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HRCE School Health Partnership Nurses

Cathy Younker, MN, RN, SHP Clinical Practice Lead

Stacy Bulger, SHP RN

Chrissie Henderson, SHP RN

Jennifer Nelson, SHP RN

Lorianne Peach, SHP RN

Angela Fitzgerald, SHP RN

Julia Parsons, SHP RN

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�School Health Partnership Program (SHP)

The School Health Partnership (SHP) is an integrated partnership between the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD), Regional Centres for Education (RCEs), the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial (CSAP), Nova Scotia Health (NSH), and IWK Health (IWK).

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What is the Goal of the �School Health Partnership Program?

The SHP Program will help ensure every student with healthcare needs has access to an equitable and high-quality education, using an integrated approach to students’ healthcare needs in alignment with the EECD Inclusive Education Policy.

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What is the Objective of the �School Health Partnership Program?

Support students with health conditions who require school staff to support the management and/or emergency care of their condition to attend school and grow in their independence.

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The Role of School Health Partnership Nurses

Coordinate

Resources to enable students to attend school

Advise

On the need for school-based health services and evidence informed practice

Develop

Plans of Care, Teaching resources and Tools

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The Role of School Health Partnership Nurses

Educate

School staff to perform/support health care tasks as outlined in the plan(s) of care and create safe, accessible, and equitable environments.

Support staff training and professional development.

Facilitate

Program planning for students with health care needs

Liaise

Families, school staff, health care partners, and community support

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Misconceptions about SHP Role

SHP Nurses do not provide direct, hands-on medical care for students in school

SHP Nurses can not be the first point of contact for immediate health advice or support during the school day

SHP Nurses are not the same as Public Health Nurses who also provide support to schools

Immunizations, hearing and vison screening, youth health centers

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SHP Referral and Consent Process

All SHP Tienet ‘User Guides’:

1. Consent for SHP Nursing/FAQs

2. Referral for SHP Nursing

https://www.ednet.ns.ca/inschool/home

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Referring to SHP Nursing Service

School staff must obtain signed consent for Nursing services from the student’s parent/guardian BEFORE proceeding with the Nursing referral.

Consent specific to SHP Nursing Services can be found in TIENET under ‘Create Document’ under Health - School/Board/RCE Documents in student’s profile

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Referral to SHP Nurse

Once consent is obtained, a SHP Nursing referral is then submitted in TIENET through ‘Create Document’ in student’s profile.

Please include as many details as possible relevant to support request and send a notification and/or email to the appropriate nurse.

Upon receiving the referral for service, the SHP nurse will triage the referral and respond based on priority, not necessarily the order of receipt.

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SHP Referral Process

SHP is a referral-based service.

SHP can receive referrals via schools, parents/guardians/students or health care providers, but all referrals need to be entered via Tienet.

A SHP referral cannot be entered in Tienet until signed consent is uploaded.

Annual referrals for the same student for the same condition are no longer required.

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Identified Changes to SHP Consent Form/Process

Parents/Guardians/Student meet with Student Planning Team and provide signed consent at school (‘wet signature’) or consent forms are sent home for signatures.

GOLD STANDARD . This not new.

What is new as of 2024:

If parents are unable to meet in person and unable to ‘sign’ consent, ask parents to send an email providing consent- until signed consent can be sent in to school (date of email recorded on consent form uploaded in Tienet or email copy). FAQs still covered by phone or by virtual meeting.

For parents that do not have access to technology, meet with parents over the phone (FAQs still covered over the phone) date of phone call recorded on consent form- until signed consent can be sent into school.

Requesting Consent from Parents/Guardians and Student (when appropriate)

Consent valid from time of signature until Dec 31^st of following calendar year

(for ex. From April 11,2024 until Dec. 31, 2025)

Obtaining SHP Consent

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Identified Changes to SHP Consent Form/Process

Informed SHP Consent - FAQs

*Informed Consent: This includes reviewing the FAQs with the Parents / Guardians / Student as part of the consent process.

Note:

*You cannot make a referral to SHP unless the consent is uploaded into Tienet.

*Consent is uploaded to the ‘Health-School/Board/RCE’ section in TIENET.

*Only one referral required for the same PoC (or health condition) throughout a student’s school years (unless they move RCE/CSAP).

