Hybrid Lead Nurse bei Cherokee County School District (GA)

Job Description Code: 4J.045

Division/Department: School Leadership and Operations

Pay Grade: Lead Nurse Salary Schedule

Pay Type: Salaried; Exempt

Retirement: TRS

Contract Work Year: 188 Days

Reports To: Director, School Leadership and Operations 

Evaluation Instrument: PEI

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Registered Nurse (R.N.); Current Georgia licensure required; Current C.P.R. certification required; 3 or more years experience in School Health and/or Public Health; Certification in School Nursing preferred; Leadership/Management experience. Must have a valid Georgia Motor Vehicle operator’s license with endorsements compatible with assigned duties of Cherokee County Board of Education. 

GOAL

Provide supervision to school-level nurses and manage the health care needs of students within the scope of practice set forth by the Georgia Board of Nursing and Cherokee County School District policies and procedures. Be a health care resource for county-level personnel and administrators and perform designated duties in the areas of occurrences of communicable diseases, critical cases, training and staff development. 

REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Supervisory roles in the following areas:
• With the county divided into Innovation Zones, carry out nursing responsibilities as listed in job description in zones, and consult with Lead Nurse in other zones.
• Serve as school system’s liaison and advocate on health matters with administrators, school-level nurses, medical personnel, community service organizations and partnerships with the intent of increasing healthcare opportunities to students.
• Coordinate general training and staff development relating to health concerns for staff and school-level nurses and also for employees working in specific departments.
• In order to promote consistency in the management of a crisis, formulate a procedure to be used by administrators for reporting occurrences of communicable diseases and critical cases.
• Manage occurrences of communicable diseases and critical cases, facilitating necessary actions as directed by the proper authorities, and at the same time maintain communication with school system personnel. Secure timeline of events; document actions, and keep on record.
• Assist with training and staff development related to health issues.
• Provide case management and oversee the health care needs of students with the following procedures/chronic illnesses:
• Clean Intermittent Catheterization
• Ileostomy/Colostomy
• Suctioning-Oral, Tracheostomy
• Feeding Requests-Oral, Nasal-Gastric, Gastrostomy
• Epilepsy and the request of rectal medication
• Allergic reactions and the use of Epi-Pens
• Asthma and the use of nebulizer breathing treatments
• Diabetes and the use of injectable medications
• Use of oxygen and/or mechanical ventilation
• Any other identified medical diagnosis
• Implement the following nursing actions in order to formulate an individualized Health Care Plan for aforementioned procedures and chronic illnesses.
• Visit schools to evaluate requests for nursing services.
• Secure needed documents and gather information from parent/guardian and physicians stating specific instructions for requesting nursing services.
• Develop individualized Health Care Plans pertaining to identified medical conditions.
• Provide instructions about medical conditions from qualified individuals for school-level nurses and staff.
• Observe demonstrations of requested procedures from designated staff and document job performances on a monthly basis and as needed. Incorporate teaching opportunities as needed.
• Secure contingency plans to meet the needs of the students in the absence of usual staff.
• Review Health Care Plans monthly to verify interventions that still pertain to identified medical needs.
• Physical requirements include, but are not limited to:
• the ability to timely respond and attend to emergency situations that may occur throughout the facility; and
• the ability to perform lifting, supporting and movement of students.
• On an as-needed basis, advise a school-level nurse providing nursing services in the high schools.
• Provide advisement, guidance and support to School-level Nurses carrying out guidelines set forth in the Cherokee County School Health Manual.
• Maintain the dignity, privacy and confidentiality of student in accordance with The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)) and The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) guidelines.
• Share expertise with school-level personnel when called by administrators about unresolved medical problems and health concerns.
• Coordinate screening procedures such as hearing, vision and scoliosis.
• Collaborate with principals as needed concerning employment, credentials and job performances of school-level nurses.
• Secure and make available an approved nurse substitute list.
• Provide nursing coverage to other Innovation Zone(s) in the absence of that zone’s Lead Nurse.
• Operate Board-owned vehicle in a safe manner, and assume responsibility for all supplies and equipment on the vehicle.
• Possess and maintain valid and appropriate license, certificate and/or credential as may be required for this position.
• Follow work scheduling and attendance requirements in a regular, predictable and punctual manner.
• Participate in training programs to increase skills and proficiency related to the assignment.
• Review and stay abreast of current developments, literature and technical source information to maintain proficiency related to job responsibilities and student needs.
• Ensure adherence to appropriate safety procedures.
• Follow federal and state laws, as well as District policies.
• Consistently communicate in a positive, respectful manner when dealing with parents, staff and students.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

IMPORTANT NOTES

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Job descriptions are designed and intended only to summarize the essential duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and requirements for the purpose of clarifying the general nature and scope of a position’s role as part of the overall organization. Job descriptions do not list all tasks an employee might be expected to perform, and they do not limit the right of the employer/supervisor to assign additional tasks or otherwise to modify duties to be performed – even if seemingly unrelated to the basic job. Every employee has a duty to perform all assigned tasks. (An employee who is assigned a duty or task believed to be unlawful should report the assignment to the Chief Human Resources Officer.) It should also be noted the order of duties/ responsibilities as listed in the job description is not designed or intended to rank the duties in any order of importance relative to each other. 

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

In filling a vacant position, preferred or required credentials regarding education, training, experience, and other bona fide occupational qualifications may be established. The credentials shown in this job description may be interpreted only as the minimum criteria existing at the time the description was developed. Other bona fide occupational qualifications and criteria may be utilized as needed in the selection process. 

Fringe Benefits

FICA is paid by the employee and matched by the School District. Temporary workers do not qualify for employee benefits.

Adopted:

Revised: March 2005, July 2008, April 2011, February 2017, July 2024, July 2025