New School Nurse: Steps for Year One

During the first few weeks of school, your School Nurse Mentor will be helping you to become familiar with your school/district/state procedures, policies, and requirements. S/he will help assure that you have completed the certification process and understand what you will need to do to attain the basic school nurse certificate. Working with your mentor you will complete the mentoring and induction process to earn the continuing license. S/he will introduce you to other staff members and assist you with securing the resources that you may need to set up your health room to be effective in your new position.

Some of the ways a School Nurse Mentor will assist you:

• Provide 1:1 coaching for Mentoring Years 1 and 2
• Familiarize you with school, district and state policies and procedures
• Show you the School Nurse Regulations
• Answer burning questions
• Help you in securing needed materials and supplies
• See that you have the appropriate technology, books, and professional material
• Discuss specific guidelines, responsibilities, and events that are unique to your building and school population
• Help you with electronic documentation and other important files
• Identify locations in the school that you will need to know - library, cafeteria, playground, and others
• Assure that you understand emergency policies and procedures
• Help you familiarize yourself with medication and treatment protocols
• Introduce you to DEEDs, PDMS and DPAS II
• Set up your mentoring portfolio and Mentoring Years

Ask questions, get clarifications, and ask for assistance when needed. The purpose of the program is not only to help you professionally, but to assure that you have the support that you need to be successful.

The goal of the Comprehensive Induction Program (CIP) is to introduce and familiarize each new school nurse with a unique and specialized area of nursing. The purpose of this year is to help you to get a clear picture of your health room, school, and community environment. Nursing standards require that all nurses reflect on their practice, self-evaluate, and work on improvements of professional performance.

Documents Used in Mentoring Year One

1. School Nurse Orientation Checklists (I-III)

   These lists were created by Delaware School Nurses as a way to trigger discussion and information sharing as part of the orientation and induction of school nurses.

   • Orientation I is to be completed before the start of the school year or immediately after hire.
   • Orientation II is to be completed within two (2) weeks after Orientation I.
   • Orientation III is to be completed within two (2) weeks after Orientation II.

   Include completed copies of each Orientation Checklist in your portfolio.

2. New School Nurse School and District Resources Form

   This is a list of individuals and contact information in many areas of the school community. Your Mentor will help you with this form. It will be a great resource. A copy must be included in your portfolio.

3. Mentor Formative Observation Logs

   These documents are to be completed by your Mentor during your observations. You will be given a copy of the log. The observations are to be a non-evaluative collection of data for reflection and improvement of practice. Copies must be included in your portfolio.

4. Formative Feedback Discussion Logs

   (to be filled out by the Mentor)

   These documents are to be completed as you and your mentor discuss your practice after each observation. You will be given a copy of the discussion log. This document is to celebrate your successes, identify your challenges, and determine what support and resources you may need to become more effective. Please note that this feedback document is not a formal evaluation. Copies must be included in your portfolio.

Procedural Steps for Four Observations and Follow-Up Discussions

Arrange with your Mentor to discuss how and when your school nurse practice will be observed. The Mentor will record notes of what he/she sees and hears during a minimum of 30 minutes.

Your Mentor will schedule a meeting soon after your observation. At that meeting, the Mentor will complete the discussion log as you discuss and review your current practice. At that point, you will be asked to choose one area of your practice as for the next School Health Practice observation. An example might be medication administration, because you noted that the students missed doses, came late, or your documentation was lax. At the conclusion of this meeting, you and your Mentor should determine any needs and/or resources you may want related to this area of practice and agree as to how and when they will be provided.

You should plan on refining your skills in the selected component for a period of 2 to 4 weeks. As you implement your plan, note changes that you see. If you implement the plan and feel that things are still challenging, let your Mentor know at once so that s/he can assist you.

• Schedule a second observation date with your Mentor. Again, if appropriate, you may video this session. During that time the focus is on the component of focus that you selected.
• Meet with your Mentor to complete the second discussion log and any notes or questions that you wish to share. Decide if this area of practice needs more changes or concentrated practice.

You will observe an experienced school nurse(s) for a full day. This observation can be divided into two half-day sessions, and should take place during the school day. This session is an opportunity for the novice school nurse to observe the daily functioning of an established school health office. You will be asked to enter your observations into a discussion board on Schoology.

After completing the online screening module, print out the screening checklist and schedule a screening observation with your mentor. The screening checklist should be completed in conjunction with the screening observation.

At this point you will determine your next steps in the induction program process. If performance is in the "proficient" range you should move on to another area in which you need practice. If you still identify areas as "basic," you may want to refine your practice in these areas while working with your Mentor. Your Mentor is there to provide support and feedback. S/he may see improvement in the component you selected, but may want you to consider refining other areas before you move forward. Such suggestions are made to help assure that you are ultimately successful in your practice and in the formal evaluation by your administrator. However, in the end, it is your decision as to whether you continue to work on this area or move on.

Sign Out

At the end of this year one, you are to complete the Verification of Services form. This should not be done while you and your mentor are meeting. This is a personal statement. You only need to check the statements and sign the form. There is an opportunity for you to note any concerns that you may have. It is important that you be honest about your feelings. Send this form, with copies of the year one documents, to the Site Coordinator and keep a copy in your portfolio.

New Nurse Documentation Collection

The basic documents should be kept in a portfolio (A binder labeled Comprehensive Induction Program for School Nurses) that must be kept for four years after the first Continuing License is issued. It is recommended that the portfolio become part of the nurse's permanent professional file.

Year One Documentation To Be Placed In The "CIP For School Nurses" Portfolio:

• School Nurse Orientation Checklists (I-III) These lists were created by Delaware School Nurses as a way to trigger discussion and information sharing as part of the orientation and mentoring of school nurses
• Orientation I is to be completed before the start of the school year or immediately after hire.
• Orientation II is to be completed within two (2) weeks after Orientation I.
• Orientation III is to be completed within two (2) weeks after Orientation II.
• New School Nurse School and District Resources Form
• Two Mentor Formative Observation logs
• Two Mentor Formative Feedback Discussion Logs with notes
• Screening Checklists
• Schoology posting following observation of an experienced school nurse
• Verification of Services Form: New School Nurse - CIP Year One
• Verification of Services Form: School Nurse Mentor - CIP Year One
• CIP Year One Check-Out Form
• End of the Year Survey

The DEEDs certification of completion for CIP Year One must be included in the portfolio.

Important Information

If you move to another district/charter school during the period of time when you hold an Initial License, you are required to present the specified documents related to each of the CIP Years. Failure to provide the documentation may result in your not securing a position or being required to repeat some or all of the missing paperwork. Nurses must complete the school nurse certification coursework within 2 years from date of hire. Once this coursework is completed, DOE will issue a certificate. A copy of this certificate is to be included in the portfolio.

After each of the first four years of school nursing, the new nurse's portfolio should contain copies of his/her summative DPAS II evaluations. School Nurses moving from the Initial License to a Continuing License with more than one (1) unsatisfactory DPAS annual summative evaluation during the period of initial licensure are ineligible to be issued a Continuing License. Failure to meet this requirement may result in a required extension of the Initial License or the inability to secure a Continuing License.

Please verify with your Mentor to assure that you are moving through the correct path of evaluation. You are to receive a summative evaluation at the end of each of your three years on the Initial License. A lesson analysis or informal observation is not a summative evaluation. In the event that administration does not provide you with a summative evaluation at the end of the year you should notify your nurse Mentor and the Site Coordinator. Clarify your expected completion date with district HR and certification office.