School Infirmary and Student Health Program Planning Checklist
Use this free checklist to plan a new school infirmary or review an existing student health program. It is a planning guide, not legal advice — confirm your board's and state's current requirements from official sources.
1. Understand your needs
- Total enrolment, age range and number of campuses or buildings.
- Day school or boarding; school hours and after-school activities.
- Distance and travel time to the nearest hospital with paediatric care.
- Students with known conditions (asthma, allergies, diabetes, epilepsy) — numbers only, not names.
- What health support the school already has, and what is missing.
- Your board's and state's current requirements, checked from official sources.
2. Agree the scope of care
- Write down what the infirmary will handle (minor injuries, fever, rest, authorised medicines).
- Write down what it will not handle and when a child goes home or to hospital.
- Agree who can authorise medicines and how parents give written consent.
- Decide whether a doctor is available by teleconsultation or visit.
3. Plan the room
- Ground-floor, step-free location close to play areas and the gate.
- Rest bed or couch with a privacy screen; isolation space for a feverish child if possible.
- Hand-washing facility, good ventilation and lighting.
- Lockable medicine cabinet and labelled storage.
- Desk and secure storage for records; emergency numbers displayed.
4. Equipment by category
- First aid: dressings, bandages, splints, gloves, cold packs.
- Assessment: thermometer, BP monitor, pulse oximeter, weighing scale, height measure.
- Hygiene: soap, sanitiser, disinfectant, clinical waste disposal.
- Transfer: stretcher or wheelchair, or a documented safe-transfer plan.
- Review stock and expiry dates monthly; keep a replenishment log.
5. Staffing and training
- Choose a staffing model (full-time nurse, nurse + teleconsult doctor, part-time).
- Written protocols and a daily handover routine.
- Named escalation contacts and backups for every role.
- First-aid awareness for teachers, PE staff and transport staff.
- Check qualifications and registration of clinical staff and keep copies.
6. Records and privacy
- Log every visit: time, complaint, action taken, parent informed.
- Incident forms for injuries and serious events.
- Consent forms for screening and medicines.
- Access control: who can see health records and why.
- Retention period and how parents can request corrections.
7. Screening, sessions and follow-up
- Annual student health checkup with an agreed scope per grade.
- Private reports to parents; aggregate summary to leadership.
- A follow-up list for referrals, tracked with parental consent.
- Health awareness sessions planned across the year.
- Counselling and referral pathway for wellbeing concerns.
8. Review
- Monthly: stock, expiry, cleanliness, contacts.
- Each term: visit patterns, incidents, drills.
- Each year: full plan review, staffing and screening scope.
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