School Youth Health Nurse
The Youth Health Nurse works with student, school staff and parent to:
- Address concerns or problems about health and wellbeing
- create a more supportive, healthy school evnironment (a health-promoting school)
- connect people to other support service inside and outside the school
The Youth Health Nurse can see young people in private to talk about:
- health concerns
- relationships
- personal and family problems
- smoking, alcohol or drug use
- sexual health
- healthy skin
- feeling unhappy or stressed
- puberty, growing up
- healthy eating, exercise, weight and eating problems
- getting in touch with the right service
- anything that affects health and wellbeing
Confidentiality
The Youth Health Nurse works in the school but is employed by Queensland Health. The nurse is required to keep information confidential (not talking about it to others) unless the young person agrees the nurse can do otherwise.
However, if the young person the nurse is seeing is at risk of being hurt or hurting someone else, the nurse may need to discuss this information with another service or agency. If the nurse thinks it's best to talk to someone else about the problem, the will usually explain the reasons why and talk with the young person about this.
In most cases, it is best for young people to also talk to their parents about any problems and concerns they have, and the Youth Health Nurse can help them to do this.
Getting the best help for health needs
The Youth Health Nurse is available to talk to anyone about any concerns or problems they may have.
Some problems may be better dealt with by other professionals in the school or community. If the young person agress, the nurse can work with other support staff in the school, or health professionals in the community to help with their problems.
At times it may be best for the young person to see another professional for further assistance e.g Guidance Officer, Doctor, Chaplain, Alcohol and drug counsellor, Psychologist.
As a general rule, the Youth Health Nurse does not provide:
- treatment eg. medications, injections, first-aid
- physical examinations
- ongoing counselling for psychological or educational problems
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