Locating and following a student's health plan accurately when the nurse is unavailable.
At a glance
When: A health-related situation arises and the nurse is unavailable.
Remember: The competence is knowing the edge of your training and escalating there. 'Best judgment' is not a substitute for training.
What strong practice looks like — and why.
The scenario you saw
A student has a health plan you haven't been formally trained on. A health-related situation arises and the nurse is unavailable. What do you do?
Before you read on — what would you do here? Picture your move, then reveal how strong practice handles it.
You find the health plan, read it, and follow it. If something in the moment falls outside what you can handle safely, you get an administrator — you don't improvise on health.
Why this works
On health, 'best judgment' and 'ask whoever seems experienced' are both forms of improvising — and improvising is exactly what a health plan exists to prevent. The plan is the authorized procedure, so you find it, read it, and follow it. The competence isn't knowing every condition; it's knowing the edge of your training and getting an administrator the moment the situation crosses it. Acting within the plan and escalating past it are the same skill.
What to look for
Recall is where it sticks — a few quick scenarios.
Reading is useful, but recall is where it sticks. Three short scenarios, low-stakes, no scoring — about 3 minutes. You can stop any time.
Start the practice set →Short on time? Start with the first one.
Scope & safety
Health procedures you haven't been trained on are outside your scope — follow the written plan and get the nurse or an administrator the moment anything exceeds it. 'Best judgment' is not a substitute for training on a medical task.
IRIS Center (Vanderbilt)
IRIS Center module covering student health conditions in school, the paraprofessional's role in following individual health plans, and when to escalate to the school nurse.