School Nurse Job Description

Just looking after the children in a school is not the only part of a school nurse job description. The school nurses also look after the staff. Handling hundreds of children is no mean feat, not to mention the various injuries they sustain in the school. Hence, the school nurses have to be on the alert at all times.

School nurses have a very important job. They have to look after all the children and tend to all their medical needs. Injuries are not the only problems; sometimes a child may develop an illness. In this case, the nurse has to look after the child and ensure their condition does not worsen. They also have to inform emergency services if the condition worsens, and they have to inform the parents of the child.

The school nurses also look after the staff of the school. Many times even they fall ill and it is the school nurse that tends to them. Hence, they have to be familiar with illnesses not only for children, but also adults. They have to help out during vaccination drives in the school. They also have to educate the children on good hygiene and safety methods.

To make work easier for themselves, the school nurses can enquire about all students and what all allergies to they suffer from. They can keep this list in their office and if any student has an allergic reaction, they consult the list and administer the required medicine. Doing this can save the life of a child. Many allergies can have fatal reactions. This is an important part of the school nurse job description.

The school nurses play an important role in the education as well. They can spot if children suffer any disabilities, physical or mental. The school nurses can even find out if a child is suffering from abuse, at school or home. Hence, it is extremely important that a school hires a good nurse. To know more, read the school nurse job description.

Duties and responsibilities

The school nurse is responsible to look after the health of the children and the staff of the school
They have to tend to them if they injure themselves of fall ill
They have to administer them simple medication but if the problems is serious they have to call the paramedics
They have to do regular health checks on all the students
They have to report to the class teacher and parents if any student has taken ill
They have to know about which student has what allergies and should know what to do in case of a reaction
They have to watch students closely for signs of injuries or abuse as this is quite common
They have to keep updates on students suffering from major illnesses and are receiving treatment
The school nurses have to make a chain of communication with the teachers and parents if any child is unwell and requires special attention
They have to have reports on students who regularly fall ill or injure themselves

Education

They should be registered nurses with a degree from nursing school
Even associate degrees for nursing are acceptable
They also have to clear the licensure exam for nurses

Career Advancement

School nurses get promoted within the job and they get a number of staff working for them. They even manage multiple schools at a time and train all the new nurses.

The school nurse job description though may seem simple; they also play a part in a child getting a good childhood.