Role

School nurses oversee the emotional, mental, physical and social health of students. School nurses may work at any level of education from Pre-K to 8th grade. They provide scholars with basic health services throughout the school day. School nurses also manage students who have chronic health conditions and students with disabilities. This includes giving them medication as needed and working with parents and teachers to create and enforce care plans.

Responsibilities for School Nurse

• Perform hearing, vision and other health screenings.
• Assesses students/staff condition in the event of illness or injury, following established nursing procedures; provides care and/or makes referral to appropriate medical personnel.
• Develop care plans for students with ongoing conditions.
• Consult with teachers, school administrators and other school staff regarding student care.
• Administers prescribed medication to students per board policy and monitors for side effects.
• Maintain and monitor confidential information including student immunization records.
• Provides educational resources for students/staff about growth and development, dental hygiene, asthma conditions, first aid safety for use in the health curriculum and classroom visitations.
• Responsible for all student related COVID information and documentation, tracking student numbers, contact tracing, and parent communications for assigned building.
• Maintains accurate documentation of medicines received from parents and dispensed to students, per applicable laws and established nursing practice.
• Reviews students immunization records for compliance with state law; refers for follow-up when needed.
• Conducts student basic health screening (hearing, vision, dental, etc.), identifies and documents problems and refers for further evaluation as necessary.
• Maintains documentation on students’ cumulative health records; prepares annual report for state.
• Monitors school environment continuously for safety of students and staff.
• Provides consultation with students, staff and community on injuries and current health issues.
• Identifies student health care problems and develops and implements specialized care programs where necessary.

Qualifications for School Nurse

• High school diploma and minimum of two-year associate degree are required, BSN preferred.
• RN license preferred.
• A minimum of two years of nursing experience is required.
• Prior school nursing experience, or experience working with school-age children is preferred.
• The knowledge of working with children with disabilities is preferred.
• Current CPR, First Aid, and AEDS (defibrillation equipment) training or willing to be trained.
• Excellent communication skills (verbal & written) and ability to work from written or oral instructions under limited supervision are required.
• Strong organizational skills, accuracy, and self-motivation are required.
• The ability to effectively prioritize work and handle multiple tasks simultaneously while meeting deadlines is required.
• Strong word processing, data entry, spreadsheet and database skills are required, experience with student data management databases (SIS, Infinite Campus, etc.) is preferred.
• The ability to present information and respond to questions from parents and school staff in a positive, professional manner is required.
• The ability to solve problems and respond to situations in a calm, caring manner is required.
• The ability to remain flexible & positive with the demands of the job without losing sight of the mission, task, or assignment is required.
• The ability to work as a team player, communicate and collaborate with building and district staff is required.