• Bachelors degree in Nursing required (BSN)
• Certification/licensed as a Registered Nurse (RN)
• Willingness to earn certification as a School Nurse within three years of date of hire
• Certification by American Nurses Association (ANA) or National Association of School Nurse (NASN)

 GENERAL STATEMENT OF JOB 

Under general supervision, the professional school nurse is responsible for planning, implementing, coordinating and evaluating school health services within the context of the Coordinated School Health Program Model.  The school nurse serves in the roles of program manager/coordinator, case manager/direct care provider, collaborator/advocate, educator and counselor for the school district and in assigned schools.  Work involves administering a variety of health care services to school children.  Employee is required to perform emergency medical functions which may include administering drugs, assessing illnesses, first aid and emergency care, and assisting and advising school teachers, staff, and students' parents in matters pertaining to the health of students. Employee is also required to maintain a variety of records and reports pertaining to health screening activities, emergency incidents, the status of individual students, etc. Employee is exposed to the normal hazards of emergency medical work, including risk of exposure to infectious diseases. School nurses facilitate normal development and positive response to interventions; promote health and safety, including a healthy environment; intervene with actual and potential health problems; provide case management services; and actively collaborate with others to build student and family capacity for adaptation, self-management, self-advocacy, and learning. Reports to the Executive Director of Support Services.

 SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS 

The school nurse is employed by Asheboro City Schools.

The school health program is within Student Support Services.

The position is salaried at 10 months and is considered a full time classified position.

The school nurse serves elementary, middle, and high school students.  Schedule is based on a nurse to student ratio of 1:800.

Assist administrators to develop the school health program.

Conduct and monitor as needed, school programs of immunization, physical examinations, and sight and hearing.

Maximize the quantity of in-class time by reducing the incidence of health related absenteeism.

Eliminate or minimize health problems which impair learning.

Promote student, staff, and community awareness of and participation in healthy behaviors.

Observe students to detect health needs.

Maintain up-to-date records on all students.

Report to parents, school personnel, physicians, clinics, and other agencies on student health matters.

Visit student homes when necessary.

Assume authority, in the absence of a physician, for the care of a student or staff member who has suffered an injury or emergency illness.

Administer first aid in accordance with established procedures.

Make recommendations on health needs of individual students.

Assist in the implementation of State law or Board policy on exclusion and readmission of students in connection with infectious and contagious diseases.

Participate in in-service training programs.

Lead in-service training programs related to health issues.

Assist school personnel in maintaining sanitary standards in schools.

ADDITIONAL JOB FUNCTIONS 

Performs other related work as required.

MINIMUM TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE

Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing (BSN) with current North Carolina Registered Nurse (RN) License

Willingness to earn certification as a School Nurse within three (3) years of date of hire

Certification by American Nurses Association (ANA) or National Association of School Nurses (NASN)

The school nurse will provide:

Standards of Care

• Assessment: Collects comprehensive data pertinent to the client’s health or situation.
• Diagnosis: Analyzes the assessment data to determine the diagnosis or issues.
• Outcomes Identification: Identifies expected outcomes for a plan individualized to the client or situation.
• Planning: Develops a plan that prescribes strategies and alternatives to attain expected outcomes.
• Implementation: Implements the identified plan through coordination of care, health teaching and health promotion and consultation to influence the identified plan, enhance the abilities of others and effect change.
• Evaluation: Evaluates progress towards attainment of outcomes.

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.

Performance and Work Load Standards

At a minimum, the school nurse may be expected to:  

• Attend the New School Nurse Orientation and follow up session (new school nurses).
• Address the six core functions as identified in the School Nurse Funding Initiative. 
• Collect data for the NC DHHS School Health Nursing Survey and Program Summary (End of Year of Report).
• Expectations of an ACS School Nurse (when ratio is 1: 800).

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS OR STANDARDS REQUIRED 

TO PERFORM ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS 

Physical Requirements: Must be able to operate a variety of equipment including copiers, computers, nebulizers, adding machines, etc. Must be able to exert up to 100 pounds of force occasionally and/or 20 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Due to amount of time spent standing and/or walking, physical requirements are consistent with those for Medium Work. 

