Lead School Nurse

Purpose Statement
The job of Lead Nurse is done for the purposes of providing network-wide leadership, coordination, clinical guidance, and quality assurance for school health services across Confluence Academies; promoting consistent, safe, student-centered nursing practices; supporting and guiding school nurses and other personnel who provide health-related services; monitoring compliance with applicable laws, regulations, professional nursing standards, Board policies, and network procedures; coordinating services for students with acute, chronic, complex, and emergency health needs; and serving as the primary nursing liaison among school-based health personnel, network administration, families, health care providers, public health agencies, and community partners. The Lead Nurse maintains clinical competence and provides direct nursing services, consultation, and coverage when circumstances require. This position serves as a key contributor to the educational team and supports the health, safety, attendance, and educational access of students throughout the network.

This job reports to the Director of Student Services and Family Involvement.

Essential Functions

• Provides leadership, direction, coaching, technical assistance, and professional support to school nurses and other personnel providing health-related services for the purpose of promoting consistent, high-quality nursing practice across all Confluence Academies schools.

• Coordinates the network school health services program for the purpose of establishing consistent procedures, documentation practices, service expectations, and systems of care across school sites.

• Develops, recommends, implements, reviews, and monitors school health procedures and protocols in collaboration with appropriate administrators for the purpose of aligning network practices with applicable Missouri requirements, professional nursing standards, Board policies, and organizational expectations.

• Monitors health-service documentation and compliance practices (e.g., health records, immunization information, medication records, screenings, referrals, individualized health plans, emergency action plans, incident documentation, and other required records) for the purpose of supporting accuracy, confidentiality, legal compliance, continuity of care, and quality assurance.

• Provides leadership in assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating the school health program for the purpose of identifying student and school-community health needs, improving service delivery, and supporting measurable health outcomes.

• Coordinates and/or provides mandated and recommended health screenings and follow-up processes for the purpose of identifying potential health concerns, facilitating referrals, and supporting student access to appropriate treatment and services.

• Oversees and supports safe medication administration practices, treatments, standing orders, emergency protocols, and nursing procedures for the purpose of promoting student safety and consistent implementation of authorized health services.

• Develops, reviews, and supports implementation of individualized healthcare plans and emergency action plans for students with acute, chronic, medically complex, and/or disability-related health needs for the purpose of promoting safe access to the educational program and appropriate response to health conditions.

• Provides consultation and nursing expertise to school teams participating in Section 504, special education/IEP, student assistance, attendance, crisis, and other interdisciplinary processes when student health needs are implicated for the purpose of ensuring relevant health information is appropriately considered.

• Coordinates nursing coverage and assists in resolving health-office staffing needs across the network for the purpose of maintaining continuity of essential health services when a school nurse or other health-services staff member is unavailable.

• Provides direct nursing care, assessment, first aid, medication administration, emergency response, and/or temporary school coverage when needed for the purpose of addressing urgent needs, complex situations, or gaps in nursing coverage.

• Assesses and assists with complex or high-risk student health situations for the purpose of determining appropriate nursing interventions, coordinating care, consulting with families and health care providers, and supporting school personnel.

• Coordinates communicable disease prevention, surveillance, response, and communication practices in collaboration with appropriate public health authorities and administrators for the purpose of protecting the health of students and staff and supporting compliance with applicable requirements.

• Supports network emergency preparedness and response by reviewing health-related emergency procedures, student-specific emergency plans, AED/CPR readiness, emergency medications, and staff training needs for the purpose of promoting timely and appropriate response to medical emergencies.

• Exercises professional nursing judgment regarding delegation of appropriate nursing-related tasks and provides training, competency verification, monitoring, and supervision when delegation is permitted for the purpose of ensuring safe care consistent with the Missouri Nurse Practice Act and organizational procedures.

• Coordinates orientation, onboarding, professional development, and continuing education for school nurses and appropriate health-services personnel for the purpose of maintaining professional competence and consistent network practices.

• Provides or coordinates training for school personnel on student-specific health needs and other appropriate health and safety topics (e.g., emergency action plans, medication procedures, CPR/AED, first aid, infection control, and recognition of urgent health conditions) for the purpose of supporting safe school environments.

• Assists the Director of Student Services and Family Involvement and Human Resources with recruitment, selection, onboarding, performance feedback, evaluation, and corrective performance processes involving school nursing personnel for the purpose of supporting effective staffing and professional accountability while preserving appropriate administrative authority.

• Reviews health-office operations, supplies, equipment, and resource needs across schools for the purpose of supporting safe, functional, appropriately equipped health-service environments and responsible use of organizational resources.

• Collects, analyzes, and reports school health services data (e.g., clinic utilization, screenings, referrals, medication activity, injuries, chronic health needs, communicable disease trends, and other relevant indicators) for the purpose of identifying trends, informing decisions, documenting program activity, and supporting continuous improvement.

• Collaborates with parents/guardians, health care providers, school administrators, teachers, counselors, special education personnel, public health agencies, and community partners for the purpose of coordinating services, facilitating referrals, communicating relevant health information, and addressing student health needs.

• Serves as the primary nursing liaison to network administration for the purpose of communicating health-service needs, emerging concerns, regulatory developments, program recommendations, and matters requiring network-level coordination.

• Maintains awareness of current school nursing standards, evidence-based practices, Missouri school-health guidance, laws, regulations, and professional requirements for the purpose of advising the organization and maintaining professional competence.

• Responds to and supports reporting of student health and safety concerns, suspected abuse or neglect, communicable disease concerns, and other reportable matters for the purpose of protecting students and complying with applicable legal and organizational requirements.

• Promotes health education, prevention, wellness, and access to community resources for the purpose of supporting healthy students, families, and school communities.

Other Functions
Performs other related duties as assigned for the purpose of ensuring the efficient and effective functioning of network school health services.