School Nurse

POSITION TITLE: School Nurse MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS • Qualified to practice as a Registered Nurse in the State of Massachusetts and holds an unrestricted license • DESE license • Certified in CPR or BLS (or obtain in the first 6 months) DISTRICT RECOMMENDATIONS • Registered Nurse • Minimum of one (1) year experience in public health nursing, community health nursing, school health nursing or pediatric nursing preferred BASIC FUNCTIONS • Functions independently as school nurse primarily assigned to Charles Pierce Middle School with the ability to be reassigned to any school within the district as needed. • Provides health services to strengthen and facilitate the educational process by modifying or removing health-related barriers to learning in the individual students. • Promote an optimal level of wellness of students and staff by providing preventive health services to facilitate the students and staff's optimal physical, mental, emotional and social growth and development. • Identify problems and disabilities and provide such services as case finding, health education, referring, and care in order to help prevent serious health problems and manage current chronic conditions. RESPONSIBILITIES • Promotes and protects the optimal health status of school-age children • Administers health assessments • Obtains a health history • Screens and evaluates findings of deficit in vision, hearing, growth, etc. • Observes the child for development and health patterns in making nursing assessment • Identifies abnormal health findings • Develops and implements a student health plan • Interprets the health status of students to parents and school personne • Initiates referral to parents, school personnel or community health resources for intervention, remediation and follow through • Provides ongoing health counseling for students, parents, school personnel or health agencies • Utilizes existing health resources to provide appropriate care of students • Maintains, evaluates and interprets cumulative health data to accommodate individual needs of students • Implements school health management protocols • Provides for emergency nursing management for injuries/illnesses • Promotes and assists in the control of communicable diseases • Provides health education and anticipatory guidance • Participates in health education directly and indirectly for the improvement of health; educates others to become more assertive health consumers and to assume greater responsibility for their own health • Serves as a resource person to school staff members in health instruction • Coordinates school and community health activities and serves as a liaison health professional among home, school and community • Acts as a resource person in promoting health careers • Engages in research and evaluation of school health services to act as a change agent for school health programs and school nursing practices • Provides consultation in the formation of health policies, goals and objectives for the school district • Where applicable, participates in the IEP/ 504 plan development • Assists with the Medicaid claiming process and claiming on qualified students • Fulfills other responsibilities assigned by administrators as needed DEMONSTRATED KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES: Knowledge of: • Principles and practices underlying professional nursing. • Principles and practices underlying the special field of school health • Current trends in nursing and of literature in the field of school health. • Organization and administration of other cooperating agencies • State and local laws relating to health and social issues Ability to: • Participate cooperatively in a program of school health nursing • Exercise professional judgment in making decisions • Communicate appropriately, collaboratively, and effectively with students, parents administrators, other school personnel, health care providers, and community agencies • Demonstrate a genuine interest in the student population and its health needs • Provide care for students preK-12 and be reassigned as needed per district needs • Organize a health office and manage time • Be a self-starter or self-motivated • Use a computer and various software applications