Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Work

Chat with other users about all things related to working life on our Work forum.

School Nurse training

7 replies

TheFairGreyCat · 23/04/2024 17:53

Hi there,
Reaching out for some advice I have an interview for the scphn school nursing course. What I should read up on. If there are any school nurses on here would really appreciate some tips or advice. Feeling quite nervous about it!

OP posts:
Bessogon · 05/09/2024 12:10

For the SCPhN school nursing course, I'd recommend reviewing basic nursing principles, especially those related to school health and pediatric care. Understanding common school health issues, such as managing chronic conditions, promoting mental health, and dealing with emergencies, might also be helpful. Try to find some resources or articles on a school nurse's role in supporting students and the school community.

WhoOfWhoville · 05/09/2024 12:14

There’s an active FB group for HV/SN SCPHN’s and would be SCPHNs x

WhoOfWhoville · 05/09/2024 12:30

You need to be prepared for the fact that 90% if not more of your job is going to be safeguarding, you’ll have a case load of the most vulnerable children either due to ill physical or emotional health or unfortunate factors around their home circumstances - particularly those where the “toxic triad” is at play; parental mental illness, parental substance misuse or parental domestic abuse, or looked after children, etc.

It’s not a “Call the Midwife” type job of vaccinating healthy little people in the dining hall, these days. Unfortunately, and neither is health visiting.

I would read about The Healthy Child Program, ACES (adverse childhood experiences), absolutely brush up on your safeguarding knowledge and your understanding of the Children’s Act 1989, the Department of Educations “Working Together to Safeguard Children” which is statutory guidance, what your mandatory safeguarding/referral responsibilities are, I would look up all of the “Child Death/Serious Case Reviews” from the last 20 years (read the reports and look specifically at what role education/school nurses played in these cases and what they were asked to contribute to the review process) - Victoria Climbie particularly had lots of discussion of school in her review.

Go in with your eyes open, so many people go into SCPHN thinking it’s weighing babies and seeing happy new mums, and school nursing is vaccinating and bumped heads. - it’s absolutely nothing of the sort.

You can make a real difference to some of these children’s lives, but you will need resilience in bucketloads and very open eyes.

WhoOfWhoville · 05/09/2024 12:31

You will normally be asked to prepare a presentation for the interview - don’t half arse it - it’s absolutely critical but also an invaluable opportunity to show off your knowledge and skills.

Shinyandnew1 · 05/09/2024 12:33

You need to be prepared for the fact that 90% if not more of your job is going to be safeguarding,

Agree with this!

WhoOfWhoville · 05/09/2024 12:36

WhoOfWhoville · 05/09/2024 12:30

You need to be prepared for the fact that 90% if not more of your job is going to be safeguarding, you’ll have a case load of the most vulnerable children either due to ill physical or emotional health or unfortunate factors around their home circumstances - particularly those where the “toxic triad” is at play; parental mental illness, parental substance misuse or parental domestic abuse, or looked after children, etc.

It’s not a “Call the Midwife” type job of vaccinating healthy little people in the dining hall, these days. Unfortunately, and neither is health visiting.

I would read about The Healthy Child Program, ACES (adverse childhood experiences), absolutely brush up on your safeguarding knowledge and your understanding of the Children’s Act 1989, the Department of Educations “Working Together to Safeguard Children” which is statutory guidance, what your mandatory safeguarding/referral responsibilities are, I would look up all of the “Child Death/Serious Case Reviews” from the last 20 years (read the reports and look specifically at what role education/school nurses played in these cases and what they were asked to contribute to the review process) - Victoria Climbie particularly had lots of discussion of school in her review.

Go in with your eyes open, so many people go into SCPHN thinking it’s weighing babies and seeing happy new mums, and school nursing is vaccinating and bumped heads. - it’s absolutely nothing of the sort.

You can make a real difference to some of these children’s lives, but you will need resilience in bucketloads and very open eyes.

If you can mention the names of some of the children from the serious case reviews and show that you’ve understand the crucial factors in their cases - what has been learnt by the profession since and the practice changes that have come about this will be an incredible help.

IroAhmad · 12/09/2024 10:48

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page