Happy School Nurses Day!

traumaRUs, MSN, APRN

Did you know that only 39% of schools in the US employ full-time school nurses? Did you know that in a recent study it was reported that "nearly half of 5- to 17-year-olds have experienced trauma in the form of at-school victimization. Exposure to trauma increases students’ risk for mental health disorders and school failure." This was in a published article in the Journal of School Nursing. This is just one issue that school nurses encounter. In-school bullying is known to cause trauma that lasts much longer than the school year. School nurses are on the front lines of education from pre-school age thru college-aged students.

Some of the issues that school nurses deal with include:

Asthma which can be a chronic issue with episodic flare-ups requiring
Falls
Other acute medical complaints
Chronic illness
Communication with parents, staff and others in the community
Assessment of social issues
Administer medications
Coordinating screening of hearing, eyesight, weight
Provide healthcare education
Many other duties

So, what skills should a school nurse possess?

Ability to listen and also to be inquisitive
Very familiar with developmental milestones
The ability to explore sensitive issues with tact, understanding and patience.
Ability to stay calm in an emergency.
Record-keeping and organizational skills.

School nurses wear many hats during a day. They must have great communication skills and the ability to get along with many types of people in sometimes very stressful situations. These nurses face many challenges doing their job including:

Students that come from non-English speaking homes
Students that have grave social situations I.e., poverty and food-insecurity
Homeless students
Parental discord
Mental illness in students
Students with severe physical disabilities

The school nurse supports the students in an environment where they spend many hours of their day. As parents, our children are our greatest asset and some of our most vulnerable citizens. The school is often the only supportive place where these children go.

The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) is the organization who provides school nurses with continuing education, conferences, jobs and “is the leading worldwide expert in providing opportunities and programs for school nurses.”

The NASN also tasks school nurses to be advocates. Only school nurses have the insight to educate stakeholders so they know the role of the school nurse role and the different school nurses make in the lives of children. Stakeholders need to know why school nurses are important. School nurses serve students and families and should proactively engage their school community. They encourage school nurses to attend PTO/PTA meetings and engage in the community via their local elected officials.

It takes some very special people to be school nurses. allnurses.com has a very active School Nurse Forum - come and share some of the reasons you are a school nurse. Some of our recent threads have discussed nosebleeds, diabetics in the school, questions about time off/PTO, and essential oil diffusers. Current news is also a hot topic.