Job Title and Classification

 

The school nurse is employed by the LEA, Wilkes County Schools

 

The school health program is within the Student Support Services Program

 

The school nurse serves all schools in the Wilkes County School System

 

 

Primary Purpose

 

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 manage/coordinator, case manager/direct care provider, collaborator/advocate, educator and counselor for the school district

 

 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

 

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

 

Community, including the community as a system and aggregates as clients

 

Pediatric/Adolescent Nursing

Public Health/Community Health Nursing

Health counseling, mental health crisis interventions

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

 

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.)

 

 

 

Duties, Responsibilities and Essential Job Functions

 

The professional school nurse within WCS 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 function possible

 

Promote student, staff and community awareness of and participation in health behaviors

 

 

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 nursing diagnosis or issues

 

Outcomes Identification: Identifies goals

 

Planning: Develops a plan, as needed, to obtain goals

 

Implementation:  Implements plans 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 statues, 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, costs and impact on practice on the planning and delivery of school nursing services

 

Leadership: Provides leadership in the professional practice setting and the profession

 

Management: Assists in the management of school health services

 

Performance and Work Load Standards

 

Attend the New School Nurse Orientation and follow up sessions as indicated

 

Collect data for the NC DHHS School Health Nursing Survey and Program Summary (End of Year Report)

 

 

Job Qualifications

 

Registered Nurse, currently licensed in North Carolina

 

Baccalaureate degree in nursing and working toward national school nurse certification with the stipulation that certification be completed within 3 years of hire date