Community Paramedic

Rockingham County is an equal opportunity employer and will comply with federal and state statutes regarding discrimination in employment.

This posting is continuous and will remain posted to fill vacancies as they become available. Applicants that apply to this posting will be considered for any vacancies of this type and will only need to apply once.

• Paid Medical, Dental, Vision & Life Insurance
• Onsite wellness/medical clinic
• Onsite fitness center
• Retirement
• Flexible Spending
• Paid Vacation, Sick & Holidays
• Bereavement
• Community Service Leave
• Weekends Off (varies by position)
• Flexible Work Schedules & Telework Options (varies by position)
• Tuition Reimbursement
• 401-K & 457 Plans with county match up to 1% of base salary

General Definition of Work

This position's role is to extend access to non-urgent health care through in-home patient visits and/or community-based services and works in conjunction with an Integrated Case Manager and Behavioral Health Clinician to develop an individualized plan of care. Provides outreach education to the participant and the community-at-large. This position works under the supervision of the DHHS/Integrated Health Care Director.

Qualification Requirements

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

• Provides proactive care that is intended to help improve the overall health and wellness through in-home patient visits.
• Communicate with patients and their family accordingly.
• Respond to Substance Use Disorder (SUD) overdose calls with EMS to provide treatment opportunities/resources, offer Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), and other pathways to recovery.
• Expands access to non-urgent health care by physical assessment, obtaining VS, blood glucose, cardiac monitor, medication reconciliation, medication compliance, and home safety assessments.
• Performs medical clearance screenings for patients with mental health or substance abuse diagnosis seeking inpatient treatment.
• Documents visits in electronic medical records and maintains digital records.
• Work in cooperation with other key medical providers & stakeholders to provide/offer Integrated Health.
• Maintain clear and concise communication in compliance with HIPAA standards.
• Provide education to participants and their support system regarding medical diagnosis, disease process & warning signs, medications, and nutrition.
• Serves as a navigator & bridge of community resources, connecting patients to agencies and services that may not be aware of and help to reduce barriers that prevent access to care.
• Daily/weekly/monthly medication/equipment checks as indicated on the shift checklist.
• Inspect vehicle at each shift to ensure that it is ready for service (brakes, lights, fluids, etc.) and maintain a clean appearance.
• Acts in the capacity of a traditional EMT-Paramedic as needed.
• Maintains all knowledge, skills, and competencies to perform this role.
• This includes reporting incidents of multiple casualties in accordance with an established disaster response plan, recognize the need for hazardous material, respond to personnel, and calls for assistance and perform in accordance with protocols for handling patients who are exposed to hazardous materials, including the use of a hazardous material kit.
• Participate in county-wide vaccination clinics and make vaccines available to home bound patients.
• Attend conferences, seminars, workshops, classes, and lectures.
• May perform moderate or waived point of care testing per CLIA Guidelines.
• Assist in training new personnel.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Considerable knowledge and skills in administering emergency medical procedures and techniques, of anatomy and physiology, and of intravenous therapy, and skill in recognizing adverse conditions.
• Considerable knowledge of equipment and supplies employed in emergency care of patients and accident victims.
• Considerable knowledge of county geography and locations of roads and streets.
• Skill in recognizing trauma and signs and symptoms of medical emergencies to determine appropriate treatment.
• Ability to perform duties in accordance with established emergency medical procedures and techniques, medical protocols, and standing orders.
• Ability to work with a diverse socioeconomic population based on the unique situations encountered.
• Ability to respond quickly and calmly in emergencies and stressful situations.
• Ability to safely drive an emergency medical vehicle in adverse conditions and according to motor vehicle laws.
• Ability to communicate effectively in a tactful and firm manner with the public.
• Ability to deal with stress and death and dying patients.
• Ability to accurately record services provided on required forms.
• Ability to work with co-workers, law enforcement personnel, fire, medical personnel, patients, and the General public.
• Ability to maintain vehicles, equipment, and facilities.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of patient contact.

