School Health Assistants |
A sub-component of the School Nursing Program, School Health Assistants (SHAs) are unlicensed staff working under the direction and supervision of the RN and RN supervisor. Four school districts in Multnomah County receive SHA services as a resolution service. Each participating school receives service for 15 to 32 hours over 3 to 5 days per week.
- Centennial District 3.5 FTE
- Corbett District 0.8 FTE
- Parkrose District 1.7 FTE
- Reynolds District 5.6 FTE
Key Components:
- Provide basic first aid to ill and injured students.
- Administer medications.
- Assist RN with screenings.
- Collect immunization data for assessment by RN and process forms.
- Maintain student health records.
- Provide delegated nursing tasks to students as assigned, trained, and supervised by RNs.
- Refer to RN those students who need more extensive and in-depth nursing services.
Data:
- 56,057 student health room interactions which includes 41,707 illness and injury visits; 12,960 medication administrations.
- Over 90 % of students returned to class; less than 10% of students were sent home.
- Response by trained SHA staff results in referrals to RN for management of ongoing or serious health needs.
- SHAs are better able than medically untrained school staff to discriminate student needs for dismissal from school resulting in fewer students being sent home for illness or injury complaints.
- SHAs are also better able than untrained or distracted school staff to listen to illness complaints and recognize significant indicators needing nursing assessment.
- With the presence of the SHA to attend to presenting health problems, school staff is better able to manage their jobs.
- RNs were able to provide more direct care time to students with the SHA providing clerical (e.g. immunization processing) and first aid assistance.
How beautiful a day can be
When kindness touches it!
~George Elliston
