Substitute Nurse

SUBSTITUTE SCHOOL NURSE

As a Substitute School Nurse, you will deliver measurable results in advancing the well being, academic success, and lifelong achievement and health of students by:

• Promoting the health and safety of all students

• Promoting a safe and healthy environment

• Preventing illness and disability through early detection and treatment of health problems

• Communicating and collaborating with families, school personnel, and community providers to meet the needs of students

Reports to: Building Administrator(s) and Assistant Superintendent

Qualifications: Love what you do, promoting the health and safety of students and staff at RSU 21. Must possess a current license as a Registered Nurse Valid Maine Registered Professional Nurse license. Must possess certification as a school nurse (524)  from the Maine Department of Education. At least  three (3) years experience as a professional registered nurse. A baccalaureate degree is required. If a candidate does not have a baccalaureate degree, they must be matriculating in a program to gain a baccalaureate degree when applying for certification. Current certification in CPR/AED for healthcare providers required. 

Responsibilities:
The Substitute School Nurse will be expected to: 

• Assess students who are referred by staff and/or present to the health office, utilizing health history, record review and physical assessment to identify findings which do not fall within the norm

• Collaborate with school physician, parent(s)/legal guardian(s), teachers, guidance counselor, social worker, school psychologist, administrators, and community resources regarding student health needs/problems to assist the student educationally and enhance his/her well being

• Provide nursing interventions for acute and chronic physical, emotional, mental health, and behavioral concerns

• Administer and document medications according to district policy

• Document assessment data and nursing actions on paper and/or in digital record 

• Maintain student privacy/confidentiality as per HIPAA, FERPA, and district policy

• Communicate with other school personnel as appropriate regarding student health issues

• Collect, and document data regarding suspected child abuse and neglect and make formal referrals to appropriate agencies

• Be knowledgeable of community health resources and refer students/families to these resources as needed.

• Collaborate with teachers, students, and family members to present appropriate information to students regarding health issues as needed

• Promote and assist in the control of communicable diseases through early detection, surveillance, and reporting of contagious diseases

• Consult with and/or refer to state and community public health agencies, and school physician as needed

• Communicate with district and other school nurses to analyze and resolve student health issues

• Adhere to Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure Control Plan 

• Identify strengths and weaknesses through self-evaluation and develop a plan of action to strengthen school nursing practices

• Perform other duties as assigned by Building Administrator or Assistant Superintendent

Competencies:

• Resourceful: you optimize available resources and tools (internally and externally) to enhance your impact; you network proactively, and with confidence to broaden the scope of people who can serve as a resource to your work 

• Organized approach: you view your work as supporting the whole and track your own and others’ work accordingly; you adhere to systems and processes diligently

• Strategic thinking: you seize the opportunity to think critically and keep the big picture in mind; you don’t solely execute others’ instructions, rather you are an engine of idea generation to stimulate cross-functional brainstorming, input and critical reflection

• Lifelong learner: you are committed to continuous self-improvement; you self-reflect on your personal effectiveness routinely; you value continuous improvement to drive consistent high-quality output and growth

• Public consultation: you have strong listening skills and can read between the lines to interpret parent concerns; when parents have trouble articulating their feelings, you can guide and support them to express their feelings more clearly; you’re open to feedback and alternative ideas/perspectives 

Reasonable Accommodations: RSU 21 will provide accommodations to an individual with a disability, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or applicable law, who has made the district aware of their disability, unless doing so would cause an undue hardship to the district. 

Terms of Employment: As stated in the substitute handbook.

Evaluation: Performance of this job will be evaluated annually by the building Principal in accordance with provisions of the Board’s policy on Evaluation of Professional Personnel.