School Nurse (Douglass 50%/Lincoln 50%)

• Job Title and Classification

• The school nurse is employed by the local education agency (LEA), Rockingham County Schools.
• The school health program is within Instructional Support, and the position reports directly to the Assistance Director of Instructional Support Services.
• The school nurse serves various schools within the district as assigned.
• The position is permanent, full-time 10 month, salaried, exempt.
• The salary range is commensurate with experience and national school nurse certification per DPI salary schedule for school nurses plus local supplement.

• Primary Purpose Statement

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

• 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 Ten Components of a Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Model)
• Laws related to School Health
• Special Education Legislation and Services
• Case finding, case management and health advocacy
• Program management, including personnel oversight and monitoring related to delegated medical procedures.
• 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 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
• Environments Health within the School community

Skills related to this important role include the ability to:

• Plan, coordinate and monitor the work of others related to delegated nursing tasks
• Communicate 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
• Accurately record 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.)
• Perform physical assessments related to direct care

• Duties, Responsibilities and Essential Job Functions

This professional school nursing position within Rockingham 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 functional possible
• Promote student, staff, and community awareness of and participation in healthy behaviors
• Actively participate in school based multidisciplinary teams that address student learning and performance.
• Prepare for and respond to school emergencies and crises through involvement with school safety and crisis teams.
• Prevent and respond to communicable disease outbreaks.
• Provide and/or arrange for routine health screenings; such as vision, hearing, or dental screening and follow up for referrals.
• Conduct health counseling, assess mental health needs, provide interventions, and refer students to appropriate school staff or community agencies.
• Assure that federal and state mandated health related activities are completed, which includes but is not limited to: health assessments, immunization status reports, bloodborne pathogens control plan (OSHA) requirements, anaphylaxis management, etc.
• Involve home visits as needed
• Include other duties as assigned

The School nurse will provide Standards of Care

• Assessment: Collects comprehensive data pertinent to the clients 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 statues, rules and regulations
• Collegiality: Interacts with and contribute to the professional development of peers and school personnel as colleagues
• Collaboration: Collaborates with the student, 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 finding 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 is expected to:

• Participate in School Nurse: Roles and Responsibilities Workshop
• 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 Report)
• Complete monthly Student Health Activity Report and other reports as assigned

• 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 working toward national School nurse certification with the stipulation that certification must be completed within 3 years of hire date. In accordance with National Board Certification, the school nurse must work a minimum of 1000 hours 9approximately 1 school year) in school nursing prior to taking the certification exam.