Public Health Nurse - Communicable Disease
Apply NowCompany: King County, WA
Location: Seattle, WA 98115
Description:
Salary: $41.82 - $57.13 Hourly
Location : Chinook Building 401 5th Avenue Seattle, WA
Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week
Job Number: 2025AMC24426
Department: DPH - Public Health
Division: Prevention
Opening Date: 04/17/2025
Closing Date: 5/5/2025 11:59 PM Pacific
FLSA: Non-Exempt
Bargaining Unit: R2 : WSNA-Staff Nurses-DPH, DAJD
Full- or Part-Time: Full Time
Hours/Week: 40 hours/week
Summary
This Public Health Nurse (PHN) position focuses on the following primary responsibilities including performing case and outbreak investigations, conducting field visits, and providing training and technical assistance to internal staff and partners. This position reports to one of the Program Managers/Subject Matter Expert (SME) Leads in the CD-Imms (Communicable Disease-Immunizations) Investigations, Outreach, Response, and Education (IORE) Branch and works collaboratively with staff from the Section's four branches - IORE, Immunization, Administration, and Analytics and Informatics (A&I).
This position participates in the Section's response during outbreaks and emergencies as approved by supervisor and participates in after-hours (evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays) on-call coverage for communicable disease reports from healthcare providers approximately 6-8 weeks a year. Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements. The work associated with this position will be performed in a hybrid work environment including telework from home and reporting to office or field locations as needed to meet operational needs. As of February 2025, the Section will be returning back to site and will be expected to work at the Chinook Building routinely.
Job Duties
Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills
Requirements:
Work Schedule: This career service position is a fully benefitted, 1.0 fte that will typically work within Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and is overtime eligible. Currently, onsite work will be 2 days per month. Some of the work associated with this position will be performed through teleworking and will report to an office location and to meetings, as needed. Travel to other work locations may be necessary. Employees will have access to shared workspaces at various King County facilities. Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements. Employees will be provided with a County issued laptop and must maintain a workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours. Will work outside of the typical schedule to meet operational needs.
Work Location: The primary work location for this position will be at 401 4th Avenue, Seattle, WA, 98104
This posting will be used to fill all needs. Interviews for this opportunity will be held on May 13th and 16th.
Who May Apply: This position is open to all minimally qualified nurses which includes new to practice and re-entry nurses.
Union Affiliation: Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA).
Contact: Amy M. Curtis, BSN, RN, Nurse Recruitment Manager at with any questions.
Supplemental Information
Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers. Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.
Guided by our, we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.
King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer
No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.
To Apply
If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions, please contact Amy M. Curtis who is on this job announcement.
The following items are required to be considered for this vacancy:
Necessary Special Requirements
King County offers a highly-competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and support our employees' health and well-being. Eligible positions receive the following benefits and have access to the following programs:
This is a general description of the benefits offered to eligible King County employees, and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. If any information on this document conflicts with the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the CBA prevails.
NOTE: Benefits for Term Limited Temporary (TLT) or Short Term Temporary (STT) positions, including leave eligibility and/or participation in the pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, will vary based upon the terms and details of the position. Short Term Temporary positions are not eligible for an ORCA transit pass.
For inquiries about the specifics of this position, please contact the recruiter identified on this job posting.
01
If you answered yes to the question above and you are applying for this position as a Priority Placement Participant, to be considered, you must provide the following three pieces of information in the space provided:1. The title you held when you received your layoff notice2. The department you worked in3. The effective date of your layoff
02
Are you applying to this position as an eligible current or previous King County Employee Priority Placement Program Participant? ANDIs this position the same or lower percentage of full-time when compared to the position held at the point of the notification of layoff? ANDDo you possess the skills and abilities to qualify for this position?
03
Do you have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) or PhD in Nursing from an accredited school of nursing?
04
Do you hold a Washington State credential?
05
If you answered yes to the previous question, please provide your credential number. If the number is incomplete or incorrect, your application will be rejected as incomplete.
06
Do you currently hold a Multi-State License (Compact)?
07
If you answered yes to the previous question, please provide your credential number and issuing state. Both elements must be provided, or your application will be rejected as incomplete.
08
If you have a Multi-State License (MSL), have you completed Washington States requirement for Suicide Prevention Training? If so, please attach documentation. If you do not, please describe how you would obtain this training by time of job offer. Failure to complete this training could result in a job offer being delayed or rescinded.
09
If you hold a Multi-State License and are planning to make Washington State your primary state of residence (PSOR), have you made formal application for endorsement to Washington State Board of Nursing?
10
Have you ever been subject to review, challenges, and/or disciplinary action, formal or informal, by an ethics committee, licensing board, medical disciplinary board or related professional association which would also include those that are pending?
11
If you answered yes to the previous question, please provide a brief summation of circumstance and the issuing state.
12
Do you possess BLS CPR for Healthcare Providers? If so, please attach documentation of your current BLS/CPR certification. If you do not, please describe how you would obtain certification by time of job offer. Failure to obtain this BLS/CPR certification will result in job offer being delayed or rescinded.
