5219 – Human Resources Nurse Liaison

Salary: $73,189.00 – $80,508.00 Annually

Location : Tucson, AZ

Job Type: Full Time

Job Number: 2023-01606

Department: Human Resources

Opening Date: 09/29/2023

Closing Date: Continuous

FLSA: Exempt

Position Description

OPEN UNTIL FILLED

Salary Grade: 16

Coordinates, monitors, and participates in the County’s Medical Leave Programs, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) interactive process, Workers’ Compensation program, Return to Work/Light Duty, Fitness for Duty, and Short/Long term disability programs. Creates rapport with employees, departments, Risk Management, and legal personnel to ensure compliance with County directives and legal mandates. Identifies potential legal and medical risks.

This role does not involve patient care. Instead, it focuses on case management.
Duties/Responsibilities
(Work assignments may vary depending on the department’s needs and will be communicated to the applicant or incumbent by the supervisor.)

Participates on the ADA review panel as the panel medical expert, assists in identifying ADA eligible employees and reasonable accommodations and monitors cases from inception to resolution;

Acts as the department’s subject matter expert on employee health issues in the workplace;

Participates in the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) process by reviewing FMLA paperwork, employee medical leave requests, and health care provider’s (HCP) certification to determine FMLA eligibility, in coordination with the Department Personnel Representative (DPR) and/or management;

Maintains confidentiality of all information encountered in the performance of duties;

Tracks medical leaves and reasonable accommodation leaves including medical leave without pay, routinely and periodically reports status of cases to management;

Ensures employees are providing medical documentation as required to verify continued absence or authorization to return to work;

Assists employees with long-term disability (LTD) applications, advises employees on when LTD would be appropriate and ensures employees have all appropriate information;

Assists employee and departments on returning employees to work, participates in the process of locating modified duty work, clarifies and identifies medical restrictions, coordinates the return to work authorization and temporary work assignment or modified duty placement in coordination with department management;

Provides health-related consultation services to employees and management regarding medical leave administration; coordinates with the Employment Rights and Leave Management divisions regarding employee medical leave administration issues as necessary and appropriate;

Acts as a point of contact for employees on extended medical-related leaves of absence, and all medical-related issues affecting the employee’s work environment;

Reviews and analyzes regulations pertaining to workers’ compensation, occupational health issues, and medical trends, and formulates corresponding policies and procedures to comply with same;

Assists in coordinating activities between County employees, rehabilitation specialists, and other County departments;

Assists in claims administration and financial and claims audits of the County’s third-party administrator;

Establishes and engages in positive rapport with employees and departments;

Collaborates with Risk Management and establishes and maintains liaison relationships with other County departments, public and private agencies, organizations, and groups;

Reviews and analyzes federal, state, and local legislation and regulations pertaining to workers’ compensation, occupational health issues, and medical trends and ensures compliance with applicable regulations and policies;

Assists in ergonomic reviews of workstations, makes suggestions and works collaboratively with Facilities to correct/modify workspaces;

Assist departments in making reasonable suspicion findings for employees who may be under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol while on the job;

Acts as a point of contact for the County’s Employee Assistance Program (“EAP”), to assist in identifying employees in need of crisis counseling, mental health, and drug or alcohol abuse or misuse referrals.

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS:

Knowledge of:

• Principles of occupational health nursing;
• Local, state, federal, and medical laws, rules, standards, and regulations;
• Workers’ Compensation statutes and regulations;
• Relevant statutes, rules, and regulations governing occupational safety and health and public employment;
• Occupational medicine principles, practices, and theory;
• Principles and techniques of effective communication to include written composition and public speaking;
• Applications of automated information systems;
• Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships.

Skill in:

• Techniques of nursing in an occupational health program;
• Expressing, explaining, and interpreting program policies and practices to the public;
• Communicating effectively, both orally and in writing;
• Data analysis and report preparation;
• Reviewing FMLA requests to determine eligibility;
• Identifying ADA-eligible persons and ascertaining reasonable accommodations;
• Use of automated information systems to maintain or produce data.

Minimum Qualifications
Licensed as a Registered Nurse in Arizona or a compact state (or eligible for licensure in AZ or compact state).

AND

At least seven (7) years of medical/surgical clinical nursing experience.
OR
Three (3) years workers compensation and/or Case Management experience.

Qualifying education and experience must be clearly documented in the “Education” and “Work Experience” sections of the application. Do not substitute a resume for your application or write “see resume” on your application.

Preferred Qualifications: (Be specific in describing your experience in your application. Ensure the descriptions provided illustrate your competencies, specifically addressing the required and preferred qualifications.):

1. Experience in return to work fitness-for-duty guidelines, and application of health care provider written restrictions as workplace accommodations.
2. Experience in drug-testing protocols for random, pre-employment, and reasonable suspicion testing.
3. Experience applying OSHA standards/regulations.
4. Experience in drafting/updating policies/procedures.
5. Experience managing caseloads and in-process tracking.

Selection Procedure:

Pima County Human Resources Department reserves the right to admit to the selection process only those candidates that meet the minimum/desired qualifications. All applications will be assessed based on an evaluation of the listed education and experience. Candidates meeting the minimum/desired qualifications may be further evaluated/scored against any advertised Preferred Qualifications. The hiring authority will interview and select the successful candidate from a referral list provided by Human Resources. Additional assessments/testing may be required as part of the selection process.

Supplemental Information
Licenses and Certificates: Possession of a current license to practice as a Registered Professional Nurse in the State of Arizona is required at the time of appointment, and must be maintained as a condition of employment. All or some positions require a valid Arizona Class D driver’s license at the time of application. Failure to maintain the required licensure shall be grounds for termination.

Special Notice Items: The County requires pre-employment background checks. Successful candidates will receive a post-offer, pre-employment background screening to include verification of work history, education, and criminal conviction history. A prior criminal conviction will not automatically disqualify a candidate from employment with the County.

Physical/Sensory Requirements: Physical and sensory abilities will be determined by position.

EEO Information: Pima County Government is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We are committed to an inclusive and diverse workforce and will not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, kinship, political interest, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Pima County provides access to high-quality, affordable healthcare for eligible employees and has an award-winning wellness program. Our plan is designed to ensure a high level of coverage and financial protection. Read more about our benefits program by