EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN - CHILD SPECIFIC LPN

CRAVEN COUNTY SCHOOLS

Exceptional Children's Child Specific LPN

Job Description

Position:  EC Child Specific LPN

Reports to: Lead Nurse
Terms of Employment:  10-month, hourly
Pay Grade: 68

FLSA Status:  Exempt

Nature of Work

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.

Education and Experience

• 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)

Essential Functions/Knowledge

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.

Professional Nursing Standards

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.

• Outcomes Identification: Identifies expected outcomes for a plan individualized to the client or situation.
• Planning: Develops a plan that prescribes strategies and alternatives to attain expected outcomes.
• Implementation: Implements the identified plan through coordination of care, health teaching and health promotion and consultation to influence the identified plan, enhance the abilities of others and effect change.
• Evaluation: Evaluates progress towards attainment of outcomes.

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

 At a minimum, the school nurse may be expected to: 

• Attend the New School Nurse Orientation and follow up session (new school nurses)
• Collect data for various reports including the Annual Health Assessment and Immunization Report, PBNC Mid-Year and EOY Reports, the NC DHHS School Health Nursing Survey and Program Summary (End of Year of Report)
• Assume the responsibility for 1-3 schools*, based on acuity levels and district need. *Exceptional Children’s nurses typically assume responsibility for only one student.

Physical Requirements

This work requires the regular exertion of up to 10 pounds of force, frequent exertion of up to 25 pounds of force and occasional exertion of up to 50 pounds of force; work regularly requires sitting, speaking or hearing, using hands to finger, handle or feel and repetitive motions, frequently requires standing, walking, reaching with hands and arms and pushing or pulling and occasionally requires lifting; work has standard vision requirements; vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word and conveying detailed or important instructions to others accurately, loudly or quickly; hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels and to receive detailed information through oral communications and/or to make fine distinctions in sound; work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data, visual inspection involving small defects and/or small parts and observing general surroundings and activities; work frequently requires exposure to bloodborne pathogens and may be required to wear specialized personal protective equipment, occasionally requires exposure to infectious diseases, and angry or disruptive children and parents; work is generally in a busy office (e.g. offices, classrooms).

Special Requirements

• Must have a valid North Carolina Driver’s License

Evaluation:  Performance of this job will be evaluated in accordance with provisions of the Board and local policy on evaluation of personnel.

Disclaimer

The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees to this job. As such, it is not intended to contain all of the duties and qualifications required of an employee in a single position (job). Consequently, it is not to be perceived as a position (job) description or as identification of essential functions as required by ADA.

**By submitting your application you are indicating that you have read the above position description of the job for which you are being recommended. In addition, you are indicating that you are aware of the essential duties of the position and that you can perform the essential functions of the job. You agree to perform each of the duties identified on this job description and understand that failure to perform any of the duties may lead to reprimand up to and including dismissal by the Craven County Schools Board of Education.

*In compliance with Federal Law, Craven County Schools administers all education programs, employment activities and admissions without discrimination against any person on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age or disability.