School Nursing on CBS Early Show Monday AM

[bergren]

Sally Schoessler, BSN, MSEd, RN, SNT, who will serve as Interim Executive Director at NASN when Amy Garcia moves to ANA later this month, will be appearing on CBS Early Show on Monday AM. She was asked to speak to the issues that were outlined in the recent issue of Parenting Magazine about the Mears family tragedy and school nurses.

Sally joined the National Association of School Nurses staff as Director of Nursing Education last Summer after serving as the Executive Director of the New York Statewide School Health Services Center. In New York, she led a team that provides technical assistance and professional development for school health professionals. Sally has over 15 years of school health experience in public and private, elementary and secondary settings. She is an expert in many school health areas, including management of allergies, care planning, and web-based resources. She speaks on school nursing issues at the local, state and national level.

Here is the link to the article.

parenting.com/article/school-nurse-shortage (no longer available)

[ImThatGuy, BSN, RN]

How is there a shortage of school nurses? It seems like the job nurses would be lined up to do.

[Jolie, BSN]

There isn't a shortage of school nurses. There is a shortage of schools which employ a nurse on a full-time or even a part-time basis.

Standards for nursing in the school setting differ greatly from state to state. Some states have no requirement for the presence of a nurse, others set nurse:student ratios or establish a minimum number of hours of nursing service per school year.

Education requirements also vary by state and even district to district within a state. Some require school nurses to be certified by the State Board of Education, a process which involves post BSN coursework and internship. Others require nurses to hold a Bachelor's Degree, others set no education requirements beyond holding a nursing license.

Most schools rely at least partially on non-healthcare professionals such as teachers and secretaries to administer meds and treatments, respond to emergencies and provide other health related services during the school day.

[ImThatGuy, BSN, RN]

oh ok

[Purple_Scrubs, BSN, RN]

In my district there is a shortage. We have had openings on an ongoing basis for years and have never been fully staffed. The pay is on the teacher scale, which is less than most experienced hospital nurses make with shift diff and all that, so it is hard to get nurses hired on over here.