13
If selected to move forward, you will be available to interview on the identified dates in this job announcement?
14
Are you willing to provide options counseling to pregnant people?
15
Are you multilingual? If so, what language(s) are you proficient in reading, writing and speaking?
16
What health records systems are you proficient in using?
17
Please describe your experience in responding to communicable disease outbreaks. Do be thorough in your response as this will serve as your pre-screen and writing sample.
Required Question
Location : Chinook Building 401 5th Avenue Seattle, WA
Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week
Job Number: 2025AMC24426
Department: DPH - Public Health
Division: Prevention
Opening Date: 04/17/2025
Closing Date: 5/5/2025 11:59 PM Pacific
FLSA: Non-Exempt
Bargaining Unit: R2 : WSNA-Staff Nurses-DPH, DAJD
Full- or Part-Time: Full Time
Hours/Week: 40 hours/week
Summary
This Public Health Nurse (PHN) position focuses on the following primary responsibilities including performing case and outbreak investigations, conducting field visits, and providing training and technical assistance to internal staff and partners. This position reports to one of the Program Managers/Subject Matter Expert (SME) Leads in the CD-Imms (Communicable Disease-Immunizations) Investigations, Outreach, Response, and Education (IORE) Branch and works collaboratively with staff from the Section's four branches - IORE, Immunization, Administration, and Analytics and Informatics (A&I).
This position participates in the Section's response during outbreaks and emergencies as approved by supervisor and participates in after-hours (evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays) on-call coverage for communicable disease reports from healthcare providers approximately 6-8 weeks a year. Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements. The work associated with this position will be performed in a hybrid work environment including telework from home and reporting to office or field locations as needed to meet operational needs. As of February 2025, the Section will be returning back to site and will be expected to work at the Chinook Building routinely.
Job Duties
- Conduct notifiable condition investigations and surveillance across all conditions reportable to CD-Imms, including implementation of disease control measures for single cases, outbreaks and facilities.
- May have a primary focus in one area, such as vaccine preventable diseases/viral hepatitis, enteric diseases, healthcare associated infections, or zoonotic/emerging diseases.
- Conduct reactive and proactive field visits as needed, which may include performing interviews, providing education and guidance, collecting specimens, or performing non-regulatory infection control assessments, for a variety of settings such as healthcare facilities, childcare programs, restaurants, and homeless service sites.
- Participate in and provide peer-to-peer training, orientation, education, and support to new and existing staff, students, healthcare professionals, and other community partners (in-person and virtual).
- Provide epidemiologic data, information, clinical consultation, and technical assistance about communicable diseases, infection prevention, and disease control measures to healthcare providers and facilities, the public, other community partners (e.g., homeless service sites, restaurants, childcares, schools), and to Section and Departmental staff.
- Participate in continuous quality improvement activities, including ensuring completeness and quality of data and implementing process improvement strategies.
- Assist with documentation and communication on case and outbreak investigations in oral and written formats for internal and external partners, including summaries of investigations and drafting communications for the website.
- Collaborate with, conduct outreach to, and provide training for community partners as needed.
- Conduct work, interviews, and all investigations in a culturally appropriate, respectful, non-judgmental, and trauma informed manner, including asking about sensitive topics.
- Participate in developing, reviewing, and revising investigation protocols, toolkits, educational materials, and trainings.
- Participate in Section's response during outbreaks and emergencies including clinical activities like specimen collection and administering immunizations; assist with after-hours disease investigation and response activities as assigned and approved by the supervisor.
- Participate in the rotation for on-call coverage after-hours, holidays, and weekends, approximately 6-8 weeks per year.
- Other duties as assigned.
Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in nursing science or a graduate level nursing degree of MSN, DNP or PhD from an accredited school of nursing.
- Current Washington State license as a Registered Nurse or Multi-State Licensure.
- Documentation of current BLS-CPR for Health Care Providers. CPR/AED HeartSaver courses do not meet this requirement.
- Provide 6-8 weeks of on-call coverage on an annual basis that includes after-hours, holidays, and weekends.
- Washington state driver's license.
Work Schedule: This career service position is a fully benefitted, 1.0 fte that will typically work within Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and is overtime eligible. Currently, onsite work will be 2 days per month. Some of the work associated with this position will be performed through teleworking and will report to an office location and to meetings, as needed. Travel to other work locations may be necessary. Employees will have access to shared workspaces at various King County facilities. Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements. Employees will be provided with a County issued laptop and must maintain a workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours. Will work outside of the typical schedule to meet operational needs.
Work Location: The primary work location for this position will be at 401 4th Avenue, Seattle, WA, 98104
This posting will be used to fill all needs. Interviews for this opportunity will be held on May 13th and 16th.
Who May Apply: This position is open to all minimally qualified nurses which includes new to practice and re-entry nurses.
Union Affiliation: Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA).
Contact: Amy M. Curtis, BSN, RN, Nurse Recruitment Manager at with any questions.
Supplemental Information
Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers. Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.
Guided by our, we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.
King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer
No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.
To Apply
If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions, please contact Amy M. Curtis who is on this job announcement.
