School Nurse

School Nurse

This position provides professional nursing care and health counseling to promote and maintain the optimum health and educational potential for students in the public schools. The School Nurse must possess the ability to administer sound and safe health practices in accordance with health service procedures and policies.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Responsible for direct nursing intervention and monitoring of student's medical and behavior conditions with direct interactions with parent/guardians.
• Administers medications and treatments as prescribed by physicians and according to School Board policy.
• Implements screening programs for the school health appraisal status of all students.
• Enforces state and local school policies and procedures regarding communicable and infectious diseases, immunizations, and preschool entry requirements.
• Coordinates between agencies, school social workers, and staff for the benefit of the student's performance.
• Must establish priorities in accordance with health service procedures and policies.
• Functions as a contributing member of the school staff in all aspects of the school program.
• Practices as an independent practitioner within the school setting following the standards of Practice, Code of Ethics, and uses nursing process.
• Serves as a child advocate, encouraging a well-nourished school population, protecting the well-being of students, and setting and maintaining standards of emergency care to minimize the effects of accidents and illness in the school.
• Assists in the health assessment of special education students. Assists in obtaining parent permission and medical history for specialized students and case management, as needed.
• Interprets health status and medical findings to the student, family, and school personnel as necessary and utilizes nursing care as a vehicle for health teaching. Initiates homebound referrals to Supervisor of Health Services as needed.
• Designs and implements nursing care plans for medically fragile students. Conducts home visitations as necessary.
• Assesses and evaluates the total health and developmental status of students through nursing assessments and the use of appropriate evaluation techniques including nursing intervention for acute illness, injury, and emotional disturbance.
• Acts as a resource person in presenting health units; e.g. personal hygiene, nutrition, safety, dental, family life, and sex education, etc., in accordance with established guidelines.
• Works with local school personnel; interprets school district policies and governmental laws related to the health of students, school personnel, and the community. Verifies immunization records of entering students, notifies parents and principal of deficiencies, and enforces state law and local policy.
• Assists in the prevention and control of communicable diseases by following established local procedures and state Board of Health policy, including the reporting of such to the local Health Department; authorizes exclusion and readmission of students with suspected communicable diseases/conditions.
• Conducts first aid review programs for key personnel on a yearly basis and as requested.
• Prepares and submits reports to the local principal, the Supervisor of Health Services, the state Board of Health, and the Superintendent as required.
• Serves actively on the School Safety Committee and implements the Standard of care as outlined by the Virginia Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
• Provides consultation and referral to students' primary medical care providers for evaluation with treatment and follow-up, if necessary, for suspected health problems.
• Supports, with nursing knowledge and skills, school attendance for children who must use medication in the treatment of illness or chronic disabilities.
• Assists students, parents, and teachers to adapt to chronic health problems of students.
• Assures health needs of the school population are considered in the community's overall health planning.
• Models the WJCC Strategic Plan Values: Individualism, Integrity, Innovation, Accountability and Collaboration.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills and/or Abilities Required)

• Bachelor's degree preferred.
• Licensed Registered Nurse in Virginia.
• Public health, community, or previous public school nursing preferred. Maintains current cardiopulmonary resuscitation certification at all times (CPR).
• Preference given to candidates who are fluent/bilingual in Spanish.
• Must be willing to become trained as a CPR instructor or be currently certified as a CPR instructor, (WJCC will provide the training, if needed)

Supervision Exercised

Itinerant LPN

Supervision Received

Performs duties under the supervision of the building principal. Receives supervision and guidance from the Supervisor of Health Services

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. Duties are performed in a school clinical and classroom environment. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; talk or hear; smell. The employee must occasionally lift, push, pull, carry, and/or move patients and equipment weighing up to 100 pounds. Specific vision abilities required include close vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus for observing patient conditions and administering appropriate treatment. The job risks exposure to disease/pathogens; blood and bodily fluids; medications; and toxic or caustic chemicals.

Requires standing, sitting, repetitious hand and body movements, simple grasping, pushing pulling, fine motor and gross motor skills, bending, lifting, squatting, kneeling, climbing, and reaching. Ability to lift students as required and has the stamina to stand all day, every day of the week as needed.