Physical Activities, Visual Acuity, and Working Conditions for this Position

• Climbing - Ascending or descending ladders, stairs, scaffolding, ramps, poles, and the like using feet and legs and/or hands and arms. Body agility is emphasized. This factor is important if the amount and kind of climbing required exceeds that required for ordinary locomotion
• Balancing - Maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling when walking, standing, or crouching on narrow, slippery, or erratically moving surfaces. This factor is important if the amount and kind of balancing exceeds that needed for ordinary locomotion and maintenance of body equilibrium
• Stooping - Bending body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist. This factor is important if it occurs to a considerable degree and requires full use of the lower extremities and back muscles
• Kneeling - Bending legs at knee to come to a rest on knee or knees
• Crouching - Bending the body downward and forward by bending legs and spine
• Crawling - Moving about on hands and knees or hands and feet
• Reaching - Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction
• Standing - Remaining upright on the feet, particularly for sustained periods of time
• Walking - Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another
• Pushing - Using upper extremities to press against something with steady force to thrust forward, downward, or outward
• Pulling - Using upper extremities to exert force to draw, drag, haul or tug objects in a sustained motion
• Lifting - Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position-to-position. This factor is important if it occurs to a considerable degree and requires the substantial use of the upper extremities and back muscles
• Fingering - Picking, pinching, typing or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with whole hand or arm as in handling
• Grasping - Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm
• Feeling - Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature, or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips
• Talking - Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word; those activities where detailed or important spoken instructions must be conveyed to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly
• Hearing - Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction, and having the ability to receive detailed information through oral communications, and making fine discriminations in sound
• Repetitive Motions- Making substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands and/or fingers
• Very Heavy Work- Exerting more than 100 pounds of force occasionally, and/or more than 50 pounds of force frequently, and/or in excess of 20 pounds of force constantly to move objects
• Employee is required to have visual acuity to operate motor vehicles or heavy equipment
• Employee is subject to inside environmental conditions: Protection from weather conditions but not necessarily from temperature changes
• Employee is subject to outside environmental conditions: No effective protection from weather
• Employee is subject to both environmental conditions: Activities occur inside and outside
• Employee is subject to extreme cold: Temperatures typically below 32 degrees for periods of more than one hour. Consideration should be given to the effect of other environmental conditions such as wind and humidity
• Employee is subject to extreme heat: Temperatures above 100 degrees for periods of more than one hour. Consideration should be given to the effect of other environmental conditions such as wind and humidity
• Employee is subject to noise: There is sufficient noise to cause Employee to shout to be heard above the ambient noise level
• Employee is subject to vibration: Exposure to oscillating movements of the extremities or whole body
• Employee is subject to hazards: Includes a variety of physical conditions, such as proximity to moving mechanical parts, moving vehicles, electrical current, working on scaffolding and high places, exposure to high heat or exposure to chemicals
• Employee is subject to atmospheric conditions: One or more of the following conditions that affect the respiratory system of the skin: fumes, odors, dust, mists, gases, or poor ventilation
• Employee is subject to oils: There is air and/or skin exposure to oils and other cutting fluids
• Employee is required to wear a respirator
• Employee is required to function in narrow aisles or passageways
• Employee is required to function in narrow aisles or passageways
• Employee is exposed to infectious diseases
• Employee is required to function around prisoners or institutional patients

Minimum Education and Experience:

Graduation from High School or equivalent and a minimum of three (3) years of experience at the Paramedic level and one (1) year of RCEMS experience, or any equivalent combination of training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.

License or Certification Requirements:

• Certification by the North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services as a Paramedic.
• Valid North Carolina Driver's License.
• EVOS-EMS - Vehicle Operator safety.
• Incident command 100, 200, 700, 800, and 704.

Note: In accordance with State mandates and the Rockingham County Emergency Operations Plan, Rockingham County Health and Human Services staff from the Divisions of Social Services, Public Health and Integrated Health are required to staff emergency shelters during times of disaster. Please be advised that every staff person is eligible to be assigned to an emergency shelter or Emergency Operations Center.