Class Description
Valid as of: July 2015
This class uses one level in the Health Care Services Occupational Group and describes professional consulting, educational, and regulatory work in the field of nursing. Positions in this class series apply the principles, theories, and practices of nursing. By statutes CRS 12-38-101 et. seq., a license is required in this class series.
Nurse consultants provide clinical nursing expertise and technical program assistance to public health nurses, the state nursing board, community health clinics, and allied health professionals in various agencies or settings. Duties involve providing training and educational programs; evaluating nursing practices for conformance to ethical, legal, and safety standards; consulting on planning, implementing, and evaluating public health nursing programs by local government agencies and school districts; overseeing state licensure procedures; auditing nurse education and training programs; overseeing disciplinary actions and procedures; and interpreting Board rules and regulations as they relate to nurse education and practice.
NURSE CONSULTANT C7E1XX
Concept of Class
This class describes the fully-operational nurse consultant. Positions operate independently in performing the full range of professional tasks. Work requires the use of discretion and creativity within limits of theory and principles of the profession; management’s program objectives; law and regulations; and, general systems and guidelines. Judgment is used in the adaptation and skilled application of guidelines to solve the full range of problems related to the assignment. An employee in this class must anticipate and analyze the impact and consequences of decisions made. Positions serve as a resource to others in the field of nursing and provide advice to program directors, supervisors, local health and government officials, and school and community agency management and staff for the development of statewide nursing programs, policies, procedures, and treatment standards.
Factors
Allocation must be based on meeting all of the three factors as described below.
Decision Making -- The decisions regularly made are at the process level, as described here. Within limits set by professional standards, the agency's available technology and resources, and program objectives and regulations established by a higher management level, choices involve determining the process, including designing the set of operations. The general pattern, program, or system exists but must be individualized. This individualization requires analysis of data that is complicated. Analysis is breaking the problem or case into parts, examining these parts, and reaching conclusions that result in processes. This examination requires the application of known and established theory, principles, conceptual models, professional standards, and precedents in order to determine their relationship to the problem. New processes or objectives require approval of higher management or the agency with authority and accountability for the program or system.
Complexity -- The nature of, and need for, analysis and judgment is formulative, as described here. Positions evaluate the relevance and importance of theories, concepts, and principles in order to tailor them to develop a different approach or tactical plan to fit specific circumstances. While general policy, precedent, or non-specific practices exist, they are inadequate so they are relevant only through approximation or analogy. In conjunction with theories, concepts, and principles, positions use judgment and resourcefulness in tailoring the existing guidelines so they can be applied to particular circumstances and to deal with emergencies.
Line/Staff Authority -- The direct field of influence the work of a position has on the organization is as an individual contributor or work leader. The individual contributor may explain work processes and train others. The individual contributor may serve as a resource or guide by advising others on how to use processes within a system or as a member of a collaborative problem-solving team. This level may include positions performing supervisory elements that do not fully meet the criteria for the next level in this factor.
OR
The direct field of influence the work of a position has on the organization is as a work leader. The work leader is partially accountable for the work product of two or more full-time equivalent positions, including timeliness, correctness, and soundness. Typical elements of direct control over other positions by a work leader include assigning tasks, monitoring progress and work flow, checking the product, scheduling work, and establishing work standards. The work leader provides input into supervisory decisions made at higher levels, including signing leave requests and approving work hours. This level may include positions performing supervisory elements that do not fully meet the criteria for the next level in this factor.
Entrance Requirements
Minimum entry requirements and general competencies for classes in this series are contained in the State of Colorado Department of Personnel web site.
For purposes of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the essential functions of specific positions are identified in the position description questionnaires and job analyses.
History of Changes Made to Class Description
The following is a summary of changes made to this class description.
- June 30, 2015
Updated and removed the purpose of contact 6.30.2015
- July 1, 2001
Effective 7/1/01 (LLB). HCS Consolidation Study consolidated Public Health Nurse (C6H) and State Board Nurse (C6I) and revised class description. Draft published 2/21/01, proposed 5/10/01, and final 7/1/01.
- September 1, 1993
Effective 9/1/93 (KAS). Job Evaluation System Revision project. Published Public Health Nurse Consultant (C6H) as proposed 5/17/93. Created State Board Nurse (C6I).
- July 1, 1986
Revised 7/1/86. Class description for Public Health Nursing Consultant I and II (A5121–24).
- July 1, 1985
Revised 7/1/85. Changed relationship for Public Health Nursing Consultant I and II (A5121–24).
- July 1, 1982
Revised 7/1/82. Changed relationship for Public Health Nursing Consultant I and II (55121–24).
- May 1, 1975
Revised 5/1/75. Class description for Public Health Nursing Consultant I and II (55121–24).
- December 1, 1971
Created 12/1/71. Public Health Nursing Consultant I and II (55121–24).
Summary of Factor Ratings
| Class Level | Decision Making | Complexity | Line/Staff Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nurse Consultant | Process | Formulative | Individual Contributor or Work Leader |
Minimum Qualifications
Valid as of: September 8, 2023
This document includes the following levels:
| Class Title | Class Code |
|---|---|
| Nurse Consultant | C7E1XX |
NURSE CONSULTANT (C7E1XX)
Education/Licensure/Certification/Experience:
Master’s degree from an accredited institution in a field of study related to the work assignment Current, valid licensure as a Registered Nurse from the Colorado Board of Nursing or any state participating in the Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact (eNLC) Three (3) years of professional experience in an occupational field related to the work assigned to the position
Substitutions
Additional appropriate experience will substitute for the degree requirement on a year-for-year basis
- May 1, 2017 (Whole Document)
- Part of the 2017 MQ Project
- New Format
- Language was updated and standardized
- Oct 17, 2017 (Whole Document)
- Made formatting and grammatical changes
- Dec. 13, 2017 (Whole Document)
- One year of supervisory (or equivalent) requirement was removed. Line/staff authority for this role is Independent Contributor or Work Lead; per agency feedback this will be included as a preferred qualification if necessary
- January 23, 2018 (Whole Document)
- Added language to reflect Colorado’s participation in the Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact
- Sept. 8, 2023 (Whole Document)
- New format (updating to adhere to accessibility standards)