School Health Technician

School Health Technician

Provides the school community with health services that directly support student learning, as well as additional coverage as needed in all schools serving pre-kindergarten through high school. They will provide the fullest possible educational opportunity for each district student by minimizing absence due to illness and creating a climate of health and well-being in the district schools.

This position provides support in the health room. Responsibilities include assisting in performing a variety of functions, including but not limited to preparing, maintaining, and updating student health records and files; completing clerical tasks related to health needs, including immunizations; providing first aid to students; assisting with screenings; assisting students in taking medications; and other tasks as directed by the school nurse.

Positions in this class assist the school nurse in meeting specific objectives of the school health program involving services to, and records concerning, students. Incumbents utilize sound judgment in performing their tasks, duties, and responsibilities, which vary according to the environment and/or student needs. Contact with students is continuous. Assignments may include working at more than one location and with multiple students requiring special care, assessing the degree of urgency in a situation, and alerting site administrators, the school nurse, and the District Lead Nurse of emergencies.

Essential Duties

• Provide medically necessary, sound, and approved first aid to ill/injured students;
• May summon emergency services, other medical assistance, or administer CPR, and make appropriate notifications as necessary
• Identify student health symptoms, determine appropriate first aid intervention needs and take appropriate action, seeking advice and counsel from the school nurse and/or the District Lead Nurse as necessary
• Keep records regarding student illness or injury and perform necessary follow-up
• Gather information for and generate, modify, and/or update various records and files, utilizing a wide variety of modern office equipment.
• Record screening results and other health data in student electronic records and files;
• Complete County and State mandated health reports and surveys
• Review student immunization records before school entry, take necessary action in accordance with state and district protocol, and follow up with the parent/guardian and/or school nurse on required student immunizations.
• Follow up on students with presence of communicable diseases and/or parasites and take appropriate action in accordance with district protocol
• Implement and monitor procedures for the safe storage and administration of medications
• Perform specialized physical health care procedures in accordance with individualized protocol after training by and under the indirect supervision of the school nurse and/or District Lead Nurse
• Administer prescribed medications in accordance with established district policies and procedures, and monitor "at-risk" students having significant medical needs
• Assist students requiring specialized health care procedures, including but not limited to toileting, tube feeding, suctioning, auto-injector epinephrine, and address immediate health care needs to allow students to function in a school environment
• Perform medical procedures according to established protocols, including catheterization, N/G tube feeding, machine suctioning, colostomy/ileostomy care, gastrostomy feeding, nasal cannula, oxygen supplementation, syringe suctioning and related procedures and protocols after training by and under the indirect supervision of the school nurse and/or District Lead Nurse
• Lift and/or carry students as deemed necessary safely and appropriately; Perform and/or assist in toileting, diapering, intimate hygiene, cleaning and dressing students as necessary in an appropriately modified environment
• Proficiently and safely use "Hoyer" or similar lifting equipment, and specialized wheelchair and other orthopedic devices
• May serve as a member of the school site Disaster Preparedness Team, SHAC
• Operate a variety of office equipment, including a personal computer.

Other Related Duties

• Organize and/or present health-related information and demonstrations to students as approved by the District Lead Nurse
• Gather medications and paperwork for students participating in the outdoor education program;
• Make arrangements for health screening and assist the school nurse and/or the District Lead Nurse with screening and follow-up
• May call a doctor's office or clinic to obtain medical information on a student.
• Utilizes multiple language access tools for serving multilingual learners and families as directed by the school nurse and/or the District Lead Nurse

General supervision over medical aspects of the job is provided by the school nurse and/or the District Lead Nurse. Supervision is not exercised over other employees.

Minimum Qualifications

Knowledge of:

• Current first aid and CPR principles and practices, as well as related health and safety precautions;
• Physical, emotional, general and specific health needs of regular and disabled students;
• Approved first aid techniques and practices;
• Suspected child abuse reporting requirements;
• Basic principles of child behavior;
• Causes, means of transmission, and control of communicable diseases;
• Procedures and practices for promoting student health, hygiene;
• Modern office methods, procedures, practices, terms and equipment, including a basic knowledge of Microsoft Office word processing, spreadsheet, database, email and internet computer applications;
• Filing systems, record-keeping procedures, and basic mathematics;
• English usage, spelling, grammar, punctuation;
• Business office telephone techniques and etiquette
• FERPA and HIPAA
• Appropriate safety procedures and precautions.

Ability to:

• Administer First Aid and CPR;
• Learn and independently apply other medically necessary procedures as directed by the school nurse and/or the District Lead Nurse;
• Work independently, utilizing good judgment in seeking assistance of a District nurse as appropriate and in situations where specific medical knowledge is required;
• Analyze and evaluate health situations calmly and correctly, taking appropriate, approved actions;
• Learn specialized medical/health care techniques, procedures, methods, equipment and independently apply them as taught;
• Maintain detailed and confidential records, as well as provide confidentiality;
• Operate various standard and specialized office equipment, including a personal computer;
• Effectively utilize Microsoft Office word processing, spreadsheet, database, email, and internet computer applications;
• Rapidly learn procedures and software used in school offices;
• Accurately prepare documents and reports.
• Understand and carry out oral and written instructions;
• Follow universal precautions relative to blood-borne pathogens;
• Receive and give information to others clearly, calmly, accurately, and courteously;
• Establish and maintain effective interpersonal relationships and effectively communicate using tact, patience and courtesy in a manner that reflects positively on the District;
• Deal tactfully, sometimes in stressful situations, with students and parents regarding health issues;
• Understand, be sensitive to, and respect the diverse academic, socio-economic, ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds, disabilities and sexual orientation of students, parents, teachers, administration, and staff.

Education:

• High school diploma or equivalent;
• Medical Assistant Certificate is highly desirable and may be supplemented for one (1) year of the required experience.

Experience:

• One (1) year of paid or volunteer experience in a healthcare field.
• Experience working with student health problems or disabled students is highly desirable.

Licenses Required:

• Current valid CPR and First Aid Certificates.

Physical Demands, Working Environment and Hazards

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by employees to successfully perform the essential functions of this class. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Work Environment:

This job operates in an office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, copy machines, filing cabinets, and fax machines. The noise level can vary depending on daily activity, but will remain within a moderate noise level range. The position is frequently exposed to minor and, on occasion, to severe contagions, including blood-borne pathogens and illnesses; frequently washes hands and frequently wears vinyl gloves. The incumbent has frequent direct and indirect contact with the public, students, district staff, and employees. The position may require working with high volume,

Orange County School District, NC