suggestions on ativities for a school nurse

bergren · May 15, 2003

I think a good place for you to start, rather than listing activities, is to become familiar with Comprenensive school health programs. From that framework, you can design a program that best meets the needs of your school community.

Health Education: A curriculum that addresses the physical, mental, emotional and social dimensions of health. It allows students to develop and demonstrate increasingly sophisticated health-related knowledge, attitudes, skills, and practices. The curriculum includes a variety of topics such as personal health, family health, community health, consumer health, environmental health, sexuality education, mental and emotional health, injury prevention and safety, nutrition, prevention and control of disease, and substance use and abuse.

Physical Education: A curriculum that provides cognitive content and learning experiences in a variety of activity areas such as basic movement skills; physical fitness; rhythms and dance; games; team, dual, and individual sports; tumbling and gymnastics; and aquatics. Quality physical education should promote, through a variety of planned physical activities, each student's optimum physical, mental, emotional, and social development, and should promote activities and sports that all students enjoy and can pursue throughout their lives.

Health Services: Services provided for students to appraise, protect, and promote health. These services are designed to ensure access or referral to primary health care services or both, foster appropriate use of primary health care services, prevent and control communicable disease and other health problems, provide emergency care for illness or injury, promote and provide optimum sanitary conditions for a safe school facility and school environment, and provide educational and counseling opportunities for promoting and maintaining individual, family, and community health. Qualified professionals such as physicians, nurses, dentists, health educators, and other allied health personnel provide these services.

Nutrition Services: Access to a variety of nutritious and appealing meals that accommodate the health and nutrition needs of all students. School nutrition programs reflect the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans and other criteria to achieve nutrition integrity. The school nutrition services offer students a learning laboratory for classroom nutrition and health education, and serve as a resource for linkages with nutrition-related community services.

Health Promotion for Staff: Opportunities for school staff to improve their health status through activities such as health assessments, health education and health-related fitness activities. These opportunities encourage school staff to pursue a healthy lifestyle that contributes to their improved health status, improved morale, and a greater personal commitment to the school's overall coordinated health program. This personal commitment often transfers into greater commitment to the health of students and creates positive role modeling. Health promotion activities have improved productivity, decreased absenteeism, and reduced health insurance costs.

Counseling and Psychological Services: Services provided to improve students' mental, emotional, and social health. These services include individual and group assessments, interventions, and referrals. Organizational assessment and consultation skills of counselors and psychologists contribute not only to the health of students but also to the health of the school environment.

Healthy School Environment: The physical and aesthetic surroundings and the psychosocial climate and culture of the school. Factors that influence the physical environment include the school building and the area surrounding it, any biological or chemical agents that are detrimental to health, and physical conditions such as temperature, noise, and lighting. The psychological environment includes the physical, emotional, and social conditions that affect the well-being of students and staff.

Parent/Community Involvement: An integrated school, parent, and community approach for enhancing the health and well-being of students. School health advisory councils, coalitions, and broadly based constituencies for school health can build support for school health program efforts. Schools actively solicit parent involvement and engage community resources and services to respond more effectively to the health-related needs of students.

There are some good resources on the web:

Phillipines:

http://www.microsoft.com/philippines/pressroom/pr003_2003.htm

Canada's program:

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hppb/children/english/

CDC's DASH program for adolescents:

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/about/school_health.htm

Wisconsin:

http://www.dhfs.state.wi.us/dph_bcdhp/cshp/library.HTM

washi_ian · Aug 20, 2004

I am a school nurse of 2 years in a certain college in the Philippines having all levels,tertiary,secondary,elementary and kinder.I have been trying to think of activities for the school,apart from the routinary functions of a school nurse.Can anybody help me? The president of this college is expecting to have different activities for the entire school year,and I'm really bain storming for any great and fruitful activities.
Thanx in anticipation!

Two years in a university is not easy for you , I would say. I may be able to give you suggestions on the activities that you needed. One is be aware of the health programs that the DOH has on every month. Reach for any NGos that may contribute on a medical mission in your school. Or during february. its a heart monthe so try to have some activities on nutrition to maintain a healthy heart. Let students have contests for slogans, poster making contests egtc.

Or get a Health assessment per scheduled dates of every levels. I think these may be all for now.

good luuck!!

bergren · Aug 20, 2004

There are lots of health promotion activites that you can find on the internet for these age groups. You should first do a needs assessment to find out what the health promotion needs are for your community:

Is it fitness, smoking prevention, stress, sleep problems, etc? You can find guidelines on how to do a needs assessment in many community helath books.

The CDC has a great plan (free!) that you could adapt to your environment.

School Health Index. Schools can use the Index as a self-assessment and planning tool to improve the effectiveness of their health and safety policies and programs. : http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/shi/

I typed "health promotion schools" into Google and came up with all kinds of links:

Department of Education, Employment & Training, Victoria http://www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/hps/

Irish Southern Health Board

http://www.shb.ie/class142196545.cfm

You could also check the archives of this bulletin board and the School Nurse Listserv for ideas: http://www.escribe.com/health/schoolnurse/index.html

I am a school nurse of 2 years in a certain college in the Philippines having all levels,tertiary,secondary,elementary and kinder.I have been trying to think of activities for the school,apart from the routinary functions of a school nurse.Can anybody help me? The president of this college is expecting to have different activities for the entire school year,and I'm really bain storming for any great and fruitful activities.
Thanx in anticipation!