KANSAS CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Job Description 

 

Job Title:              School Nurse – Registered Nurse   

Job Title Code:     00843

Salary Grade:       Z15 $47,200-$67,783 -  Z16 BSN $49,700 - $71,374

Department:        Student Support and Community Services  

Reports To:          Director of School Nursing/Designee 

FLSA Status:        Exempt

Date Prepared:    August 2011      Revised  Nov 2014

 

PURPOSE OF JOB: 

The school nurse strengthens and facilitates the educational process by identifying and assisting in alleviating or minimizing the effects of health related barriers to learning in individual students and by promoting an acceptable level of wellness for students and staff. 

The nurse assumes responsibility for appropriate assessment, planning, intervention, evaluation, management and/or referral activities, serves as the direct link between physicians, families and community agencies to promote access and continuity of health care for students, provides relevant instruction, counseling and guidance to students, parents, staff and others concerning health–related issues; upholds professional standards, the Missouri Nursing Practice Act and other state and local statues and regulations applicable to school nursing practice; and adheres to district policies.

 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:  

• Recognizes factors that identify individuals at risk.
• Conducts normal growth and development screening to identify existing problems.
• Utilizes appropriate health counseling and guidance techniques, including the ability to follow through on referrals.
• Applies sound decision-making process to school nursing practice.
• Effectively utilizes local, state and national resources to meet identified needs in population served.
• Works cooperatively with other health professionals in identifying and delivering needed services in a coordinated and comprehensive manner.
• Describes the role and responsibility of a school nurse as a health professional in an educational setting.
• Demonstrates management and organizational skills necessary to facilitate health care in a school through a working knowledge of school organization and administration.
• Expresses a sound philosophy of ethical issues in nursing, education and medicine.
• Works within the framework of the Nursing Practice Act for implementation of laws and regulations pertaining to school health.
• Assists teachers in identifying health problems.
• Recognizes goals and objectives of the total educational program.
• Teaches first aid procedures and legal aspects of giving emergency care.
• Relates policies and procedures to the health of the student.
• Utilizes county, state and federal laws and regulations related to school health when needed.
• Obtains and records a comprehensive immunization history.
• Identifies the communicable diseases common to school-age population.
• Follows established system of reporting appropriate information to local health unit.
• Assumes responsibility for compiling immunization report for compliance with state statutes.
• Plans and implements effective case-finding procedures.
• Explains the identified diseases or conditions, their progress and prognosis.
• Develops comprehensive nursing care plans, when appropriate, with specific goals and objectives.
• Assesses the degree of significance of the health problem to the student’s education progress.
• Performs appropriate special health care procedures prescribed for student.
• Implements procedures regarding medication, including education for student, family and staff.
• Assesses the school environment and recommend adaptation to meet student’s needs.
• Presents timely health information when working with student problems.
• Presents health information to student in an organized manner, based on student’s level of comprehension.
• Encourages teachers to incorporate health concepts in their curriculum.
• Maintains resource files of pertinent health instruction materials for students and teachers.
• Demonstrates effective methods of presenting health instruction.
• Selects health education materials and curriculum having scientific accuracy and learning effectiveness.
• Obtains appropriate health developmental history of student.
• Conducts meaningful nursing assessment of the physical status of the ‘well child’ to identify deviation from the normal.
• Recognizes health problems, disease or disability as early as possible.
• Utilizes methods to assess child’s growth and nutritional status.
• Assesses student and/or family for level of knowledge and behavior regarding health problems.
• Evaluates health deviation for degree of significance and interpret the significance to the student and his/her family.
• Assesses strengths and weaknesses of student and/or family in relation to health problem.
• Assesses student and/or family adaptation to health problems.
• Assesses severity of injuries.
• Performs appropriate first aid procedures effectively and efficiently.
• Documents the essential information regarding illness and injury.
• Analyzes cause of accident and plan intervention.
• Takes an active role in planning and implementing disaster drills and procedures in school community.
• Assesses physical facilities for safety and environmental hazards.
• Demonstrates an awareness of public health measures used to control disease, i.e., sanitation inspection.
• Analyzes accident reports and recommend a plan to prevent further accidents.
• Demonstrates a working knowledge of factors that influence learning environment, i.e., temperature, lighting, noise, humidity, etc.
• Interprets school health needs to community at large.
• Identifies inadequacies in school health services that require development of resources.
• Collaborates with other health care providers and agencies outside the school system to ensure continuity of care.
• Implements a plan to continuously update and expand knowledge base, which is key to the maintenance of individual competency.
• Incorporates new techniques and knowledge in the field of school health in daily practice.
• Other duties as assigned.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:   None

   

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Licensed in the State of Missouri as a Registered Nurse.
• Graduation from an accredited Associate’s Degree program in Nursing (ADN).
• Current CPR/First Aid/AED certified.
• Possession of the knowledge, skills, abilities and physical attributes necessary to perform the essential functions of the position.
• Computer skills in Word and Excel.
• Experience working in a school or medical setting. 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: 

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

 

This job requires that the employee be able to: sit, stand, walk, speak, hear, use hands, fingers, reach with hands and fingers; bend, stoop, lift objects of at least twenty-five pounds, and kneel on the floor to perform medical procedures.  Must be able to walk a minimum of two flights of stairs.  Assist in the lifting of students, in an emergency situation. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, and ability to adjust focus.

 

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT:

 

Length of work year:    7.5 hours per day; 5 days/week; 187 work days

 

Benefits:    Health and Dental Insurance are provided.

 

KCPS Defined Benefit Pension plan – mandatory 9% contribution is required from employee and matched by KCPS; Voluntary retirement savings plans are also available.