Institute Nurse job at Holistic Empowerment Development Foundation (HEDF)

Job purpose
To provide safe, confidential and timely first-line nursing care, first aid, health education, referral and follow-up for learners and staff. The Nurse will maintain a healthy learning environment, support emergency preparedness and coordinate appropriately with families, health facilities and public-health authorities.

Regulatory and professional alignment
The post shall be performed within the Nurse’s authorised scope of practice and in accordance with Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council registration and practising-licence requirements, applicable health and medicines laws, infection-prevention standards, occupational safety requirements, safeguarding and data-protection duties, and Institute policies. UVTAB trainer registration does not apply to this non-training role; the Nurse nevertheless supports the health and safety conditions required for effective training and assessment.

Key duties and responsibilities
Clinical assessment first aid and referral

• Assess illness or injury, provide first aid and nursing care within scope, document findings and determine whether return to class, observation or referral is appropriate.
• Stabilise emergencies, activate the emergency-response plan, arrange safe referral and communicate with authorised contacts.
• Follow up referred cases and support safe return to learning in line with clinical advice and reasonable accommodation.
• Recognise and escalate symptoms suggesting serious illness, mental-health crisis, abuse, poisoning or communicable disease.

Medicines supplies and treatment-room management

• Store, administer and record medicines only when legally authorised and supported by valid instructions and institutional procedures.
• Maintain secure stock records, expiry checks, cold-chain arrangements where applicable and timely replenishment of first-aid and clinical supplies.
• Keep the treatment area clean, private, accessible and ready for use, with safe sharps and healthcare-waste disposal.
• Maintain serviceable first-aid kits and emergency information at designated campus locations.

Health promotion and prevention

• Deliver age-appropriate health education on hygiene, nutrition, sexual and reproductive health, menstrual health, substance misuse, mental wellbeing and prevention of communicable disease.
• Support screening, immunisation, outbreak response and public-health activities in coordination with authorised health providers.
• Advise management on sanitation, water safety, food hygiene, ventilation, accessibility and environmental health risks.
• Contribute to staff and learner first-aid awareness and emergency drills.

Safeguarding learner support and confidentiality

• Provide respectful, non-judgmental and confidential care while explaining the limits of confidentiality where safety or law requires disclosure.
• Identify safeguarding concerns and follow the Institute referral and reporting pathway without conducting unauthorised investigations.
• Support learners with chronic conditions or disabilities through documented care and emergency plans agreed with authorised parties.
• Maintain professional boundaries and culturally appropriate care consistent with the Institute’s values.

Records reporting and coordination

• Maintain accurate, secure and retrievable consultation, treatment, referral, incident, medicine and stock records.
• Prepare anonymised trend reports on common health issues, absenteeism, incidents, referrals and resource needs.
• Coordinate with parents or guardians, ambulance services, health facilities, counsellors and public-health teams within approved authority.
• Report notifiable conditions and serious incidents through the legally required and institutional channels.

Person specification
Essential education and professional qualifications

• Diploma in Nursing or a higher nursing qualification from a recognised institution.
• Current registration with the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council in the appropriate professional category.
• Valid annual practising licence and continued eligibility to practise in Uganda.
• Current first-aid and basic life-support competence; certification should be provided where available.

Essential experience

• At least two years of post-qualification clinical nursing experience in a recognised health facility, school, college, community-health programme or comparable setting.
• Practical experience in triage, first aid, referral, infection prevention, confidential record keeping and health education.
• Experience responding calmly to urgent illness or injury and coordinating with external health services.

Preferred qualifications and experience

• Experience in school, adolescent, community, occupational or public-health nursing.
• Training in safeguarding, adolescent health, counselling, mental-health first aid or emergency care.
• Experience supporting learners with chronic conditions, disabilities or individual healthcare plans.