Data Conception: Requires the ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable, functional, structural, or composite characteristics (whether similar to or divergent from obvious standards) of data, people or things. 

Interpersonal Communication: Requires the ability to speak and/or signal people to convey or exchange information. Includes giving instructions, assignments and/or directions to school staff.

Language Ability: Requires the ability to read a variety of correspondence, referrals, medical records, newsletters, notes, charts, etc. Requires the ability to prepare correspondence, reports, forms, plans, logs, charts, etc. 

Intelligence: Requires the ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions; to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagrammatic form; deal with several abstract and concrete variables. 

Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to follow oral and written instructions. Must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently using medical terminology. 

Numerical Aptitude: Requires the ability to utilize mathematical formulas; to add and subtract; multiply and divide; utilize decimals and percentages. 

Form/Spatial Aptitude: Requires the ability to inspect items for proper length, width and shape. 

Motor Coordination: Requires the ability to coordinate hands and eyes rapidly and accurately in using medical equipment. 

Manual Dexterity: Requires the ability to handle a variety of office machines, etc. Must have minimal levels of eye/hand/foot coordination. 

Color Discrimination: Requires the ability to differentiate between colors and shades of color. 

Interpersonal Temperament: Requires the ability to deal with people beyond giving and receiving instructions. Must be adaptable to performing under stress and when confronted with persons acting under stress. 

Physical Communication: Requires the ability to talk and hear: (Talking: expressing or exchanging ideas by means of spoken words. Hearing: perceiving nature of sounds by ear). Must be able to communicate via telephone.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES 

The complex role of the school nurse demands, but is not limited to, an understanding and knowledge of:

• Community, including community as a system and aggregates as clients
• Pediatric/adolescent Nursing
• Public Health/ Community Health Nursing
• Health counseling and mental health
• Communicable Disease 
• Applicable laws, regulations and standards pertaining to school nursing practice (NC Nurse Practice Act, Standards of School Nursing Practice and the Eight Components of a Coordinated School Health Program)
• School Health law
• Special education legislation and services
• Case finding, case management and health advocacy
• Program management, including personnel supervision
• Family theory, assessment and intervention
• Leadership, networking and collaboration
• Ethnic and cultural sensitivity and competence
• Contemporary health and psychosocial issues that influence children, families and the community
• Health care delivery systems and the concepts of the primary health care
• Building student, staff and family capacity for adaptation, self-management, self-advocacy and learning
• School as a non-traditional health care setting
• Development, management, and evaluation of school health programs
• Environmental health within the school community
• Considerable knowledge of emergency and routine medical procedures. 
• Considerable knowledge of health care agencies and institutions in the area. 

Skills related to this important role include the ability to:

• Plan, coordinate and supervise the work of others.
• Deal tactfully with others and exercise good judgment in appraising situations.
• Make independent and timely nursing decisions and to triage.
• Secure the cooperation and respect of students, faculty, and staff.
• Elicit needed information and maintain effective working relationships.
• Collect data to direct evidence based practice.
• Record accurately services rendered and interpret and explain records, reports, activities, health care plans, accommodations and medical interventions.
• Identify health related barriers to learning (i.e., at-risk behaviors, financial, cultural, economic, etc.)

• Ability to perform a variety of emergency medical procedures. 
• Ability to train others in first aid and emergency care. 
• Ability to assess the needs of students and develop a plan to meet those needs. 
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing. 

POSITION EXPECTATION:

Asheboro City Schools believes our staff are critical for helping the district reach our goals of increasing student achievement, equity and excellence, and overall district effectiveness. Therefore, each staff member is expected to foster a culture of respect, continuously self-reflect and engage in professional learning, promote equity and strive for excellence for all within their specific position or role. 

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT:

Asheboro City Schools is committed to diversity and equity, and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and not experience discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, physical or other disability. We strive for a qualified workforce that represents the diversity of our community. 

DISCLAIMER

The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification.  It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees to this job.