Job Description for the Position of School Nurse

Job Description for the position of School Nurse

Job Purpose

To provide a clinically effective, high-quality service of nursing care and health promotion to pupils, and first aid care to all members of the school community. The School Nurse is based in the medical room, which is a spacious and well-equipped treatment room.

Key Duties

Health & Safety

1. Supervise the medical room (including care of sick, injured and distressed individuals until better and/or further care can be arranged with parents, hospital, dispense drugs as appropriate etc.)
2. Liaise with local Health Authority in arranging for them to deliver inoculation programmes.
3. Work with teachers to identify children with particular developmental concerns, assess their health status and refer to specialist services where necessary.
4. Work with parents, carers, specialist health professionals and others to develop, implement and monitor in-school care plans for pupils with complex health needs and long-term conditions (e.g. asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, anorexia or eating disorders, etc.) to enable them to attend and benefit from school.
5. Implement and maintain arrangements for first-aid provision to comply with statutory requirements, including risk assessment to determine sensibly and reasonably the total number of first-aid personnel required, the training of first-aiders, maintenance of records, accident reporting arrangements, statutory notices and first-aid boxes.
6. Advise the Head of Pastoral Care in the development of health-related policies, preventive or risk reduction programmes of work around any specifically identified school needs, e.g. nutrition, physical activity, medical checks, teenage pregnancy initiatives, nut allergies, obesity, eating disorders.
7. Support SLT in advising trip leaders (identifying potential issues on trips from student medical/trip forms).
8. Monitor/maintain and update student medical/health records on School core database (Schoolbase).
9. Contribute to the development of School emergency plans include a response to outbreaks of communicable diseases.
10. Attend, constructively participate in and prepare reports as required for the School Health and Safety Committee.

Supporting the Delivery of Pastoral Care

11. Devise and implement strategies to ensure that the most vulnerable pupils and those with particular personal needs/problems (e.g. pupils who are carers, those with diabetes, those self-harming) are identified and appropriately supported.

12. Work with staff, parents, carers and pupils to reduce above average absence due to sickness e.g. support work to enable pupils with long term conditions to self-care in school, supporting programmes for those with school phobias.

13. Work with teaching staff and the Child Protection Officer to identify and act to safeguard pupils at risk of, or suffering from, physical, sexual, emotional abuse or neglect. This will include identifying and referring pupils at risk or suffering from maltreatment.

14. Monitor student visits to nurse to identify any potential problems which the Head of Pastoral Care and Boarding needs to be informed of ASAP.

Health Promotion

15. Play an active role in health promotion through the planning, delivery and support of the school PSHE programme, as directed by the Head of Pastoral Care and Boarding and PSHE Co-ordinator.

Communications

16. Advise parents and staff on immunisation programmes and outbreaks of communicable diseases.

17. Uphold medical confidentiality in line with legal (common law and statutory) duty of confidentiality to pupils and maintain medical records accurately, confidentially and safely.

18. Keep records of all accidents to staff, students and visitors.

Management of Resources

19. Ensure that the medical room, residential areas, facilities and first aid kits throughout the school are maintained to meet the school’s requirements.

20. Ensure that all dispensed treatment given and all supplies used are recorded; record the dispensing of drugs following drug protocols.

21. Ensure that all first aid supplies are in date, replenished to meet minimum requirements by regular inspection of stocks and dispensing records.

Training and Development of self and others

22. Maintain and improve professional knowledge and competence, keeping up to date with professional, clinical and nursing issues relevant to work in schools.

23. Provide training, support and advice for teachers and other staff on specific health needs/issues e.g. use of epi-pens, diabetes care, epilepsy, allergies, substance misuse, head lice, eating disorders, self-harm, asthma and other mental health issues.

General requirements

All school staff are expected to :

•Work towards and support the School vision and the current School objectives outlined in the School Improvement Plan.

•Support and contribute to the School’s responsibility for safeguarding students.

•Work within the School’s health and safety policy to ensure a safe working environment for staff, students and visitors.

•Work within the School’s Accessibility Policy, GIRFEC Policy and all other policies relating to promoting equality of opportunity for all pupils and staff, both current and prospective.

•Maintain high professional standards of attendance, punctuality, appearance, conduct and positive, courteous relations with pupils, parents and colleagues.

•Engage actively in the performance review process.

•Adhere to policies as set out in the Staff Handbook.

•Undertake other reasonable duties related to the job purpose required from time to time.

This Job Description is not exhaustive and is subject to regular review.

Line Management

As a member of the support staff the Nurse will be responsible directly to the Head of Pastoral Care and Boarding as his/her line manager. The Nurse is required to maintain his/her registration with the relevant professional body (NMC) as a condition of this employment.

Terms and Conditions

Due to the demands of the role, any holiday is to be taken out of term time. The Nurse will be entitled to school holidays.

Benefits

Provision of meals

You will be entitled to a meal free of charge, during term time in the Refectory, on the days that you are on duty over a lunch or evening session.

Pension Scheme

We are entitled to join the School’s occupational scheme operated through Aegon. It is a contributory scheme whereby you must contribute 3% to receive a school contribution of 5% or alternatively you must contribute 5% to receive a school contribution of 10%.

School Fees

The School offers a 50% staff fee remission (pro rata for a part time role) for any daughter of an employee, who attends Kilgraston.

Application Process

• Applicants are asked to complete the application form in full, along with a written letter of application (max 2 sides) and return it before the closing date. At interview, candidates will be required to present identify documents and proof of academic/professional qualifications, and of current registration with the NMC.
• The closing date for this position is Wednesday 23 August 2017.
• All appointments with the School will be subject to two references, and an Enhanced Disclosure, all of which must be satisfactory to the School. In addition the School will contact any former employers in whose employment the applicant has worked or volunteered with children.

Person Specification

Skills Required / Essential / Desirable
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Ability to work effectively both in collaboration with other professionals/teams and also on own initiative
High standard of clinical work, decision making and competence
Excellent interpersonal skills, particularly the ability to relate to young people, parents, colleagues and external agencies
Excellent organisational skills/Time management/Ability to prioritise and organise own workload/able to work to deadlines
Ability to embrace, initiate, manage and sustain change positively
Teaching skills/Ability to organise group sessions
Good IT skills, sufficient to handle the maintenance of a school database or pupil medical details eg working knowledge of Microsoft Office Excel, Word, Access, Outlook email
Knowledge base
Awareness of current developments in school nursing services, primary care and health promotion
Knowledge of assessment of health needs of the school aged population
Awareness of current developments in public health services and legislation
Knowledge of child protection procedures and confidentiality issues
Knowledge and understanding of the process of risk assessment and risk management
Qualifications/Attainment
Appropriate nursing qualifications e.g. RGN,RSCN,RN Child.
Evidence of commitment to continuing professional development
Car Driver
Current NMC registration
Post registration training e.g. Asthma, Diabetes, Sexual Health, Mental Health
Up to date First Aid at Work Qualification and the willingness to undertake training to deliver first aid training to staff if not already qualified.
Experience
Experience with working with children
Sports injury training
Some experience in counselling
Some experience of occupational health and infection control
Attitude/ Approach
Sympathy with the Catholic ethos and values of the School
Professional and approachable attitude
Enthusiastic
Motivated
Reliable
Flexible
Well presented
Assertive when appropriate