Per Diem RN & Per Diem LPN/Teacher Assistant

Per Diem RN (Registered Nurse) & LPN/Teacher Assistant for LABBB Collaborative

About Us:
LABBB Collaborative provides educational programming and support services for over 300 special needs students from over 65 districts with nursing needs over 12 months. LABBB serves students ages 3 to 22 years old with a variety of special needs including students on the autism spectrum, students with multi-handicaps, pervasive development disorders, developmental delays, language deficits and social/emotional challenges. The LABBB community has a vision of skill-based instruction that considers the whole student from early childhood to adult living. Our staff is committed to creating a professional working environment through teamwork, communication, and respect. We have a bustling after-school program for those interested in additional hours (hourly rates may vary). We are very excited for you to join us!

About the role:

Seeking an experienced, autonomous Registered Nurse (RN) or LPN/Teacher Assistant to work as a school-based nurse in a substantially separate special needs program, located within a public-school setting. The ideal candidate has the flexibility to work independently as the healthcare provider but still remain a part of the program team. Additionally, the candidate has the understanding and patience to relate to students with different abilities. Experience working in a school-based setting, with special needs students preferred. The job mission is to maintain the health and safety of students. The school nurse will perform school nursing services under the supervision of the Nurse Leader, consistent with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health guidelines, regulations, and statutes governing nursing and school health, as well as local district policies. Responsibilities include program management, nursing services, collaboration, health education, community health, emergency planning, and professional practice.

This is a per diem position that may have you at different locations depending upon the day within the collaborative. You may have to drive within locations that include our programs in Lexington, Arlington, Bedford, Belmont, Burlington & Watertown. You may be helping with screenings in the classroom or supporting in a TA role. Other days, you may be in the health office, providing general and emergency care for students as their needs evolve. 

The roles of the RN and LPN/ Teacher Assistants roles provide primary and emergency health care to students. They also provide nursing services on transportation (i.e. community trips/field trips) This includes direct and indirect nursing care, health maintenance, teaching, counseling, guidance and collaborative planning as supervised by the Collaborative Nurse Leader.  

When not providing nursing care, the LPN/TA fulfills a teaching assistant role and is responsible for providing specialized support to help students engage in learning activities within a substantially separate classroom setting, general education inclusion setting, or within the community as well as assisting special education teachers and specialists throughout each school day. This position is responsible for data collection, developing therapeutic rapport with students in order to effectively de-escalate situations, and assist in providing effective student instruction.

Teaching Assistants actively engage in professional development and follow through with all recommendations put in place by the students’ teams to further the effective support of students. Additionally, this essential team member must demonstrate a positive and caring attitude and must remain flexible and adaptable in order to meet school needs.</p>

Job Requirements:

• Current license to practice as a Licensed Professional Nurse or Registered Nurse in Massachusetts 
• Maintain certification in First Aid, Basic Life Support (BLS) and CPR for healthcare providers
• Valid driver’s license and ability to commute between buildings/programs during the day.
   

Salary Range: $40 per hour for RN (Registered Nurse) & $30 per hour for LPN/Teacher Assistant, commensurate with experience and education. *2025-2026 salary range is for the school year and 4-week summer program.

Responsibilities:

• Student sick visits to the health office, reports to parents and/or physician & provides appropriate follow-up care. Provide emergency nursing care and management for injuries and illnesses to students and staff. Provide health education and anticipatory guidance for students.
• Provide medically prescribed interventions to students, including medication administration (per-state regulations) and PRN interventions.
• Collaborating with school administrators and personnel in assessing and improving the social and emotional climate of students and faculty; involves them in maintaining a healthy school environment.
• Prepare regular written reports for school officials upon request, the school committee, and DPH and other agencies describing the services provided by the program, numbers of students served, and so forth; interprets school health services needs and the role of the school nurse to the school and community.
• Implement communicable disease prevention and infection control based on current guidelines for universal precautions, prevention of bloodborne pathogens exposure, and hazardous medical waste disposal, and coordinate activities with the local board of health.
• Participating as a team member, with parental consent when indicated, shares information with other team members about children with special health care problems which affect their safety, learning and growth; acts as an advocate for the student and family when appropriate.
• Assist students and families, and groups to achieve optimal levels of wellness through health education and promotion. Assumes responsibilities for in-service programs for school personnel including CPR, Automatic external defibrillator use, Medication delegation and Epi-pen use.
• Maintain comprehensive school health records including management of: Individual health encounter reports, Physical exams, Immunizations and new student intake documents.
• Respond to frequently encountered health issues, providing counseling and crisis intervention when required (example: death of a family member, suicide); responds to child neglect or abuse issues.
• Establish a process to identify students at risk for physical and psychosocial problems, communicate health needs to other school personnel as appropriate, and establish a referral system using both internal and community resources
• Perform state mandated school screenings; refer appropriately for abnormal findings and submit data to the DPH within appropriate deadlines.
• Primarily provide school nursing coverage in LABBB Lexington High School but can be required to float/visit all LABBB Programs (Lexington, Arlington, Belmont, Bedford & Burlington)
• Remain on school campus from during school hours or *until all students have been picked up*. Assist with arrival and departure of students.
• Attend field trips with students when nursing support is required.
• Ordering and inventory of supplies and equipment
• Assistance with toileting needs of students as needed.
• Attend to students' personal hygiene and health care needs as outlined in the individual health care plan or according to classroom schedule (teacher direction), e.g., feeds children orally or through gastrointestinal tubes, gives medication as authorized, changes diapers, accompanies students to bathroom, monitors seizure activity provides oxygen, and uses suctioning equipment.
• Properly lifts, transfers and positions students as needed.
• Monitor physical condition of students and communicate changes to the school nurse and lead nurse as necessary.
• Maintain communication with school nurses, lead nurse, teacher, therapists, bus drivers, and other staff members. Communicates with parents as directed by the teacher or lead nurse.
• Maintain classroom records, charts medication given, records student activity and observations of behavior and overall health.
• Assess and respond to emergency situations.
• Prepare instructional materials as requested/directed by the teacher.
• Collect student data and provides it to members of the student’s team (teacher, transition counselor, related service provider)
• Effectively utilize any recommended adaptive equipment for individual students.
• Communicate all significant occurrences to the appropriate supervisor in a respectful and timely manner.
• Support students’ personal care needs which may include activities of daily living (ADL’s) such as communication, toileting, feeding, transferring, self-care, and assistance with mobility including lifting, 
• Supervise students across educational settings including at lunch and in the community.

Physical Demands: Physically capable of carrying out the daily responsibilities of the classroom including (but not limited to): consistently attending, working and standing for long periods of time, transferring students into and out of various equipment, lifting up to 50 pounds, working with students on the floor, moving quickly when needed in response to student behavior, and participating in physical interventions if necessary to keep the student or others in the environment safe.