School Nurse (HMS/HHS)

School Nurse Job Description

I. Job title and Classification

• The school nurse is employed by Sampson County Schools.
• The school nurse serves all Sampson County Schools students.
• The position is full time.
• The salary range is discussed individually and is based on state guidelines.

II. Primary Purpose Statement

• The professional school nurse is responsible for planning, implementing, coordinating and evaluating school health services within the context of the Coordinated School Health Program Model.
• The school nurse serves in the roles of program manager/coordinator, case manager/direct care provider, collaborator/advocate, educator and counselor for Sampson County Schools in assigned schools.

III. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

The complex role of the school nurse demands, but is not limited to, an understanding and knowledge of:

• Community, including community as a system and aggregates as clients
• Pediatric/adolescent Nursing
• Public Health/ Community Health Nursing
• Health counseling, mental health and crisis intervention
• Communicable Disease
• Applicable laws, regulations and standards pertaining to school nursing practice

(NC Nurse Practice Act, Standards of School Nursing Practice and the Eight Components of a Coordinated School Health Program)

• School Health law
• Special education legislation and services
• Case finding, case management and health advocacy
• Program management, including personnel supervision
• Family theory, assessment and intervention
• Leadership, networking and collaboration
• Ethnic and cultural sensitivity and competence
• Contemporary health and psychosocial issues that influence children, families and the community
• Health care delivery systems and the concepts of the primary health care
• Building student, staff and family capacity for adaptation, self management, self-advocacy and learning
• School as a non-traditional health care setting
• Development, management and evaluation of school health programs
• Environmental health within the school community

IV. Skills related to this important role include the ability to:

• Plan, coordinate and supervise the work of others
• Deal tactfully with others and exercise good judgment in appraising situations
• Make independent and timely nursing decisions and to triage
• Secure the cooperation and respect of students, faculty and staff
• Elicit needed information and maintain effective working relationships
• Collect data to direct evidence based practice
• Record accurately services rendered and interpret and explain records, reports, activities, health care plans, accommodations and medical interventions
• Identify health related barriers to learning (i.e., at risk behaviors, financial, cultural, economical, etc.)

V. Duties, Responsibilities and Essential Job Functions

This professional school nursing position within Sampson County Schools is responsible for planning, implementing, coordinating and evaluating school health services that:

• Maximize the quantity of in-class time by reducing the incidence of health related absenteeism,
• Eliminate or minimize health problems which impair learning
• Promote the highest degree of independent functioning possible
• Promote student, staff and community awareness of and participation in healthy behaviors
• Participate in emergency disasters/shelters as per Local health department/American Red Cross training and guidelines.

VI. The school nurse will provide:

Standards of Care

• Assessment: Collects comprehensive data pertinent to the client’s health or situation
• Diagnosis: Analyzes the assessment data to determine the diagnosis or issues
• Outcomes Identification: Identifies expected outcomes for a plan individualized to the client or situation
• Planning: Develops a plan that prescribes strategies and alternatives to attain expected outcomes
• Implementation: Implements the identified plan through coordination of care, health teaching and health promotion and consultation to influence the identified plan, enhance the abilities of others and effect change.
• Evaluation: Evaluates progress towards attainment of outcomes

Standards of Professional Performance

• Quality of Practice: Systematically enhances the quality and effectiveness of nursing practice
• Education: Attains knowledge and competency that reflects current school nursing practice
• Professional Practice Evaluation: Evaluates one’s own nursing practice in relation to professional practice standards and guidelines, relevant statutes, rules and regulations
• Collegiality: Interacts with and contributes to the professional development of peers and school personnel as colleagues
• Collaboration: Collaborates with the client, the family, school staff and others in the conduct of school nursing practice
• Ethics: Integrates ethical provisions in all areas of practice
• Research: Integrates research findings into practice
• Resource Utilization: Considers factors related to safety, effectiveness, cost and impact on practice on the planning and delivery of school nursing services
• Leadership: Provides leadership in the professional practice setting and the profession
• Program Management: Manages school health services

Performance and Work Load Standards

At a minimum, the school nurse may be expected to:

• Attend the New School Nurse Orientation and follow up session (new school nurses)

• Address the six core functions as identified in the School Nurse Funding Initiative
• Collect data for the NC DHHS School Health Nursing Survey and Program Summary (End of Year of Report)

Job Qualifications

• Required: Registered nurse, currently licensed in North Carolina

• A minimum of 3 years RN nursing experience dealing with young children and adolescents (ages 5 – 18)
• Registered nurse working toward baccalaureate degree to be completed within 3 years of hire date
• Baccalaureate-prepared registered nurse in nursing or health-related field (effective Jan. 15, 2009) working toward national school nurse certification with the stipulation that certification be completed within 3 years of hire date. In accordance of National Board Certification, it is recommended that the nurse sitting for the exam have 3 years of school nursing experience.
• Required: School Nurse Certification within 3 years of hire date