Community Health/School Health Nurse

The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing (JHSON) Center for Community Programs, Innovation, and Scholarship (COMPASS Center) seeks a Community Health/School Health Nurse (SHN) to join the Community Health School Nurse Program. The SHN will provide day-to-day school health services (school nursing) at a designated Baltimore City Public School.

The JHSON COMPASS Center seeks to promote the health and well-being of underserved populations in Maryland through engaging community and other stakeholders. This includes supporting and redesigning school-based health programs to improve the health and academic achievement of children and adolescents from low-income communities in Baltimore City through the implementation of an innovative school health program.

The SHN performs a variety of medical care services for patients in a school-based setting. Specifically, the SHN will be responsible for oversight of school health services (school nursing) including supervising support staff.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities

• Assesses, triages, creates management plans, and treats students presenting for school nurse services. Common complaints include injuries/first aid, asthma exacerbation, headache, GI distress, fever.
• Administers prescription medications with a clinician order.
• Interviews and assesses health needs of individuals and families; analyzes and interprets assessment findings for other health and welfare professionals.
• Develops nursing care plans for patients receiving nursing services. Collaborates with community-based clinicians to determine the treatment most beneficial for patient.
• Explores and determines health care and other options in counseling individuals and families about health and social problems and concerns. Oversee nursing activities performed by other nurses and auxiliary personnel in a clinical specialty area; may supervise aides providing personal care services in the home.
• Evaluates patient data including plan of care and response to follow up for groups of patients. Plans, develops, and evaluates health care presentations to patients and community groups. Counsels and refers persons with complex health problems.
• Prepares data regarding school health services encounters for local health agencies.
• Initiates and tracks data related to population-level school health interventions including preventive programming, screening, and clinical service delivery programs.
• Assign and review the work of nursing and auxiliary staff and train new personnel.
• Conduct regular evaluations for school health services nursing staff.
• Maintains records and writes reports as needed.
• Attends regular nursing team meetings with other SHNs and SHN supervisor.
• Attends and completes required competency trainings, in-service topic presentations, and town halls as required for position and advised by SHN supervisor.
• Support SHN supervisor in the conduction of chart audits, service satisfaction surveys, and reporting of incidentals or issues as they arise.
• Serves as primary liaison between school staff and SHN team/supervisor.
• Maintain and seek out partnerships with governmental and non-governmental agencies engaged in school health and pediatric health care.

Special Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Knowledge of the principles, objectives, and techniques of community health nursing.
• Skilled in the delivery of clinical health services to children and early adolescents and experienced working with urban, low-income families.
• Knowledge of nursing theory, process, practices, and procedures. Knowledge of professional nursing standards.
• Knowledge of community health resources and agencies.
• Ability to make long-range plans for community health services.
• Accountable for own decisions regarding patient care.
• Identifies impending changes in patient condition, communicates to supervisory provider as needed.
• Ability to plan, develop, implement, and evaluate community health programs.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with others.
• Ability to work collaboratively with patients, parents, physicians, and other health care professionals.
• Ability to maintain records and prepare reports.
• Advanced interpersonal skills necessary to communicate effectively with all members of the interdisciplinary team to enhance collaboration and problem-solving, and to communicate diplomatically and thoroughly with parents, teachers, and school staff.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, to provide information to patients and health care personnel.
• Ability to function effectively in a fluid, dynamic, and rapidly changing