July is here, and summer will be over before you know it — is your educational facility prepared for the year ahead with a fully tested, highly versatile school nurse staffing plan? Even if you think you’re fully prepared, there’s always more that can be done! With that in mind, here are four important factors to consider when it comes to tackling your school nurse staffing plan.
4 Crucial Considerations for Your School Nurse Staffing Strategy
#1: Follow the Latest Covid-19 Protocols
Covid-19 has changed everything. And while you certainly don’t need us to tell you that, it’s important to remember just how the pandemic has changed the way that school nurses and healthcare professionals work on a day-to-day basis.
The CDC has offered up a comprehensive set of information and resources to help school nurses and clinical workers in tackling these new challenges, including advice and tips on self-care. From prevention strategies such as hand hygiene, disinfection and the correct use of masks to the Coronavirus Self-Checker tool, it’s essential guidance for every school nurse staffing plan. You can find it here.
#2: Understand that the Best Strategy Goes Beyond School Nurse Staffing
As critical as it is to make sure that you find the best nurses for your school, it’s important to remember that nurses are just one part of a balanced clinical staffing plan. Schools also need psychologists, PTs and OTs, speech therapists and other professionals — ideally, all balanced together in a comprehensive and scalable workforce strategy.
Instead of placing the burden of finding, hiring, training and managing the payroll for all these workers on your administrative staff, consider turning to a specialized school nurse staffing and clinical workforce solutions provider for assistance with these critical tasks. And if you do turn to an expert for assistance, it’s important to find a staffing partner who provides not just school nurse staffing, but a full complement of other clinical specialists, too.
#3: Get Access to Pre-Screened School Nurses & Clinicians
When you choose to partner with a clinical workforce provider to help manage your school nurse staffing needs, you’ll save your team many hours of sourcing and hiring candidates. In addition, if you choose the right partner, you’ll also be ensuring that the nurses and clinicians you staff are fully screened — including a full background check, as well as for credentialing and licensure.
At CareerStaff, we’re proud to provide pre-screened clinical workers to schools across the United States. We ensure that our nurses and clinicians are thoroughly familiar with applicable federal and state guidelines, in addition to the following qualifications:
School Nursing Professionals
- Active license in state of practice
- Completed & passed appropriate NCLEX exam
- 1+ year of verifiable nursing experience
Physical Therapists
- Active state license in state of practice
- Bachelor’s or Doctorate degree from an accredited program
- Successful completion of the NPTE
- Knowledge of pediatric practices within PT scope
- 3 years of verifiable physical therapy experience
Occupational Therapists
- MS in Occupational Therapy from an accredited program
- Holds an NBCOT certificate
- Active state license in state of practice
- 2 years of verifiable occupational therapy experience
Speech-Language Pathologists
- Active state license/school certification in state of practice
- Clinical fellowship completed
- ASHA certified
- 1 year of SLP experience (clinical fellowships in a school setting qualify)
School Psychologists
- Active school certification in state of practice
- NCSP certification
- Completion of school psych program through an accredited university
- 2 years of verifiable experience as a school psychologist
#4: Be Fully Prepared with Contingency Staff
Even if you don’t need additional clinical workers to round out your school nurse staffing plan for the year ahead, you can still improve your ability to stay fully staffed at all times by partnering with a clinical workforce partner. Just like in any setting, school nurses and clinical workers can get sick, go on maternity leave or request other unexpected leaves of absence.
With a contingency staffing partner, you can make sure you’re prepared with a backup plan in case the unexpected should occur. And with CareerStaff Unlimited, you can rest easy knowing that your clinical staffing partner is standing by with a full network of workers who are fully experienced in educational settings and passionate about working in a school.
Our network of nurses and clinicians includes workers with full- and part-time availability, to best match your specific needs. We specialize in offering the healthcare professionals you need to quickly stabilize your team in case of a vacancy or other absence, planned or unplanned. To learn more about how we can help you meet your school nurse staffing needs, contact us here.
We’re standing by to help at any time — but with summer winding down, it’s a good idea to get the ball rolling soon!