Forensic Nurse Examiner- Family Justice Center

Non-exempt (compensatory and/or overtime eligible); full-time; 40 hours per week; Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.; full benefits 

The Forensic Nurse Examiner – Family Justice Center program is essential to the successful operation of the Frederick County Family Justice Center (FJC) and to the safety, health, and recovery of survivors of intimate partner violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. This position ensures timely access to specialized, trauma-informed medical forensic care including a comprehensive assessment, collection of specimens, detailed documentation, and developing a plan of care.  As a core component of the Family Justice Center model, the Forensic Nurse Examiner will provide client-centered medical assessments in a safe, confidential setting, minimizing trauma and providing options for ongoing care and resources.   Supervision will be provided by the Child Advocacy Department Head.

Frederick County Government values the principles of diversity and inclusion, and strives to ensure equal opportunities for its workforce, applicants and community members. If you are a person who wants to make a difference, give back to your community, and be a voice for change, apply to Frederick County Government today.

TOTAL COMPENSATION PACKAGE:
Frederick County offers an extensive compensation package to reflect how highly we value our employees. The following is what you can expect in your first year as a full-time benefited Frederick County Government employee. 

 

• 11 days of Vacation leave with increase after 2 years of employment
• 15 days of Sick leave with unlimited annual carryover
• 11 paid holidays, plus 2 additional floating holidays (10 and 11 month employees may not receive all holidays)
• Day 1 coverage of comprehensive Medical Insurance Plan options to include generous County Health Savings Account (HSA) contribution (if enrolled in the high-deductible plan). This is part of a full range of benefits including Dental, Vision, and Flexible Spending
• Employee Health Center with no or low-cost primary and urgent care
• 100% County paid 2x annual salary Group Term Life Insurance and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) benefit
• County and Employee funded Defined Benefit Pension Plan 
  • Vesting after 5 years of service
  • Additional service credit for eligible previous public service, military service, etc.
• Work/Life balance programs include: Employee Assistance Program and Employee Wellness Program
• Generous Tuition Reimbursement Program
• Other employee-paid benefits such as Deferred Compensation Plan, Legal Resources, Supplemental Life Insurance, Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Lifetime Benefit with Long Term Care plan

NOTE: Benefited employees will accrue service and leave based on the FTE and/or hours worked per calendar year

 

For more information, visit our benefits page on the Frederick County Government job opportunities webpage

• Provide trauma-informed forensic medical examinations for survivors of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, domestic violence, child abuse, and human trafficking in accordance with best practices and professional standards. Conduct comprehensive medical-forensic assessments, detailed documentation of findings, treatment, and referrals, creating a plan of care to address both immediate and long-term health needs of survivors
• Conduct health assessments, evaluate health concerns, and provide direct nursing care, treatments, and medication administration as needed.  Provide clinical oversight to nursing students and registered nurses in training and individuals in a medical accompaniment role
• Collect, document, preserve, and maintain specimens which may be used in legal proceedings.  Maintain accurate, confidential, and timely medical and forensic documentation in compliance with legal, ethical, and regulatory requirements
• Provide crisis intervention, education, and emotional support to survivors during medical-forensic examinations, ensuring informed consent and survivor-centered decision-making
• Collaborate with partners, including law enforcement, survivor advocates, prosecutors, child protective services, and other medical providers to ensure coordinated, timely, and victim-centered health needs are addressed 
• Participate as a core member of the multidisciplinary team (MDT), contributing medical expertise to case coordination, safety planning, and system response discussions.
• Provide consultation and testimony, as needed
• Leads and collaborates with all internal and external stakeholders in the development, implementation, and ongoing refinement of Family Justice Center clinic setting standards, policies, procedures, and clinical protocols related to medical-forensic services
• Educate individuals, families, staff, and stakeholders regarding health conditions including but not limited to medications, treatments, safety practices, and available resources
• Coordinate care with families, healthcare providers, educators, caregivers, and community agencies to support continuity of services and positive health outcomes in accordance with nursing practice standards
• Participate in structured peer review and expert review through established systems meeting requirements of practice standards
• Maintain continuing education in the medical-forensic nursing field
• Support prevention and education efforts by providing training and consultation to partners, County staff, and community stakeholders on trauma-informed care, medical-forensic considerations, and other related expertise
• Maintain health supplies, equipment, medications, and inventory necessary to support safe and effective nursing operations
• Provide leadership, consultation, and clinical expertise to support assigned programs, facilities, schools, or service locations 
• Perform other related duties as required

 To perform this job successfully, an employee must be able to perform all essential functions satisfactorily. Any employee's position may not be assigned all functions or equipment listed above, and the examples may not cover all functions or equipment that may be assigned. Reasonable accommodations may be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform their essential functions.The qualifications/requirements, knowledge/skills/abilities and physical requirements or working conditions described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• Graduation from an accredited Nursing program. 
• 2 years of experience providing professional nursing services in a clinical, public health, school health, or community health setting caring for survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, intimate partner violence, child maltreatment, human trafficking, elder abuse, or a related field
• Current Registered Nurse license through the Maryland State Board of Nursing
• Current active Maryland Board of Nursing – Forensic Nurse Examiner Adult/Pediatric certification. 

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES
A successful incumbent operating in this role displays the following:

• Ability to successfully complete BLS provider course (e.g. American Red Cross, Heart Association, etc.)
• Knowledge of current health conditions and trends, and current technical nursing methods and medical terminology
• Knowledge of methods of measuring treatment outcomes
• Knowledge of trauma informed care for children, youth, and adults
• Knowledge of laws, regulations, and requirements regarding medical-forensic nursing practice
• Ability to apply research findings and outcome data to improve clinical practice
• Math and clerical skills including the ability to accurately compile, review and analyze detailed statistics and medical information
• Ability to compile, prepare, and maintain health records and program documentation
• Knowledge of medical billing and coding
• Ability to make clinical decisions regarding comprehensive client care 
• Crisis intervention management skills

PREFERENCE MAY BE GIVEN FOR:

• Work experience in a pediatric healthcare environment 
• Secondary language skills in Spanish
• Current child/adolescent certifications such as pediatric nursing, maternal child health nursing, etc.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/WORKING CONDITIONS:

• While working in this position the employee is required to frequently walk and occasionally sit
• While working in this position the employee is required to constantly work indoors and occasionally potential exposure to infectious diseases and required to wear protective equipment

• Failure to meet or maintain the minimum qualifications or additional requirements may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination
• Available to respond on-call as essential personnel in the event of an emergency situation
• Ability to provide own transportation to meetings, and other commitments
• This position is subject to random drug testing excluding marijuana 
• Available for varied working schedule as needed

KIND OF EXAMINATION (may include): 

1. An evaluation of training and experience
2. One or more interviews
3. A pre-employment physical examination
4. A pre-employment drug test excluding marijuana 
5. A pre-employment fingerprint supported background investigation