| The Public School Volunteer Health Care Practitioner Act (s. 381.00593,
F.S.) was enacted during the 2002 legislative session. The goal of
this program is to make a higher quality of health care available in
Florida's public schools by encouraging health care practitioners to
volunteer their services. This program is implemented by the
Department of Health and the Department of Education, in coordination with the "School Health Services Act", s. 381.0056, F.S. Refer to the following statutes for program requirements: |
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| PROVISIONS: |
- Health Care Practitioner means: physician; osteopathic physician;
chiropractic physician; podiatric physician; optometrist; advanced registered nurse
practitioner, registered nurse, or licensed practical nurse; pharmacist; dentist or dental hygienist;
midwife; speech-language pathologist or audiologist; or physical therapist licensed under the
applicable Florida Statute.
- Services are provided, without compensation, in a public school
- Services are intended to complement existing school health services or
increase the level of health care
- During a biennial licensure period, participants must provide at least 80
hours per school year, or 400 hours per school year if retired
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NOTE: A school year is 10 months, excluding holidays.
Services must normally
be provided at the public school campus during the regular school day, as established
by each county school district. |
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REQUIREMENTS: To participate in the program, a health care practitioner must: |
- Have a valid, active Florida license.
- Submit finger prints and have a background screening
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INCENTIVES:
Upon presentation of proof of completion from the school district, the participant
is eligible for: |
- Waiver of the biennial license renewal fee for an active license; and
- Fulfillment of a maximum of 25 percent of the continuing education
hours required for license renewal. Waiver does not apply to
mandatory continuing education hours (HIV/AIDS, Medical Error
Reduction, Domestic Violence), as required by the Board of Nursing
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INFORMATION:
Additional information
regarding volunteer programs can be obtained from the following sources. |
- Licensure
Contact the appropriate Department of Health Medical Board. Each
board can also provide requirements regarding the acceptable proof of completion.
Each school district must certify the volunteer hours performed.
Division of Medical Quality Assurance
- Local School Districts
County school districts may not choose to participate in this
program
due to local issues or limitations (such as liability or self
insurance restrictions, and availability of program funding for
volunteer orientation, scheduling, and supervision of volunteer
staff). Contact the county school district volunteer coordinator
for information. A district volunteer coordinator list is
maintained on the Department of Education, Bureau of Family &
Community Outreach page at
http://www.fldoe.org/family/dvc.asp
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Department of Health
E-mail Warning:
Under Florida law, e-mail
addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address
released in response to a public records request, do not send
electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by
phone or in writing.
School Health Services Program Office: (850) 245-4445; or
HSF_sh_Feedback@doh.state.fl.us
Volunteer Services Program: (850) 245-4104; or DHAT
Volunteer Coordinator
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DOCUMENTATION: The following formats are
provided as models that may be used and modified for local use in
order to document and certify volunteer health care practitioner
hours. |
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