Pediatrics Clinical Nurse Specialist (2323) - Department of Public Health - job 1 of 6

The Department of Public Health prioritizes equitable and inclusive access to quality healthcare for its community and values the importance of diversity in its workforce. All employees at the Department of Public Health work to advance equity, inclusion, and diversity with a specific lens and focus on race, ethnicity, gender, sex, sexuality, disability, and immigration status. 

• Application Opening – Friday, January 9, 2026
• Application Deadline – The application filing will be open continuously at least through Friday, February 6th, 2026 and will close any time thereafter.
• Salary: $213,590 - $308,074 Annually
• Appointment Type: Permanent Civil Service
• Recruitment ID: CBT-2323-H00184

The Mission of the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) is to protect and promote the health of all San Franciscans. SFDPH strives to achieve its mission through the work of two main Divisions - the San Francisco Health Network and Population Health. The San Francisco Health Network is the City’s only complete system of care and has locations throughout the City, including Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, and over 15 primary care health centers.

Under general medical and nursing direction, you will perform pediatric clinical nursing duties in hospitals, clinics, and community health centers. As a core member of a multidisciplinary clinical team, you will manage complex pediatric patient care from birth to age 17. You will provide consultation, education, and advanced practice support to registered nurses, public health nurses, and other clinical staff to enhance care quality, safety, and outcomes for pediatric populations.

­ 1. Evaluates individual nursing care needs of selected patients in the area of specialty; determines what types of nursing care would best meet those needs; designs a program of nursing care for each patient and works out practical methods of implementing this care after staff consultation and discussion; participates in the formulation of discharge plans; making provision for any necessary post discharge nursing care.

2. Provides direct nursing care to individuals or groups of patients where in-depth or specialized nursing care is required; in the psychiatric specialty leads in individual and group therapy sessions.

3. Gives professional advice and consultation services to registered nurses and public health nurses in specialized nursing care; defines objectives and principles of nursing in the area of specialty and assists nurses in developing their professional skills; may provide clinical supervision and education to professional and non-professional nursing staff.

4. Participates in formulating standards, policies and procedures for the specialized nursing plan, and relates it to other disciplines within the total treatment program; as well as to other health organizations and to the community.

5. Facilitates, directs, and in some instances initiates referrals of patients and families to appropriate professional personnel and community resources.

6. Participates in clinical investigations and studies in the area of nursing specialty.

7. In public health nursing, is responsible for on-going comprehensive study of needs for nursing and health care services in the community and assists with designing and implementing plans for meeting such needs.

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Possession of a master’s degree in nursing from an accredited college or university; 

AND

• License and Certification:
  • Registered Nurse License: Possession of a valid California Registered Nurse (RN) license issued by the California Board of Registered Nursing; AND
  • Clinical Nurse Specialist Certificate: Possession of a valid Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) certificate issued by the California Board of Registered Nursing*.

*Note: Candidates who have completed all requirements to obtain the Clinical Nurse Specialist Certificate may apply and participate in the selection process but will need to obtain the CNS Certification prior to appointment.

Information on the Clinical Nurse Specialist Certification:

The clinical nurse specialist is a BRN certified RN who is an advanced practice nurse providing expert clinical practice, research, education, consultation and clinical leadership with an identified patient population. The scope of clinical nurse specialist practice includes patients, nursing personnel and organization systems. Clinical nurse specialists work in direct patient care and indirect patient care activities that affect a broad range of patients.

There are three methods to qualify for certification as a clinical nurse specialist with the BRN. General reporting of prior disciplines are required for all methods.

• Click to open the Clinical Nurse Specialist application instructions. Application instructions also include associated forms that may be attached to online application as needed.
• Apply Online

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:

• Two (2) years work experience in pediatric bed side nursing
• Two (2) years of experience within the last three (3) years in an acute care Pediatric ICU or Pediatric ED
• Possesses a certificate in Pediatric Advance Life Support (PALS)

The stated desirable qualifications may be considered at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring. Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

One-year fulltime employment is equivalent to 2,000 hours (2,000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40-hour work week).

Important Note: Please make sure it is absolutely clear in your application exactly how you meet the minimum qualifications. Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. Please be aware that any misrepresentation of this information may disqualify you from this recruitment or future job opportunities.

Selection Procedures: 
After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following.

Training and Experience Evaluation: (Weight: 100%):
Candidates that meet the minimum qualifications will be invited to participate in a Training and Experience Evaluation that is designed to measure the knowledge, skills, and abilities in job related areas including, but not limited to: 

• Ability to Understand the impact of social-psychological stress on individuals and communities
• Work as part of a multidisciplinary health team
• Inform and motivate other members of such a team
• Design and implement new or revised nursing techniques as required to meet specific needs encountered in nursing practice
• Continue to seek professional development and to assist other members of the team in developing their own professional skills in the area of specialty

Additional selection processes may be conducted by the hiring department prior to making final hiring decisions.

Certification

The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be the Rule of Ten Scores.

Eligible List/Score Report:
Once you pass the exam, you will be placed onto an eligible list and given a score and a rank. For more information, visit https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/process/

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be 6 months and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

How to apply:

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit careers.sf.gov and begin the application process. 

Our e-mail communications may come from more than one department so please make sure your email is set to accept messages from all of us at this link. 

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment therefore, it is their responsibility to contact the Analyst if they update their email address. 

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights:
Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations. [Note: The correction of clerical errors in an announcement may be posted on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov/. The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 110.4. Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the Department of Human Resources, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5413 by close of business on the 5th business day following the issuance date of this examination announcement. Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications and examination policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website at Rules that apply to most City employees (Civil Service Commission) - Vol I | SF.gov.

Additional information regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco: 

• Information about the Hiring Process 
• Conviction History 
• Employee Benefits Overview 
• Equal Employment Opportunity 
• Disaster Service Workers
• Reasonable Accommodation
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement
• Veterans Preference

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the analyst, Katrina Navarro at [email protected] or (628) 271-6717. 

We may use text messaging to communicate with you on the phone number provided in your application. The first message will ask you to opt in to text messaging.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.