District Nurse

Nurse

The school nurse provides comprehensive nursing for all students. The school nurse should be experienced in development and understanding of 504 plans. The essential functions/responsibilities include expertly providing complex comprehensive assessments, conducting detailed and individualized assessments of student needs, ensuring that medications are administered by designated individuals, promoting wellness through classroom presentations, planning and implementing lessons that set clear and high expectations, developing plans for many emergency situations, continually seeking ways to improve the delivery of healthcare, initiating collaboration with classroom teachers, proactively consulting and advocating for students, and making perceptive and accurate reflections on practice.

Required qualifications include a MA DESE license, school nurse RN with previous pediatric experience for a K-5 elementary school, and having taken continuing education courses in areas relevant to licensure and/or certification. Knowledge, ability, and skills include demonstrating deep and thorough understanding of medical knowledge and nursing techniques, displaying accurate knowledge of the typical developmental characteristics of the age group, having extensive knowledge of governmental regulations and resources for students, frequently contributing valuable ideas and expertise to teacher teams, meetings and committees, assuming a leadership role with colleagues, communicating respectfully and proactively with parents, being proactive and resourceful in providing thorough information to families about the delivery of healthcare, promptly and frequently involving all parents in supporting and caring for students with health-related concerns, and dealing immediately and successfully with parent concerns.

Personal qualities include establishing respect and rapport with students, guiding culture in the school towards health and wellness, organizing office efficiently and appropriately for planned activities, presenting as a consummate professional in words, action and appearance, being invariably ethical, honest and transparent, using impeccable judgment, and respecting confidentiality.

The job environment takes place in classrooms and other building rooms/areas, including offices, auditorium, gym, lunchroom and hallways, within a school building setting, primarily indoors with some outdoor duties. Physical requirements include sufficient vision to read printed documents and to view detail on a computer screen for extended periods, frequent standing, walking, sitting, bending, and reaching, as well as carrying and occasionally lifting up to 30 lbs, ability to speak in an understandable voice with sufficient volume to be heard in normal conversation, on the telephone, and in the classroom, ability to hear sounds clearly up to twenty feet, and travel among buildings may be required.