CAREERS IN EDUCATION in Software

Making UPC A in Software CAREERS IN EDUCATION

Assistance in management of health conditions through individualized school health care plans Emergency services, such as triage and injury care Case management, particularly for children with special health care needs Community assessment of resources available to students, families, and staff Most school nurses are committed to a wellness approach, promoting prevention rather than practicing remediation Since the passage of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act and its successor, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, school nurses have spent more time consulting with teachers and other school personnel than they did before Children with disabilities often have health problems as well as disabilities In fact, a health problem often causes a disability Nurses serve as members of teams consisting of teachers, special education teachers, administrators, other allied health workers, school social workers, psychologists, parents, and others, that plan IEPs for children with disabilities School nurses also consult on and assist with cases of teenage pregnancy and child abuse They help teachers in classrooms in health matters Registered nurses (RNs) teach health and tness courses and collaborate with other health professionals to promote preventive care They engage in AIDS education, promoting better understanding of the virus and the way in which it is acquired Some school nurses serve as administrators, overseeing the school nurses in a school district Preparation for school nursing varies considerably because of the diversity in requirements from state to state Most school nurses are RNs Most RNs are prepared in two-, three-, or four-year postsecondary programs Some have earned a master s degree or a PhD Many states require school nurses to be certi ed, and most states require them to have a bachelor s degree A few states require school nurses to have both a nurse s license and a teacher s license The American School Health Association and the American Nurses Association also serve school nurses, but NASN is the only organization concerned exclusively with school nurses Nurses consider work in schools attractive employment For the school nurses who work part-time, the prospect of fringe bene ts is dim Full-

time nurses have the insurance, leave, and retirement bene ts in their designated category, teacher or administrator/supervisor In 2001 02 the mean of average salaries for full-time school nurses was $38,221

Occupational Therapists Occupational therapy in schools is designed to enable students to function effectively in the school environment It is a related service made available to help students bene t from the special education program Students with disabilities who qualify for special education may receive occupational therapy services in schools that are supported by state or federal funds The enactment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, and subsequently the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (and amendments), has made schools one of the three most frequent workplaces (along with hospitals and skilled nursing facilities) for occupational therapists In 2000 more than one-quarter of the 100,000 occupational therapy practitioners in the nation worked in schools or other settings with children The occupational therapist in schools may have one or more of three functions:

1 Assessment and evaluation, or identifying a child s strengths and weaknesses in self-care skills and determining the skills that he or she needs to improve in order to function effectively in school 2 Consultation, or helping the IEP team plan a child s treatment 3 Intervention, or directly providing occupational therapy services Some schools employ occupational therapists directly Others contract with outside agencies for occupational therapy services In such instances, children often are bused to hospitals or other facilities for treatment Forty-six states and the District of Columbia require occupational therapists to be licensed Forty-three states require occupational therapy assistants to be licensed The license is issued by a special licensure board, different in each state but usually made up of occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, consumer members, and sometimes other medical professionals The professional organization of occupational therapists is the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) AOTA s Guidelines for Occupational Therapy Services in School Systems (originally published in