Introducing our new school nurse

Supporting student health and wellbeing

I would like to introduce myself as Carly and I am the new Secondary School Nurse working here at Northcote.  I will be based here at the school on Tuesdays and Fridays.

I am really looking forward to getting to know you and the students and becoming part of the school community.  My role in the school will be to work on a whole-school approach to improving health and wellbeing and also working with individual students that may have health concerns.

The Department of Education and Training (DET) places Secondary School Nurses within Secondary Schools to support the school community to:

• help reduce negative health outcomes and risk-taking behaviours among young people
• support the school in addressing contemporary health and social issues facing young people
• provide appropriate primary health care through professional clinical nursing, including assessment, referral and support
• provide confidential support to young people whilst maintaining duty of care
• support health promotion and primary prevention in secondary schools through identifying and building on existing school initiatives and providing appropriate preventative health care
• support the health and wellbeing needs of their students

Students may self-refer and make appointments to see myself.  Teachers and parents can also request that I meet with a student.  You can make an appointment to see me through the Student Services office in M11. 

A little bit about me: I have a Masters in public health and a vast range of work experience in and outside of the health arena from clinical nursing to running music festivals, from health protection with DHHS – volunteer work in rural Cambodia. I enjoy the outdoors, live music, reading, crochet and I’m obsessed with true crime podcasts.

Carly McLelland