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Key Points

SHP has own TIENET section and own consent form

The consent form must be printed, scanned and uploaded in TIENET

FAQs (part of consent) support ‘informed consent’

Signature is ‘gold standard’, circumstances where email is accepted. Phone call can be accepted on rare occasions.

Consent valid from date of signature until Dec. 31^st of following calendar year.

Cannot make a referral to SHP unless signed consent is in Tienet

Annual referrals for the same condition are no longer required

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Plans of Care

Ideally plans are filled out electronically

Plans can be filled out by SHP nurse or parent/guardian and SHP can help support this.

Once plan is signed and complete, parent/guardians are responsible to promptly communicate any changes in students’ health and Plan of Care with school staff and SHP nurse.

Significant changes to students’ health management at school should be made in collaboration with SHP Nurse as additional training or education may be needed.

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Plans of Care (POC)

An individualized document that outlines the necessary procedures for a student requiring support to manage specific health care need(s) and/or when school staff are required to respond to life-threatening symptoms, as it relates to a student’s medical diagnosis.

Reviewed annually (at minimum) and developed collaboratively to support student independence in managing their health condition to the maximum extent possible.

Stored in TIENET and to be readily available to school staff supporting the student.

Health Plans of Care in TIENET - User Guide

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Plans of Care

Plans of Care must be accessible to all school staff working with the student.

This includes administration, teaching staff, EPAs, and any other staff that works with the student.
School administration or designate is responsible for sharing health information with bus drivers and lunch monitors.
Parents/guardians are responsible for communicating health needs to before/after school care providers

Establish a plan to share health information and plan of care with substitutes, student teachers, and volunteers, as it applies to their role and responsibilities.

�Ideas for making plan of care accessible include:

Ensuring a current plan of care is uploaded to TIENET
Medical binder, Medical board containing health information, care plan, tracking records, resource information sheets
Information should be labelled appropriately, and stored in a safe, accessible, private location

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Health Plans of Care

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Health-School/Board/RCE Documents relevant to SHP TIENET

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Did you know……

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Administration of Medication at School

The Guidelines for the Administration of Medication to Students document is a helpful resource for school staff when a student requires medication to be administered at school.

Guidelines for the Administration of Medication to Students

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Administration of Medication�Provincial Guidelines

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Administration of Medication at School

Two additional forms are required to be completed by parents/guardians and/or staff when medication is required during school hours with staff support. Both are found in TIENET.

Medication Administration Authorization Form
Administration of Medication Record

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Authorization Form and Directions for Medication Administration�

This form is to be completed by a parent/guardian to request that school staff administer medication to a student during school hours or during an approved school activity in the event that medication is required for the student to be able to attend.

This form is valid for the current school year and must be completed annually or when there is a medication change. It will be stored in the student’s record on TIENET and a copy must be available to the staff administering the medication and kept with the Administration of Medication Record.

NOTE: Med Authorization Form is NOT required for Epipen or Glucagon/Baqsimi (diabetes emergency med) or for seizure rescue medications as the authorization/consent is captured in the Plans of Care respectively.

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Administration of Medication Record

This form must be used by school staff to record when they’ve administered and/or monitored the administration of a student’s medication.

A separate record is required for each medication.

A witness or second checker is required prior to administration of certain high alert medications. In some cases this may be two staff members, or in some cases, the student as first check and staff as second.
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Medication Forms

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Administration of Medication�Administration of Medication in Tienet - Quick reference sheet

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Privacy and SHP

Privacy regarding ‘personal information’ is guided by FOIPOP

Privacy regarding ‘personal health information’ is guided by PHIA

The two Privacy Acts do not always complement each other when partners are trying to work collaboratively to support students.

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Why is Privacy complex with SHP?

Practices in EECD, RCEs and CSAP are guided by FOIPOP

Practices in NSH and IWK are guided by PHIA

An example of differences: school staff are required to have signed consent from parents/guardians to share student information, while IWK/NSH staff only require verbal consent and older students can provide their own consent.

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SHP Nursing Communications

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Resources for you

Tienet User Guides iNSchool TIENET User Guides
NSH SHP Library Services Home - School Health Partnership (SHP) - LibGuides at Nova Scotia Health
Health Care Modules
Allergy Aware Module
Managing Diabetes in Schools
Administrators
Student Services
Your School Health Partnership Nurse

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