Healthy Steps Specialist

Consult with pediatric and family practice physicians and residents and their interdisciplinary teams at primary care sites within and outside the Advocate Health Care system to deliver Enhanced Developmentally Oriented Primary care using the Healthy Steps approach and others who serve children zero to three and their families by providing training and technical assistance and linking them to community resources.

Major Responsibilities:

• General Expected Outcomes. Provide training and technical assistance to practices including: • Developmentally-oriented well-child visits birth to three years • Home visits conducted as desired by practices or link to community resources performing home visits • Parent materials and handouts on developmental and social emotional areas for the zero to three population and on family risk factors affecting children • Responses provided to inquiries on developmental phone line • Introduce to practices universal screening methods for developmental and social emotional delays and maternal depression and system for tracking follow up • System for linking practices and families to appropriate community resources.

• Specific Job Activities. Consultation with Pediatric and Family Practice Primary Care sites, Residency Programs, and Community Resources to deliver Healthy Steps Services and others. Training and Technical Assistance including the following topics • Teachable Moments in primary care • Normal and delayed cognitive and brain development • Normal and delayed language development • Normal and problematic social-emotional development • Normal and delayed gross and fine motor development • Temperament and the difficult child: promoting Goodness of fit • Helping parents read their newborn’s behavioral cues • Developmental screening, surveillance and follow-up Developmental screening tools *Denver II *Ages and Stages Questionnaire *Ages and Stages-Social-Emotional Questionnaire • Making referrals to community resources such as Child and Family Connections, Early Intervention, special education • Active children: when to worry • Behavioral screening in primary care • Helping parent with discipline 1-3 years and 3-6 years • Sleep and sleep issues • Feeding issues: starting solids, picky eaters • Crying and colic • Promoting breast feeding in the office • Toilet training: do’s and don’ts • Supporting early learning, literacy and school readiness • Early care and education: Child care and Head Start • Reach Out and Read: Using books for developmental surveillance • The impact of adult psychosocial risks on child development including parental depression, alcohol and drug additions, divorce, domestic violence, and smoking • Loss and children: Helping families cope with death, divorce • Normal behaviors that worry parents such as: Biting, masturbation, thumb sucking, sibling rivalry, lying • Diverse family constellation: single parents, gay parents, divorced parents • TV, movies, and computers: Smart media for families • Cultural influences on families • Working with parents in groups • Safety issues – particularly car and home • Overview of Developmentally Oriented Primary Care • Perinatal Depression and Screening for Postpartum Depression in primary care office visits using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale • Domestic Violence Screening • Prenatal Parenting Education: The transition to Parenting
• Expected Outcomes • Will assist in preparing and implementing presentations to residents and other attending physicians in the hospital or clinic setting on topic related to Enhanced Developmentally Oriented Primary Care using the Healthy Steps approach and others. • Participate in joint or linked visits with above as needed. • Will participate in seminars, rounds, and home visits with residents as needed.
• Parenting Groups and Parent Educational Presentations. Will facilitate or lead assigned prenatal parent education and parent education system wide as well as for community programs as assigned. Data collection from parent evaluation forms. • Attendance at sessions, documented by attendance lists.

• Partnering, Educational and Training Support for Community• Participate in education and training of Healthy Steps teams internally within the Advocate system and externally throughout the Chicago area as needed. • Participate in community and partner meetings • Participate in presenting at conferences when requested. • Act as preceptor for nursing and child development interns.

Education/Experience Required:

• Masters degree in Nursing, Nurse Practitioner, Early Childhood Development, Family Studies or a related field. Experience working with parents of young children. Experience in home visiting or related field setting. 1-5 years experience working in Healthy Steps or Developmentally Oriented Practice 1-5 years working in a primary care practice. Experience working with or in community agencies. Experience in multi-cultural settings preferred. Experience in public speaking. Experience with Word, Power Point, Excel Research experience helpful 5 – 6 years experience working in field

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required:

• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to relate to people in a respectful manner. Maturity and demonstrated ability in working with families with young children. Demonstrated flexibility to work on an interdisciplinary team; ability to work in various roles and capacities and to respect boundaries in each role. Ability to establish mutually satisfying relationships with a wide range of people. Enthusiasm about exploring new roles. Capacity to be reflective about work and roles. Ability to discuss clinical issues in a supervision role. Ability to work independently Ability to prioritize tasks and responsibilities. Ability to delegate tasks. Experience working in a medical setting Relevant life experiences (related, for example, to parents’ concerns about caring for children). Bilingual may be a requirement in some settings (Spanish).
• Current license at Registered Nurse or Certified Nurse Practitioner for Nurses License as Family Therapist for therapists Certificate in Infant Mental Health for Infant Mental Health Specialists Early Intervention Credentialing for Child Development Specialists

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions:

• May require extensive local travel automobile necessary