EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN'S CHILD SPECIFIC REGISTERED NURSE

Exceptional Children's Child Specific RN

Position: Exceptional Children's Child Specific Registered Nurse

Report to: Director of Accountability and Exceptional Children, Lead Nurse

Terms of Employment: 10 month, hourly

Pay Grade: 68

FLSA Status: Exempt

Nature of Work

This is a professional public health nursing position responsible for planning, implementing, coordinating, and evaluating school health services. County Schools nurses coordinate the student and school health for a school or schools and provide supportive care, direction to staff and students, consult with physicians, and maintain records and school health processes. Work is performed under regular supervision of the Lead Nurse.

School health in Craven County Schools is a public health function in service to the greater Craven County community.

Essential Functions/Knowledge

• Tube feedings, tube flushes, and emergency medication administration. (may require training for specific medication)
• Good understanding of seizures - able to recognize seizure activity and be able to respond appropriately.
• Assist staff with DLS (Daily Living Skills) if needed- changing, feeding, toileting
• How to support positive behavior with minimal support
• How to support nonverbal to limited verbal patients. (Having an understanding of technology and or communication devices would be helpful.)
• Visual supervision of "student" and being able to communicate any needs or concerns to teacher and or parent as needed.
• Applicable laws, regulations and standards pertaining to school nursing practice (HIPAA, NC Nurse Practice Act, Standards of School Nursing Practice and the Ten Components of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Model)
• School as a non-traditional health care setting
• School as a Public Health care setting
• School Health law
• Special education legislation and services
• Various electronic applications such as Power School, Google Docs, Word, Excel

Skills related to this important role include the ability to:

• Collect data to direct evidence-based practice
• Deal tactfully with others and exercise good judgment in appraising situations
• Demonstrate flexibility and adaptability in practice settings to meet student, school and community needs.
• Elicit needed information and maintain effective working relationships
• Identify health related barriers to learning (i.e., at risk behaviors, financial, cultural, economical, etc.)
• Make independent and timely nursing decisions and accurately triage
• Plan, coordinate and supervise the work of others
• Record accurately services rendered and interpret and explain records, reports, activities, health care plans, accommodations and medical interventions
• Secure the cooperation and respect of students, faculty and staff
• Utilize various electronic and hard copy documentation systems for entering information at the time of service to the student.

Professional Nursing Standards

The school nurse will demonstrate the following professional standards in the execution of their work:

Standards of Care

• Assessment: Collects comprehensive data pertinent to the client's health or situation.
• Nursing Diagnosis: Analyzes the assessment data to determine the nursing diagnosis or issues that need to be addressed.

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 statutes, 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, 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 for assigned schools.

*Exceptional Children's nurses are not responsible for program management, but may assist the "whole school" nurse in the process.

Performance and Workload Standards

• Attend the New School Nurse Orientation and follow up session (new school nurses)
• Collect data for various reports including the Annual Health Assessment and Immunization Report, PBNC Mid-Year and EOY Reports, the NC DHHS School Health Nursing Survey and Program Summary (End of Year of Report)
• Assume the responsibility for 1-3 schools*, based on acuity levels and district need. *Exceptional Children's nurses typically assume responsibility for only one student
• Consult with Base School Nurse regarding policy and procedures of the school assignment
• Participate in health promotion activities
• Participate in health education
• An employee in this class works independently and makes decisions which may have serious impact on the well-being of the individual child
• The student's school nurse works with ECP personnel (social workers, psychologists) and other school personnel in preventing health problems from becoming reasons for educational and social failure
• Coordinates and provides, as needed, services for chronically ill students
• Participates in emergency planning
• Maintain regular attendance

Manages the nursing component for the student in the classroom :

• The classroom teacher is the primary communicator with the parent.
• Maintains confidentiality of the information obtained
• Medications
• Health Assessment Review in consultation with School Nurse
• Medical Update Review in consultation with School Nurse
• First Aid
• Emergency Medical Planning
• Collaborate with Parents/Student/Healthcare providers to establish Plan of Care (POC) in coordination with School Nurse
• Intervenes as deemed appropriate by NCP to prevent illness/injuries
• Assist with student Daily Living Skills
• Assist with students with transitions throughout the school environment
• Assist with student's specialized transportation if warranted by IEP
• Keep record of student data that pertains to child specific duties
• Provides health education to the students as requested by the classroom teacher
• Advises teachers on health matters in conjunction with School Nurse
• Participates in IEP's at the request of the exceptional teacher

Education and Experience:

• Required: Registered Nurse, currently licensed to practice in North Carolina
• National school nurse certification is optional.
• In accordance with the National Board for the Certification of School Nurses, the nurse sitting for the exam is required to have a minimum of 1000 hours of school nursing experience.
• CPR, AED, First Aid Instructor Certification (or is able and does obtain within a year of employment)

Physical Requirements

This work requires the regular exertion of up to 10 pounds of force, frequent exertion of up to 25 pounds of force and occasional exertion of up to 50 pounds of force; work regularly requires sitting, speaking or hearing, using hands to finger, handle or feel and repetitive motions, frequently requires standing, walking, reaching with hands and arms and pushing or pulling and occasionally requires lifting; work has standard vision requirements; vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word and to convey detailed or important instructions to others accurately, loudly or quickly; hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels and to receive detailed information through oral communications and/or to make fine distinctions in sound; work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data, visual inspection involving small defects and/or small parts and observing general surroundings and activities; work frequently requires exposure to bloodborne pathogens and may