Competency in School Nurse Practice
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COMPETENCY IN SCHOOL NURSE PRACTICE CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCAtion – 2009 CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Mark K. McQuillan, Commissioner George A. Coleman, Deputy Commissioner Division of Family and Student Support Services Charlene Russell-Tucker, Associate Commissioner Bureau of Health/Nutrition, Family Services and Adult Education Paul Flinter, Chief Cheryl-Ann Resha, R.N., Project Manager Publications Unit Donald G. Goranson, Jr., Editor Andrea Wadowski, Graphic Designer Janet Montague, Desktop Publisher Competency in SCHOOL NURSE PRActice CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCAtion This document is available on the Connecticut State Department of Education Web site at: http://www.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?q=2678&q=320768 ii COMPETENCY IN SCHOOL NURSE PRACTICE CONTENTs S ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ..................................................................................................................... iv PREFACE .............................................................................................................................................. v INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 1 Purpose ..........................................................................................................................................1 Highly Qualified Professionals .......................................................................................................1 COMPETENCIES ................................................................................................................................. 2 Definition .....................................................................................................................................2 Overview .......................................................................................................................................2 Benner’s Application ......................................................................................................................3 How to Use the Competencies ......................................................................................................4 School Nurse Competencies ..........................................................................................................5 SUPERVISION .................................................................................................................................... 20 Overview .....................................................................................................................................20 Supervision Requirements ...........................................................................................................20 Differences between administrative and clinical supervision .........................................................20 Models of supervision ..................................................................................................................21 Clinical supervision ................................................................................................................21 Supervision by non-nursing personnel ...................................................................................21 Regional supervision ..............................................................................................................21 Peer/group supervision ...........................................................................................................22 Peer mentoring ......................................................................................................................22 Professional Development ............................................................................................................22 Additional Roles of the Supervisor ...............................................................................................23 EVALUATION ...................................................................................................................................... 24 SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................................... 25 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................................... 26 RESOURCES ....................................................................................................................................... 28 APPENDIX A. School nurse competencies tool ..............................................................................................29 B. Sample school nurse performance evaluation tool ....................................................................47 COMPETENCY IN SCHOOL NURSE PRACTICE iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTsS This document was developed through the cooperation of numerous professionals committed to improving the quality of school health services in Connecticut. The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) extends its thanks to the following task force members for their collaboration, expertise and perseverance. Nancy Bafundo, Chair, Connecticut Board of Examiners for Nurses JoAnn Boulden, Nursing Supervisor, Madison Public Schools Joan Cagginello, Nursing Administrator, Milford Health Department Donna Kosiorowski, School Nurse Supervisor, West Haven Public Schools Pat Krin, Nursing Administrator, Newington Public Schools Suzanne Levasser, School Nurse Supervisor, Danbury Public Schools Berndatte Madero, Nursing Professor, Southern Connecticut State University Liza McMahnon, School Nurse, Hartford Public Schools Carole Passarelli, Nursing Supervisor, Area Cooperative Educational Services Pat Piatek, Nursing Supervisor, EASTCONN Nadine Schwab, Nursing Administrator, Westport Public Schools Martin Sklaire, MD, School Medical Advisor and Chair of CT AAP School Health Council Alice Stockton, Nursing Supervisor, Capitol Regional Education Council A special thank you is extended to Ruth Kirsch, consultant for the State Education Resource Center and her organization for their commitment and expertise in facilitating the work of this group and school nursing. The CSDE would also like to recognize Vicki Taliaferro, school health consultant, for her expertise and knowledge in the development and review of this document. iv COMPETENCY IN SCHOOL NURSE PRACTICE PREFACE School nurse practice “is grounded in respect for person, family and other groups and communities and guided by explicit focus of nursing. Nurturing children, promoting their well-being to accommodate their hopes and dreams – including success in school – requires creative integration of multiple ways of knowing and involves understanding, through synthesis of information, within the dynamic context of values and health practice” (Aiken, SREB, 2000; Parker and Berry, 1999). RATIONALE Evidence confirms what school nurses know: children are now attending school with more complex health needs, and the frequency of chronic health needs has increased significantly over the last two decades (ANA, 2007; NASSNC, 2007). In order to assure safe and high-quality health care in the educational setting, school nurses now need expanded skills and knowledge in order to meet the growing needs of students. In addition to the knowledge and skills needed by the individual school nurse, clinical supervision is essential in ensuring safe care. At present, many school nurses do not have access to regular, ongoing clinical supervision. According to the National Association of School Nurses (2003), “It is essential to provide supervision and evaluation of school nurses by school nurses knowledgeable in school nursing practice, supervision and administration, and that evaluations should be based upon standards of professional school nursing practice.” The National Association of State School Nurse Consultants (2007) believes that schools have a responsibility to provide safe and high-quality health services, and that these services require clinical supervision by a school nurse manager/ coordinator or supervisor. HOW TO USE THIS DOCUMENT This document is intended to be used by individual school nurses, their school nurse supervisors and school administrators. It is divided into three sections: competencies, supervision and evaluation. The competencies are designed to identify the skills and knowledge needed to ensure safe and high-quality health care. These competencies may be used in a variety of ways: • A framework for nursing school instructors; • An orientation plan for new school nurses; • An evaluation tool by nursing supervisors; • A self-evaluation tool for school nurses; • A goal-setting tool for school nurses; and • A program planning tool (See How to Use the Competencies on page 4). The section on supervision can be used to explore the role of the supervisor, the need for clinical supervision, and the difference between clinical and administrative supervision. The last section of this document includes the rationale for evaluation and potential components of an evaluation. A sample evaluation tool included in the Appendix is based on the school nursing competencies. This checklist can be used to assess the school nurse’s competency levels and can be used for periodic evaluation of the school nurse. COMPETENCY IN SCHOOL NURSE PRACTICE v vi COMPETENCY IN SCHOOL NURSE PRACTICE INTRODUCTION PURPOSE This document is designed to support the practice of school nursing within Connecticut