Health Promotion Ideas

Flare, ASN, BSN · Nov 3, 2015

I've partnered up with local dentists to do little assemblies for the kids (especially the little ones) about oral hygiene. The dentists are usually happy to send a dental assistant and some tooth brushes as it's free advertising for them and it's a free easy assembly for us. I've also been trying to get together with the dietitian as my local supermarket to talk to the middle schoolers about making good choices in their diets. I know they heard this a million times, yet they all seem to think that Doritos and frozen freeze is a fine lunch (then come to me 45 minutes later with a stomach ache - but it couldn't have been their lunch!!)

MrNurse(x2), ADN · Nov 3, 2015

NAMI.org has programs to lessen the stigma of mental illness, one for students, one for staff. I do short health related announcements at morning meeting (school wide start to the day) on topics like hand washing, lice control, infection control.

LMTCBnurse · Nov 4, 2015

I work with Pre-K and K students, we do hand washing, proper sneezing, and coughing techniques in the fall.

In Dec I plan to talk about why it is important to know what different colored fruits are good for and how they help us. The kids and staff will wear a different color each day of the week for 5 days,symbolizing different fruits.

In Feb every class talks to the dentist about tooth care and sugar content in foods and drinks. Each student gets a tooth brush to take home.

In April I will have the Bat Cave come visit. They will talk to the kids about bats in our area (and explain bats in general). Then the students can put on 3 D glasses and walk through the bat cave.

We will end the year in May with a Milk Mustache Monday. All the students will make up their own mustache out of construction paper and tape it on to wear in to the cafeteria while eating lunch.

JenTheSchoolRN, BSN, RN · Nov 4, 2015

This year, I am teaching health to grades 7-12, including sex ed to 7th, 8th, and 10th. (Broken down into quarter teaching blocks.) I am a certified sex educator, which I know most sex nurses are not and I advocated for the health curriculum as I work towards my official certification as a full-fledged health teacher.

It is nice to get out of my office one class period a day :).

100kids, BSN, RN · Nov 4, 2015

I teach Health to our K-6 students so I get 1 class period with each of them per week for this. I really love it! I teach about the different body systems and keeping them healthy, I do hand-washing and hygiene lessons each year, we discuss dental health and oftentimes we have a local dentist and hygienist come in to show some tools hand out toothbrushes and discuss teeth and the dentist. Last year I even had the Kindergarten class brush their teeth in class. They LOVED that! I go from physical to social to emotional health throughout the year and find that as much as I love it, the kids do too! It's great to get out of my office for that time too!

Last year, I started a Thanksgiving Food Drive and Christmas Giving Tree for families in our school who needed help at Thanksgiving and Christmas. They were both A LOT of work, more than I imagined but they were such rewarding experiences as well. I had 1 child last year whose family needed much more help with food, resources, rent, etc. and I helped connect them with some local groups that could help as well.

I have a lot of job responsibilities that fall outside of the scope of Nursing (attendance, dismissal, whatever anyone else doesn't know what to do with...) because I'm in a very small school but School Nurse and teaching Health are the main ones.

100kids, BSN, RN · Nov 4, 2015

This year, I am teaching health to grades 7-12, including sex ed to 7th, 8th, and 10th. (Broken down into quarter teaching blocks.) I am a certified sex educator, which I know most sex nurses are not and I advocated for the health curriculum as I work towards my official certification as a full-fledged health teacher.
It is nice to get out of my office one class period a day :).

Are you hoping to do Health Teaching full time in the future?

JenTheSchoolRN, BSN, RN · Nov 5, 2015

Are you hoping to do Health Teaching full time in the future?

Probably not as I like actually seeing kids in my office as well. But I like keeping my options open.

I also noticed a typo....sex nurse, lol! This week is kicking my behind a bit...is it Friday yet?

Finally2008 · Nov 5, 2015

Haha! I saw the sex nurse and thought, "Well, I know we nurses can do a lot in our field..." :sarcastic:

NutmeggeRN, BSN · Nov 6, 2015

.....I know most sex nurses .....

Fell out of my chair!!!! Thanks for the laugh!!!

JenTheSchoolRN, BSN, RN · Nov 6, 2015

Fell out of my chair!!!! Thanks for the laugh!!!

I aim to please.

I will say that since starting my sex ed unit with 10th graders on Tuesday, I have already had a couple of kids visit to ask follow-up sex health questions once they realize I can answer 'em! So maybe I am a sex nurse...