The following items are required to be considered for this vacancy:
- NeoGov Job Application (The responses on your job application should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
- Supplemental Questions (The responses to the supplemental questions should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
Necessary Special Requirements
- The selection process may include evaluation of application materials and supplemental questions, interviewing, and testing. You must completely fill out the application with your relevant education and work experience.
- The selected candidate must be able to pass credentialing and a thorough background investigation, but findings may not necessarily disqualify an applicant for employment.
- For more information on our selection process, please refer to For tips on interviewing, please visit
- Employees are required to protect the privacy and security of protected health information as defined in State and Federal Law.
- Public Health relies on office automation (Microsoft Office) and web-based enabled tools; therefore, candidates must be proficient and comfortable with computer use to perform functions associated with on-going work.
- Employees are required to adhere to OSHA/WISHA guidelines including but not limited to completing their mandatory trainings on time and obtaining required immunizations.
- Regular and reliable attendance, effective communication skills, and development of effective working relationships are requirements of all Public Health positions.
- When Public Health responds to an emergency, and in accordance with relevant CBA language and/or KC policy and procedures, we may assign duties outside your regular job description. This may involve responding at any time, including nights and weekends, with possible deployment to locations other than the department.
- If you need a disability accommodation in the application or testing process, please call the contact number listed on the job announcement.
King County offers a highly-competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and support our employees' health and well-being. Eligible positions receive the following benefits and have access to the following programs:
- Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage options: King County provides eligible employees with options, so they can decide what's best for themselves and their eligible dependents
- Life and disability insurance: employees are provided basic coverage and given the opportunity to purchase additional insurance for both the employee and eligible dependents
- Retirement: eligible King County employees may participate in a pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems and a 457(b) deferred-compensation plan
- Transportation program and ORCA transit pass
- 12 paid holidays each year plus two personal holidays
- Generous vacation and paid sick leave
- Paid parental, family and medical, and volunteer leaves
- Flexible Spending Account
- Wellness programs
- Onsite activity centers
- Employee Giving Program
- Employee assistance programs
- Flexible schedules and telecommuting options, depending on position
- Training and career development programs
This is a general description of the benefits offered to eligible King County employees, and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. If any information on this document conflicts with the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the CBA prevails.
NOTE: Benefits for Term Limited Temporary (TLT) or Short Term Temporary (STT) positions, including leave eligibility and/or participation in the pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, will vary based upon the terms and details of the position. Short Term Temporary positions are not eligible for an ORCA transit pass.
For inquiries about the specifics of this position, please contact the recruiter identified on this job posting.
01
If you answered yes to the question above and you are applying for this position as a Priority Placement Participant, to be considered, you must provide the following three pieces of information in the space provided:1. The title you held when you received your layoff notice2. The department you worked in3. The effective date of your layoff
02
Are you applying to this position as an eligible current or previous King County Employee Priority Placement Program Participant? ANDIs this position the same or lower percentage of full-time when compared to the position held at the point of the notification of layoff? ANDDo you possess the skills and abilities to qualify for this position?
- Yes, I was given a layoff notice from my Career Service role at King County and I am within two years of the effective date of my layoff. Additionally, the position I was laid off from was the same or a higher percentage of FT status when compared to this one.
- No.
03
Do you have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) or PhD in Nursing from an accredited school of nursing?
- Yes
- No
04
Do you hold a Washington State credential?
- Yes
- No
05
If you answered yes to the previous question, please provide your credential number. If the number is incomplete or incorrect, your application will be rejected as incomplete.
06
Do you currently hold a Multi-State License (Compact)?
- Yes
- No
07
If you answered yes to the previous question, please provide your credential number and issuing state. Both elements must be provided, or your application will be rejected as incomplete.
08
If you have a Multi-State License (MSL), have you completed Washington States requirement for Suicide Prevention Training? If so, please attach documentation. If you do not, please describe how you would obtain this training by time of job offer. Failure to complete this training could result in a job offer being delayed or rescinded.
09
If you hold a Multi-State License and are planning to make Washington State your primary state of residence (PSOR), have you made formal application for endorsement to Washington State Board of Nursing?
- Yes
- No
10
Have you ever been subject to review, challenges, and/or disciplinary action, formal or informal, by an ethics committee, licensing board, medical disciplinary board or related professional association which would also include those that are pending?
11
If you answered yes to the previous question, please provide a brief summation of circumstance and the issuing state.
12
Do you possess BLS CPR for Healthcare Providers? If so, please attach documentation of your current BLS/CPR certification. If you do not, please describe how you would obtain certification by time of job offer. Failure to obtain this BLS/CPR certification will result in job offer being delayed or rescinded.
13
If selected to move forward, you will be available to interview on the identified dates in this job announcement?
- Yes
- No
14
Are you willing to provide options counseling to pregnant people?
- Yes
- No
15
Are you multilingual? If so, what language(s) are you proficient in reading, writing and speaking?
16
What health records systems are you proficient in using?
17
Please describe your experience in responding to communicable disease outbreaks. Do be thorough in your response as this will serve as your pre-screen and writing sample.
Required Question