement. The position has promotion potential to GS-11; promotion is not guaranteed.

Requirements

• Graduate or higher-level degree, bachelor's degree, associate degree, or diploma from an accredited professional nursing educational program.
• Pass the National Council Licensure Examination.
• Hold a current, active, full, and unrestricted professional nurse license or registration from a U.S. state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or a U.S. territory.
• Meet the education and specialized experience requirements for the applicable GS grade: GS-7, GS-9, or GS-11.
• For GS-7, meet one of the specified education and experience paths: bachelor's degree in Nursing with Superior Academic Achievement eligibility; bachelor's degree plus at least one year of professional nursing experience equivalent to GS-5; diploma or associate degree plus two years of professional nursing experience; or one full year of graduate education in a professional nursing program.
• For GS-9, possess a master's degree in professional nursing, or at least one year of professional nursing experience equivalent to GS-7 or above and a qualifying nursing credential.
• For GS-11, possess a PhD or equivalent doctoral degree in professional nursing or a related medical science field, or at least one year of professional nursing experience equivalent to GS-9 and a qualifying nursing credential.
• Demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level for the grade sought.
• Foreign nursing school graduates must provide official certification from the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools.
• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Males born after December 31, 1959, must meet Selective Service registration requirements.
• Obtain and maintain staff clinical privileges, including required licensure.
• Successfully pass E-Verify and a federal background investigation; complete required investigation forms within five calendar days of issuance.
• Meet the stated financial suitability requirements.
• Set up direct deposit.
• A REAL ID will be required beginning May 7, 2025.
• Applicants using education to qualify are encouraged to submit transcripts or course lists; official transcripts are required from selectees before an official offer.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in a nursing specialty area may be required for some GS-9 and higher positions.
• Relevant prior non-federal experience or active-duty uniformed military service may be credited when determining annual leave accrual for newly appointed federal employees.

Responsibilities

• Provide public health nursing care in home, school, clinic, and community outreach settings.
• Collect, validate, and document demographic, clinical, and epidemiologic information; maintain registries and electronic health records.
• Provide health education and prevention messaging using culturally, literacy-, and language-appropriate approaches.
• Support or develop individualized and family-centered plans of care, including screening, immunization follow-up, referrals, early intervention, and case management.
• Coordinate care, transitions, referrals, and follow-up with interdisciplinary teams and tribal and community partners.
• Support communicable disease surveillance, case reporting, investigations, contact follow-up, outbreak response, and control measures according to grade-level responsibilities.
• Conduct or contribute to population and community health assessments and use findings to identify health priorities, high-risk groups, and disparities.
• Develop, implement, and evaluate community-based health programs and prevention strategies.
• Provide skilled nursing interventions within authorization and scope, monitor patient responses, and communicate significant findings to providers.
• Participate in quality improvement, quality assurance, program evaluation, reporting, and accurate documentation.
• Serve as a clinical and public health resource through consultation, mentoring, and training at the GS-11 level.
• Comply with standing orders, nurse practice acts, professional standards, and applicable regulatory requirements.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package for eligible employees.
• Annual leave accrual of 4, 6, or 8 hours per pay period, depending on federal service; qualifying prior related non-federal experience or active-duty uniformed military service may be credited toward the accrual rate.
• Recruitment or relocation incentives may be authorized.
• Potential eligibility for student loan repayment programs through IHS, NHSC, or HRSA, subject to separate competitive processes, agency priorities, and available funding.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Associate degree