School Nurse

Hamilton County Schools is seeking a School Nurse to serve in a lead capacity promoting health care and providing medical assistance to students and staff across nearly 75 schools in the Chattanooga, TN area. This role focuses on enhancing the education process by maximizing the health and well-being of school-aged children and adolescents, with emphasis on prevention of illness and disability, early detection and correction of health problems, and emergency medical response.

Clinical Setting

You will work in a school-based health environment serving students from elementary through secondary levels, including those with acute and chronic illnesses, injuries, handicapping conditions, and developmental disabilities.

Responsibilities

• Provide routine and emergency medical care to students within the boundaries of training, certification, and applicable policies
• Dispense approved and prescribed medications appropriately to students and maintain accurate medical records
• Develop and implement protocols and procedures for responding to student illness and injuries, including acute illness, severe injury, emotional disturbance, and communicable diseases
• Observe students for developmental and health patterns during routine assessments, provide initial diagnosis, identify adverse health findings, and interpret health status to parents and school personnel
• Assist in control of communicable diseases through immunization record audits, early detection, surveillance, reporting of contagious diseases, and proper disinfection
• Coordinate referrals to outside health services and community health resources
• Provide ongoing health counseling to students, parents, and school personnel
• Participate as a health team specialist on Assessment Teams and IEP Teams for students with health disabilities
• Supervise clinical observations and experiences for nursing students
• Ensure compliance with established school health guidelines, safety and infection control procedures, and all applicable laws, rules, regulations, and standards
• Provide instruction and recommendations regarding OSHA, CPR, and other health-related needs
• Monitor inventory of department equipment and supplies
• Communicate with supervisors, school officials, faculty, students, parents, physicians, and other medical professionals to coordinate work activities and resolve problems
• Maintain confidentiality and adhere to the Teacher Code of Ethics as defined by Tennessee Law
• Operate computers and school office equipment to enter, retrieve, review, and modify data
• May operate a motor vehicle to travel to various schools
• Perform general clerical tasks including answering phones, typing documents, making copies, and processing mail

Required Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED
• Active Registered Nurse (RN) license in Tennessee or compact state license
• Valid CPR and First Aid certification
• Ability to demonstrate excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to utilize computers and other technology to enter and retrieve data
• Must maintain current RN license during employment; failure to maintain required District and State credentials may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination

Preferred Qualifications

• Four-year degree with coursework emphasis in Nursing
• Three years of previous experience in nursing, preferably in a school, pediatric, adolescent, or public health environment
• Any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience providing requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities for this role

Compensation

Salary is based on a combination of relevant education and experience:

• LPNs: Grade 1010, starting at $23.27 per hour
• RNs: Grade 1013, starting at $26.94 per hour
• BSNs: Grade 1014, starting at $28.85 per hour
• MSNs: Grade 1015, starting at $30.29 per hour