The School Nurse provides skilled nursing care and management of the special needs of students as well as medication administration. Immunization surveillance and routine health screenings are conducted annually. Routine emergency care is provided for students and staff. If necessary, students are referred to their primary healthcare provider for an evaluation. For students with complex medical needs, the school nurse may act as a liaison for the school, home, and outside medical facilities. As an education team member, the nurse interprets medical data and provides a health plan for student's individual education plans (I.E.P.). The school nurse promotes student wellness and assists in maintaining a healthy school environment.

Responsibilities

1. Provides emergency medical care to students.
2. Administers and/or supervises the administration of prescription medication to students.
3. Counsels and/or educates students in small groups or as individuals concerning medical issues.
4. Conducts formal and informal evaluations of medical conditions and develops accurate medical summaries on students.
5. Teaches mini-courses to small groups of students in Medical/Health areas relating to survival skills.
6. Monitors and assesses compliance with immunization standards as per BPS and DPH regulations.
7. Performs vision, hearing, scoliosis, dental, and other health-related screening as required by DPH or BPS school health services.
8. Develops and maintains contacts with medical persons or facilities who might provide direct service or consultation.
9. Participates in Service Team Meetings of students when medical input, interpretation, or consultation is needed.
10. Establishes and maintains appropriate record-keeping and reporting formats and procedures.
11. Conducts formal workshops and/or informal training for staff as appropriate.
12. Maintains adequate and updated health records.
13. Serves as medical representative to evaluations and re-evaluations, obtains and interprets medical evaluation at these meetings.

Core Competencies: Using the Rubric of Specialized Support Instructional Personnel (SISP), the Office of Human Capital has identified priority skills and abilities that all BPS SISP should demonstrate.

1. Accountability for Student Achievement

(II-A-1 Quality of Effort and Work, II-D-2 High Expectations, I B-2 Adjustments to Practice)

• Sets ambitious learning goals for all students, uses instructional and clinical practices that reflect high expectations for students and student work; engages all students in learning.
• Consistently defines high expectations for student learning goals and behavior.
• Assesses student learning regularly using a variety of assessments to measure growth, and understanding.
• Effectively analyzes data from assessments, draws conclusions, and shares them appropriately.

1. Communicating Professional Knowledge

(I-A-1 Professional Knowledge, I-A-2 Child Adolescent Development, I-A-3 Plan Development)

• Exhibits strong knowledge of child development and how students learn and behave, and designs effective and rigorous plans for support with measurable outcomes.
• Demonstrates knowledge of students’ developmental levels by providing differentiated learning experiences and support that enable all students to progress toward intended outcomes.

1. Equitable & Effective Instruction

(II-A-3 Meeting Diverse Needs, II-A-2. Student Engagement, II-B-1. Safe Learning Environment, II-B-2 Collaborative Learning Environment, I-D-3 Access to Knowledge)

• Builds a productive learning environment where every student participates and is valued as part of the class community.
• Uses instructional and clinical practices that are likely to challenge, motivate and engage all students and facilitate active participation.
• Consistently adapts instruction, services, plans and assessments to make curriculum/ supports accessible to all students.

1. Cultural Proficiency

(II-C-1. Respects Differences, II-C-2. Maintains Respectful Environment)

• Actively creates and maintains an environment in which students’ diverse backgrounds, identities, strengths, and challenges are respected.

1. Parent/Family Engagement

(III-A-1. Parent/Family Engagement, III-B-2. Collaboration)

• Engages with families and builds collaborative, respectful relationships with them in service of student learning.
• Consistently provides parents with clear expectations for student learning behavior and/or wellness and shares strategies to promote learning and development at school and home.

1. Professional Reflection & Collaboration

(IV-A-1. Reflective Practice, IV-C-1. Professional Collaboration, IV-C-2. Consultation)

• Regularly reflects on practice, seeks and responds to feedback, and demonstrates self-awareness and commitment to continuous learning and development.
• Consistently collaborates with colleagues through shared planning and/or informal conversation to analyze student performance and development, and to plan appropriate interventions at the classroom or school level.
• Regularly provides advice and expertise to general education teachers and the school community to support the creation of appropriate and effective academic, behavioral, and social/emotional learning experiences for students.

Qualifications Required

1. Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
2. Massachusetts license as a Registered Nurse.
3. MA State Dept. of Education School Nurse License (All Levels).
4. CPR & First Aid Certification.
5. Ability to meet the BPS Standards of Effective Practice as outlined above.
6. Experience working with children and adolescents in public school/agency/human services setting.
7. Current authorization to work in the United States - Candidates must have such authorization by their first day of employment.

Qualification-Preferred

1. Experience in: support services in a school setting; liaison and case management; high-risk, multi-problem children and adolescents.
2. BPS values linguistic diversity and believes that candidates who speak another language bring added value to the classroom, school, and district culture and diversity. BPS is particularly interested in candidates who are fluent in one of BPS' official languages: Spanish, Creole (Cape Verdean), Creole (Haitian), Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese, & Somali.

Terms: BTU, Group I

Please refer to www.bostonpublicschools.org/ohc (under "Employee Benefits and Policies") for more information on salary and compensation. Salaries are listed by Unions and Grade/Step.

The start and end times of BPS schools vary, as do the lengths of the school day. Some BPS schools have a longer school day through the "Schedule A" Expanded Learning Time (ELT) agreement. 

The Boston Public Schools, in accordance with its nondiscrimination policies, does not discriminate in its programs, facilities, or employment or educational opportunities on the basis of race, color, age, criminal record (inquiries only), disability, homelessness, sex/gender, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, genetics or military status, and does not tolerate any form of retaliation, or bias-based intimidation, threat or harassment that demeans individuals’ dignity or interferes with their ability to learn or work.