Healthy Children Learn Better,
School Nurses Make It Happen!
Helpful School Nurse Tip: Nurses have been working in schools for over a century! And although there have been many changes since then, the goal remains the same. The goal is to keep children in school through health promotion, education, and disease prevention. Remember- Students must be healthy to be educated and educated to be healthy.
What is school nursing?
Why are school nurses needed?
Healthy Children Learn Better, School Nurses Make It Happen
Most school nurses have heard the above phrase before and I'm not 100% certain who said it first, so it is difficult to give credit. However, it seems true, right? Healthy children learn better and school nurses make it happen. I bet you're not surprised that over 98% of US children attend school (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019). However, you might be surprised to know that 40% of those children have been diagnosed with a chronic health condition (CDC, 2019). Having a school nurse on campus can help those children attend school safely while remaining in the least restrictive school environment.
This chart is just a partial list- Add diagnoses you have dealt with in the school setting in the comment section below. The severity of each health condition is specific to each child. So, the responsibilities and duties of school nurses changes from one semester to the next and one school year to another school year. Regardless, school nurses must be prepared to care for students with mild health conditions to severe, life threatening health conditions (not to mention health emergencies in the school setting too).
How many nurses are employed by your school district?
How many students are at your school? How many schools do you cover?
These are very common questions among school nurses and the answers seem to vary greatly! Using the recommended ratio provided by NASN- is your school overstaffed, understaffed, or perfectly staffed? Please use the comment section to leave your answer and let us know if you're surprised by your answer? If you feel as though your school and/or school district is understaffed then come up with a plan of action on how you can promote school nursing positions and advocate for more nursing staff within the schools of your school district. Keep in mind that the number of nurses needed could change from school year to school year depending on the required health needs of your students.
- Become certified to screen vision and hearing
- Conduct drug testing for your high school athletic department
- Teach coaches & other staff/students basic first aid and CPR skills
- Support the monthly AED checks
- Provide health education lessons and demonstrations in classrooms
- Complete health reviews as part of the Special Education IEP team
- Collaborate with community professionals to host school wide immunization clinics, physical exams, and dental exams and restorative dental treatment
Benefits of Hiring a Full Time School Nurse
- School Nurses can actually save a school district money!
- School Nurses may be the first health provider to identify a chronic health condition in a student.
- School Nurses can help students manage their chronic health conditions.
- School Nurses help protect the health and safety of both students and staff.
- School Nurses play an important role during public health crises.
School Nurse Resources
CDC, 2020
CDC Healthy Schools, 2021
Illinois State Board of Education, 2014
NASN, 2015
National Center for Education Statistics, 2019
Wang et al (2014)
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