Health and Student Services

We're NEA ESPs and Proud of It!

About Us and Our Work

• 54% of us work with preschool, kindergarten, or elementary level students.
  
• 87% of us work at school buildings.
  
• 65% of us work with special education students.
  
• 85% of us have job responsibilities that involve promoting school safety.
  
• 79% of us work full time.
  
• 82% are married.
  
• Our average age is 47.

We are committed: 9.1 years is the average we have been working in our field. 75% of us plan to stay in the ESP field, and 57% plan to keep our current positions until retirement.

We are important service providers: approximately 30,000 health and student services ESPs work in the nation's K-12 public schools. We make up 3% of the NEA K-12 ESP membership and 1% of the U.S. K-12 ESP work force.

We are well-educated: 73% of us have attended at least some college, and 40% have earned at least a two-year college degree.

We have specific job requirements:

• 72% of our members have to meet specific job requirements for employment. 51% need special coursework, 44% special certificates, 32% college credits, and 30% licenses.
  
• 22% are required to have a two-year college degree. 48% of us take examinations or courses on a regular basis to keep our positions.
  

Our Workplace Conditions and Issues

We need good job descriptions to help ensure we are working within our job classification and legal authority. 14% of us do not have a job description at all.

Among those who do have job descriptions, 41% believe that our job descriptions do not accurately describe the amount of work we do, and 17% think they do not accurately describe what we do. 54% of us have no input into updating or changing our job descriptions. 59% are often or sometimes asked to perform duties outside our job descriptions.

We provide services to students with a wide range of medical problems, from mild aches to chronic disabilities. We are vulnerable to muscle strain and other problems caused by lifting and caring for physically handicapped students.

We dispense medications and perform medical procedures.

We face high workloads and often need more supervision and support.

We like the personal fulfillment we get from our work and the freedom we have to decide how to do our jobs. We'd like better wages and more professional development to help keep our skills up-to-date.

How Can We Help Restore Public Confidence in Public Education? Health and Student Services Members Speak Out:

"Make the public more aware of all the ESPs that are needed to provide education for children and what we do in the schools."

"Make the people of the community know how much we care about their children both in school and by being involved and very visible in the community."

"Maintain a professional image and educate people outside the school system about what schools are doing for our children."

Health and Student Services ESPs: Who We Are

• Licensed Practical Nurses
• Nurses and Health Aides
• Medical Technicians
• Family and Parent Services Aides
• Community Welfare Services Workers
• Nonmanagerial Supervisors