SCHEDULE 2 NURSES CLASSIFICATION AND GRADE DESCRIPTORS Nurse Structure Nurse Grade Senior Nurse Grade 3B 4A Grade 4B Definition: Nursing is a health-care service provided to society and practiced in a range of settings. The work includes observation, care, treatment, and counselling; the prevention of illness; and community education to restore and maintain optimal health. To achieve these objectives, the nurse applies specialised knowledge, clinical skills and techniques. Nurses must hold a current Victorian registration as a Division 1 nurse, registered with the Victorian Nursing Council. Post-basic qualifications may be desirable. Functions with minimal supervision in a community setting, such as a school. Delivers nursing services to an allocated roster of schools usually within a defined geographic area. Conducts health assessments on all school entrants with the consent of parents/guardians Acts on referrals by parents, guardians and teachers. Delivers health education and promotion programs in collaboration with school community. Provides health advice and acts as a health resource to the school community. Provides a follow-up service for students where problems or issues have been identified. Conducts work according to relevant departmental nursing policies and in accordance with local rules in the school environment. Functions as a sole health professional in a community setting, such as a school. Participates as a member of the student welfare team to promote a social view of health. Actively promotes primary health care within the education curriculum. Provides information and facilitates links between the school community and relevant primary health care services. Delivers primary health care to people in allocated schools through health education, assessment, support, referral and health promotion activities. Functions as an autonomous sole practitioner through a call centre environment on a 24/7 rostered basis. Delivers professional maternal and child health advice on a statewide basis for families of children up to six years of age. Provides immediate telephone support and professional advice to families experiencing crises and difficulties with children up to six years of age. Promotes and actively links families to local maternal and child services and other locally based support services for families. Performs a senior advisory or project management function associated with the reviewing or developing nursing services in a particular region or on a statewide Provide high-level advice on clinical management or administrative issues in complex nursing environments. Develops systems and manages projects to assist in the management of nursing programs. May coordinate and manage the delivery of specialist nursing services within a region or on a statewide basis. Nurse Structure Nurse Grade Senior
Grade 3B Grade 4A Grade 4B Communication Communicates with a of people in the school environment, the family and other relevant service providers for the purpose of developing and formulating a plan of action for students identified with a health concern. Advocates for objectives that restore and maintain optimal health. Develops, implements and evaluates health education and promotion sessions in response to identified health priorities in the schools. Communicates with a range of people in the school environment, the family and other relevant service providers for the purpose of delivering positive health outcomes for students. Advocates for objectives that restore and maintain optimal health. Communicates with tact and diplomacy with students on sensitive personal issues. Delivers individual health counselling and monitors ongoing health care with students. Delivers a planned evidence-based approach to whole of school health promotion activities that are evaluated. Facilitates group work with students. Communicates with callers, generally parents and other family members to resolve crises being experienced by families that impact on their health and wellbeing. Actively influences and convinces families to pursue specific objectives that restore and maintain optimal health for members of the family. Communicates with tact and diplomacy with families on sensitive personal issues. Motivates, and convinces staff and others to co-operate in achieving difficult and conflicting objectives, such as in reviewing and developing nursing services. Negotiates with stakeholders and peers with the object of gaining co-operation and meeting timelines for delivery of project, service or advice. Initiates and maintains relationships with and senior internal and external stakeholders. Prepares technical reports on nursing issues at an advanced professional level. Focuses on understanding stakeholder issues. Develops briefs on highly complex issues that provide options for discussion and consideration and will contribute to the development of a set of final options for decision.
Nurse Structure Nurse Grade Senior Grade 3B Grade 4A Grade 4B Decision making Accountability and frameworks Governed by established departmental policies and procedures. Resolves complex nursing issues in the school environment by discriminating between ranges of standard courses of action. Uses initiative and judgement to select and apply established procedures and practices to unusual or complex situations. Resolves administrative, management or organisational problems in the school environment by application of accepted practices and standards. Guidance available from peers or nurse manager or is not required by the nature of the nursing issues generally arising. Uses the School Nursing Information System (SNIS) as an effective tool for client record management and activity recording, undertakes assessment and care planning and documents the process in SNIS. Undertakes ‘lan-docking’ processes within the recommended timeframe. Governed by: theoretical frameworks that apply to health promotion, nursing, adolescent development; established departmental policies and procedures; established school policies; secondary school nursing program and professional standards; and secondary school nursing program guidelines. Uses initiative and judgement to select and apply established procedures and practices to unusual or complex situations. Works actively to reduce negative health outcomes and risk taking behaviours such as drug and alcohol misuse, tobacco smoking, eating disorders, obesity, depression, suicide and injuries. Requires considerable interpretation and understanding of health policies and community services to address contemporary health and social issues facing young people and their families. Uses the School Nursing Information System (SNIS) as an effective tool for client record management and activity recording, undertakes assessment and care planning and documents the process in SNIS. Undertakes ‘lan-docking’ processes within the recommended timeframe. Governed by standard health policies and procedures covering maternal and child health issues. Uses initiative and judgement to select and established procedures and practices to unusual or complex situations. Proffers advice on resolving maternal and child health issues where recourse to a physical examination of the mother and child is unavailable. Works actively to reduce negative health outcomes for families with children up to six years of age. Requires considerable interpretation and understanding of maternal and health policies, contemporary issues and community services to which families may be referred. by broad practice and policy guidelines. Makes decisions in situations where there is some, but not definitive, precedent on an issue. Advice and analysis influences nursing policy development. Interprets and applies nursing policies and clinical management practices and provides high-level advice to others on emerging issues. Accountable for work organisation, the allocation of resources within and the outputs required of the work area.