Job Overview

Position: Nurse Aid

Smart Start Academy

Category: Teacher

Reports To: Head Teacher

Department: Nursery

Start Date: January 2025

Smart Start Academy (SSA) is an independent, private day school located in Mbezi Juu in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Our mission is to foster and facilitate the intellectual and social development of young children, creating a foundation for lifelong learning. SSA offers rigorous academic programmes for ages up to 6 years with a wide range of extra-curricular activities.

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Our mission is to develop through effective partnerships with our local community, strong academic results, and a well-balanced curriculum which allows students to explore their passions and interests.
At SSA we place student learning and their health at our highest priority. We are responsible for ensuring effective learning in a context in which students feel understood, safe, and confident.

Job Title: Nurse Aid

Provide the holistic well-being of students ages up to 6 years by providing compassionate healthcare and emotional support within a nurturing educational environment. By integrating clinical expertise with counselling skills, this is a pivotal role in promoting physical health, mental wellness, and resilience among students, thereby fostering a conducive atmosphere for learning and personal growth. Through proactive health assessments, targeted interventions, and collaborative partnerships with parents, staff, and the wider community, the Nurse / Counsellor strives to empower students to thrive academically, emotionally, and socially, laying the foundation for lifelong health and success. In so doing, you will assess and identify students’ needs, then implement and monitor the student’s medical plan and further treatment.

Professional Competencies:

• Excellent communication skills for interacting with children, coworkers, and parents/guardians in spoken and written form.
• Comprehensive understanding of universal hygiene standards and ability to implements and monitor standard excellence.
• Understand standards and procedures to ensure the delivery of quality medical care for students.
• Organizing and providing care and treatments to students, always respecting the rules of hygiene, safety, comfort, dignity, medical secret and student confidentiality.
• Maintain a calm, helpful demeanour and respect interactions with staff, students and students’ families.
• Nurses must be precise in ensuring that students are given the correct treatments, in the right dosages and at the right times.
• In addition, they must pay attention to seemingly small details (like minor student symptoms, or allergies), and ask questions to ensure nothing is missed

Personal Attributes:

•  Collaborative team player, empathetic listener with integrity and confidentiality.
• Works with a professional manner within a collaborative multidisciplinary team environment.
• Emotionally intelligent and responsiveness to feedback.
• Flexible and capable of managing growth and instilling high standards.
• Willingness to learn and grow alongside students.
• Adept in multilingual settings, spirited, pioneering, professional and nurturing.
• Effective time management skills and the ability to multitask.
• Nurses must be detail-oriented, as many of the situations they handle can be a matter of life or death.

Responsibilities:

• Health Assessment and Care: Conduct regular health assessments for students aged upto 6, including monitoring growth and development, administering medications as prescribed and providing basic first aid when necessary. Understand, promote, implement and follow up the universal hygiene standards and precautions, infection control, ensuring high standards of hygiene inside and outside the classroom.
• Emotional Support and Counselling: Offer emotional support and counselling services to students, addressing issues such as anxiety, stress, and behavioral concerns. Implement appropriate therapeutic interventions to support students’ mental well-being.
•  Health Education: Develop and deliver health education programs for students, focusing on topics such as hygiene and nutrition. Collaborate with teachers to integrate health promotion activities into the curriculum.
• Collaboration with Parents and Guardians: Communicate with parents and guardians regarding students’ health and well-being, including providing updates on health assessments, offering guidance on health-related matters, and facilitating referrals to external healthcare providers when necessary.
• Record Keeping: Maintain accurate and confidential records of students’ health assessments, counselling sessions, and medical treatments. Ensure compliance with relevant privacy regulations and school policies.
• Staff Training and Support: Provide training and support to school staff on topics related to health promotion, first aid, and mental health awareness. Offer guidance and consultation to teachers and administrators regarding students’ health concerns. Supervise the quality of cleanliness by the cleaners.
• Health Promotion Initiatives: Plan and implement health promotion initiatives within the school community, such as vaccination campaigns, health screenings, and wellness events. Collaborate with external partners to enhance the impact of these initiatives.
• Emergency Response Effectiveness: Assess the timeliness and appropriateness of responses to medical emergencies within the school environment, including the successful management of critical incidents and the implementation of follow-up measures. Be prepared to respond to medical emergencies within the school environment, providing immediate care and coordinating with emergency services as needed. Offer support to staff and students during crisis situations.
• Staff Preparedness: Gauge the level of preparedness and confidence among school staff in handling health-related issues and emergencies, as evidenced by participation in training sessions and adherence to established protocols.
• Community Engagement Impact: Evaluate the impact of health promotion initiatives and community engagement efforts on the broader school community, including increased access to healthcare resources and heightened awareness of health-related issues.
• Professional Development: Stay updated on current best practices in nursing and counselling through continuing education, professional conferences, and relevant literature. Seek opportunities for professional growth and skill enhancement.

Also ensure the following is routinely done.

• Adherence to all appropriate medical protocols and procedures.
• Register as soon as possible the consumption of drugs in the tally sheet.
• Assessing, observing, and speaking to students.
• Recording details and symptoms of student medical history and current health.
• Administering medications and treatments, then monitoring students for side effects and reactions.
• Performing wound care, such as cleaning and bandaging the student.
• Operating and monitoring medical equipment in the school dispensing room.
• Educating students and family members where necessary on treatment and care, as well as answering their questions during medication.
• Develop health plans for students with chronic diseases and disabilities.
• Detect health challenges in early stages through regular screening.
• Update student medical history.
• Ensure the school environment is safe for students and school staff (Example prevention of communicable disease).
• Ensure compliance with national and local health laws and regulations.
• Do any other duties assigned to you by the head of teacher.

Requirements and Skills:

• Holding certificate or Diploma in Clinical Medicine, Nursing or related field
• Valid nursing license in Tanzania such as Enrolled Nurse (EN) or Registered Nurse (RN)
• Formal training in counselling
• Minimum of 3 years of experience as a school nurse or in a similar role.
• Strong communication skills and ability to work collaboratively with others.
• Knowledge of school health policies and regulations.
• Ability to work independently and make sound medical decisions.

How to Apply:

If you are passionate about making a difference in the lives of young children and meet the qualifications listed above, we would love to hear from you. Please send your CV, certificates, transcripts and cover letter to [email protected].

Competitive terms of employment with an attractive salary package including excellent professional development will be offered to the right candidate.

This is a chance to educate and shape the futures of some of the loveliest children and young people you will ever meet and shaping the future, one student at a time!

SSA is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity.

All employment is decided based on qualifications, merit, and school needs.