Exceptional Children - Child Lpn

Exceptional Children's Child Specific LPN

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.

A minimum of two (2) years LPN nursing experience dealing with young children and adolescents (ages 5 – 18) and/or public health nursing experience.

Certification and Licensure Requirements (if applicable):

• Required:
  
  Licensed Practical 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)

The EC Child Specific Licensed Practical Nursing position within Craven County Schools is responsible for:

• 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.

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…