Knowledge and technical competence

• Clinical assessment, first aid, infection prevention, emergency referral and health education within nursing scope of practice.
• Safe medicines handling, stock control, cold chain, sharps management and healthcarewaste disposal.
• Confidentiality, consent, safeguarding, documentation, incident reporting and public-health notification.
• Basic digital records and reporting, Microsoft Office and secure handling of health information.

Behavioural competencies and personal attributes

• Compassionate, calm and respectful approach to learners and staff.
• Sound clinical judgement, attention to detail and willingness to escalate appropriately.
• High integrity, confidentiality, professional boundaries and cultural sensitivity.
• Reliable communication, organisation, teamwork and emergency readiness.

Performance expectations

• Illness and injury are assessed, documented and referred promptly and safely.
• Practising credentials, first-aid readiness, clinical supplies and treatment-room standards remain current.
• Confidential health records, medicine records and incident reports are complete and secure.
• Health education and prevention activities respond to documented learner and staff needs.
• Safeguarding, infection-control and emergency procedures are understood and consistently followed.

• Assess illness or injury, provide first aid and nursing care within scope, document findings and determine whether return to class, observation or referral is appropriate.
• Stabilise emergencies, activate the emergency-response plan, arrange safe referral and communicate with authorised contacts.
• Follow up referred cases and support safe return to learning in line with clinical advice and reasonable accommodation.
• Recognise and escalate symptoms suggesting serious illness, mental-health crisis, abuse, poisoning or communicable disease.
• Store, administer and record medicines only when legally authorised and supported by valid instructions and institutional procedures.
• Maintain secure stock records, expiry checks, cold-chain arrangements where applicable and timely replenishment of first-aid and clinical supplies.
• Keep the treatment area clean, private, accessible and ready for use, with safe sharps and healthcare-waste disposal.
• Maintain serviceable first-aid kits and emergency information at designated campus locations.
• Deliver age-appropriate health education on hygiene, nutrition, sexual and reproductive health, menstrual health, substance misuse, mental wellbeing and prevention of communicable disease.
• Support screening, immunisation, outbreak response and public-health activities in coordination with authorised health providers.
• Advise management on sanitation, water safety, food hygiene, ventilation, accessibility and environmental health risks.
• Contribute to staff and learner first-aid awareness and emergency drills.
• Provide respectful, non-judgmental and confidential care while explaining the limits of confidentiality where safety or law requires disclosure.
• Identify safeguarding concerns and follow the Institute referral and reporting pathway without conducting unauthorised investigations.
• Support learners with chronic conditions or disabilities through documented care and emergency plans agreed with authorised parties.
• Maintain professional boundaries and culturally appropriate care consistent with the Institute’s values.
• Maintain accurate, secure and retrievable consultation, treatment, referral, incident, medicine and stock records.
• Prepare anonymised trend reports on common health issues, absenteeism, incidents, referrals and resource needs.
• Coordinate with parents or guardians, ambulance services, health facilities, counsellors and public-health teams within approved authority.
• Report notifiable conditions and serious incidents through the legally required and institutional channels.

• Clinical assessment
• First aid
• Infection prevention
• Emergency referral
• Health education
• Safe medicines handling
• Stock control
• Cold chain management
• Sharps management
• Healthcare waste disposal
• Confidentiality
• Consent management
• Safeguarding procedures
• Documentation
• Incident reporting
• Public-health notification
• Basic digital records and reporting
• Microsoft Office proficiency
• Secure handling of health information
• Compassionate approach
• Calm demeanor
• Respectful communication
• Sound clinical judgement
• Attention to detail
• Willingness to escalate appropriately
• High integrity
• Professional boundaries
• Cultural sensitivity
• Reliable communication
• Organisation skills
• Teamwork
• Emergency readiness

• Diploma in Nursing or a higher nursing qualification from a recognised institution.
• Current registration with the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council in the appropriate professional category.
• Valid annual practising licence and continued eligibility to practise in Uganda.
• Current first-aid and basic life-support competence; certification should be provided where available.