RN Nurse Surveyor

TX-HHSC-DSHS-DFPS•San Angelo, TX

20d

About The Position

Join the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and be part of a team committed to creating a positive impact in the lives of fellow Texans. At HHSC, your contributions matter, and we support you at each stage of your life and work journey. Our comprehensive benefits package includes 100% paid employee health insurance for full-time eligible employees, a defined benefit pension plan, generous time off benefits, numerous opportunities for career advancement and more. Explore more details on the Benefits of Working at HHS webpage. Nurse III (Long-term Care Regulation) Nurse III – Starting Market Rate Salary $89,690.71 As part of a collaborative team of public servants, a nurse III protects residents’ health and safety by conducting on-site inspections and investigations in Texas long-term care settings (nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and day activities health services) to assess their compliance with state and federal laws and rules. This position offers a competitive starting salary, excellent state benefits, including health insurance and retirement, and the opportunity to travel to different facilities within a region regularly. In this front-line field position, a nurse is mobile and flexible and performs minimal work at an office. However, the role does require writing reports detailing any deficiencies/violations against a facility, remedies to correct those deficiencies and a narrative to support regulatory determinations. Must meet certain professional qualifications – see below for details.

Requirements

Must be licensed as a registered nurse by the State of Texas or a state that recognizes reciprocity through the Nurse Licensure Compact.
Applicant must complete all training (federal/state) for Nursing Facilities, including completing Surveyor Minimum Qualification Training (SMQT) within one year of hire date.
Knowledge of issues, concerns, and needs of populations at risk in various health care and/or institutional environments (elderly, mentally ill, developmentally disabled, functionally dependent, medically frail, etc.).
Knowledge of nursing principles and acceptable professional standards of patient care.
Skill in interpersonal relations.
Skill in performing quality assurance monitoring, program review, certification, survey, or investigations.
Skill in providing guidance, policy clarifications, and information to others.
Skill in preparing detailed written reports.
Skill in oral, written, and electronic communications, including computer word processing software.
Ability to multi-task and track multiple activities with competing priorities.
Ability to collect and analyze data
Ability to integrate complex concepts, difficult procedures, or complicated processes.
Ability to analyze and solve work problems.
Ability to interpret regulatory policies, procedures, and regulations.
Ability to work independently.
Ability to use the computer for writing reports.
Ability to exercise professional judgment and reach sound decisions.
Ability to be task organized and punctual.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a Long-term Care Regulatory program.
Experience in assessment and documentation of health status required.
Two years of experience providing services in a health care setting as a registered nurse.

Responsibilities

Under the direction of a program manager, a nurse III conducts on-site licensure inspections, complaint and incident investigations, and annual comprehensive surveys in facilities to determine compliance with federal and state health and safety regulations in the following areas: admissions, transfers, and discharges; resident rights; staffing and census; quality of care assessment; quality of life assessment; resident care plans; social, psychological and rehabilitative services; provision of medical services; and therapeutic activity programming.
Communicates clearly and accurately with others (internally and externally) to provide, exchange, or verify information, answer inquiries, or resolve issues or complaints in Texas long-term care facilities.
Conducts exit conferences with facility staff regarding findings and can assist in developing a plan to correct deficiencies. Completes inspection or survey reports detailing deficiencies, recommended remedies, and narratives to support regulatory findings.
Revisits long-term care facilities to verify correction of previously cited regulatory violations. Performs quality assurance reviews of documents prepared by others, for example, publications, assessments, and reports.
Might supervise the work of team members during inspections, provide technical assistance to facilities, and lend expertise to a survey team in the areas identified above.
Occasionally might need to testify at hearings or in court proceedings to provide information regarding policy/procedures, history, findings, or activities.