Need help preparing for a sub nurse

Specialties School

Published

We have no sub nurse for our school district, and looking to have a few available for emergencies.

Can you please share a list of things you share/provide to the sub? How do they get their orientation? I have several students with health conditions that may need immediate attention, and want to make sure the sub is best prepared.
Also, any tips for finding the best nurse for a sub school nurse would be appreciated!

0 Votes
Specializes in School Nursing.

My school division has our subs orient with a seasoned school nurse at each level, elementary, middle and high school. We have over 85 schools in our division, and each clinic has an RN, which may run their clinic a bit differently than the others. Because of that we have a sub manual in each school. The sub manuals contents are:

General clinic information-where to find things

Who's who- lists of administrators, secretaries, security, custodians, guidance

Bell Schedule

Emergency Info- who calls 911- and protocols for such, notifying parenst etc.

Phone numers and room extentions

List of Health Conditions

Food allergies- I like to have a separate list for this

Students with special medical conditions or treatments

Medication Policies

Student Injury and reports

Impairment Reporting

CPS Referrals and poilicies

Head Injury policy and paperwork

Immunization policies

All of this is kept in a binder in a visable location in the clinic. If you need any other info, let me know!

3 Votes
Specializes in School Nurse, past Med Surge.

Our subs are moms of kiddos in our district or other nurses we know. I don't know that any of them just randomly found the posting on our corporation's page and applied.

Each nurse keeps specific notes on kids in their building about building specifics and the most relevant students or frequent fliers the subs may need to know about. Before they sub we have them sit down with our most senior nurse and go over the computer stuff, HIPAA/FERPA, the corporation's policies, our emergency med protocols, our standing orders... If they choose to, they can sit with any or all of us in our buildings before they sub. We don't go into vaccinations, or any of the other paperwork stuff with them unless they'll be a long term sub.

1 Votes
Specializes in kids.

What Beachy said

I also include Poison Control, Public HEalth, list of kids who are not vaccinated and what they are missing.

1 Votes

We use a staffing agency so we aren't training our subs. I always have sheets prepped in case I'm out for an emergency.

  • I keep a photo list of my daily med/frequent PRN med kids in the front of my medication form binder (parent contact # is already on our forms)
  • I keep a photo list of my asthma/allergy/serious medical condition kids in the front of my asthma/allergy binder (parent contact # is already on our forms)
  • "Map" of office with where supplies are
  • Directions on how to fill out our paperwork
  • Directions on how to use my ice machine
  • My "regular" daily schedule (so they know when my lulls & busy periods are)
  • Policy binder (sticky noted for easy reference)

I've got a lot of resources on my wall by my computer--phone extension list, frequent policies/state laws I reference, class period schedules, poison control #. If I know I'm going to be out I like to phone the nurse who will be here, but the agency we use really knows what they're doing and send great nurses over.

1 Votes
Specializes in School health, Maternal-Newborn.

Hey, I'm a sub, it's what I do ? I go to several school districts and in the beginning I spent a few days at each school, as we added to our list of schools I reduced my orientation time to around 1/2 day-a full day depending on the size of the school and the complexities. I keep a binder with info on each school with me.

When I walk into a nurses office the first thing I want to know is if there are any morning meds or changes to morning meds. I expect changes at the beginning of the year.

The next thing I want is to get signed into the computer unless it's not a computerized school.

If there is a list of medical concerns, especially critical allergies I want to be able to lay hands to that fast

Now I'm going to check out the rest of the regular meds, to get a sense of who's coming when. If your med sheets don't include a time then it's helpful if you leave me a note about when the kiddos turn up so I know when I have to start looking for them if they didn't present on their own. All it really needs to be is "Ginny B 11:15, Tommy C, Liam D and Cassie F all at 11:30" and so forth.

I hope this helps

3 Votes
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