NASN school nurse (Print)最新文献

This is the fourth in a series of articles highlighting the practice principles of the refreshed School Nursing Practice Framework. The focus of each article is to provide an in-depth look at each of the principles and emphasize how school nurses can apply them to their daily practice through a Framework mindset. This article explores quality improvement as a core practice principle, reflects on its relevance to current practice, and identifies examples that illustrate quality improvement in daily school nursing practice. Each article in the series will build upon and explore the interconnections between the Framework principles.

The NASN school health data initiative, Every Student Counts! (ESC!), experienced considerable growth during the 2023 to 2024 school year. ESC! is the working name for NASN's National School Health Data Set. Every school, school district and state that benefits from the collection and use of school health and school nurse data is reminded each year to share that data in a manner that demonstrates its value and encourages its use. When school nurses can see the product of participating in a state data initiative they are affirmed in their efforts and others may be motivated to participate. This article is a vehicle for the sharing of the aggregated National School Health Data Set (ESC!) progress for 2023 to 2024. These data are entered by State Data Coordinators who provide support to school nurses in their states and serve as liaisons to NASN for ESC! Opportunities for school nurses who are not yet engaged in the ESC! initiative are included.

School nurse advocacy is an essential role of the school nurse. To date, resources to support school nurse knowledge and action in the area of advocacy have been limited. The National Association of School Nurses has enhanced its efforts to support school nurse advocacy. This article describes the resources, including updated advocacy priorities, a state-specific toolkit, and a "Take Action" center.

Providing recommendations for health education programming is a task well-suited for school nurses who are pediatric experts and well-trusted members of our communities. Using clinical expertise, national and community trends, emerging health risks, and their professional critical thinking skills, school nurses are key members of the team that plans, implements, and evaluates standardized health education curricula. This article highlights important guidelines and resources for school nurses and school health education teams to successfully and confidently conduct health education curriculum evaluations using a standardized feasibility evaluation approach. It emphasizes the importance of addressing the ever-changing risk behaviors of adolescents within health education curricula and the need for school nurses to offer evidence-based recommendations to academic teams based on their unique expertise.

School nurses are vital in addressing food insecurity affecting 6.5 million U.S. households with children, leveraging leadership and care coordination skills to tackle this adverse social determinant of health. As frontline advocates, they can bridge gaps in food access through key strategies: promoting universal school meal programs to ensure stigma-free access to nutritious meals and supporting Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) to sustain families during summer breaks. They can advance produce prescription (PRx) programs for fresh produce access and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)-Ed to boost nutrition literacy. Implementing the Hunger Vital Sign screening tool allows early identification of food insecurity, linking families to SNAP, food pantries, and community resources. By forging partnerships with schools, policymakers, and local organizations, school nurses can integrate care coordination principles to address systemic inequities, improve child nutrition, and foster academic success. Their role as trusted health leaders positions them to drive equitable solutions, ensuring students thrive through holistic, community-centered, school-based interventions.

E-cigarette use among adolescents is rapidly increasing, presenting a significant public health challenge despite the known health risks. This study examines barriers to effective vaping intervention in high schools and explores the pivotal role of school nurses in addressing these challenges. Using a survey of school staff conducted in two rural Title I high schools in Eastern Virginia, the study identifies key obstacles including a lack of preparedness, exclusion from job roles, fear of retaliation, and insufficient administrative support. Findings reveal that a significant portion of school staff feel ill-equipped or unsupported to intervene in student vaping. School nurses, as integral members of the educational health team, are well-positioned to lead efforts to overcome these barriers. Recommendations include enhancing staff training, advocating for supportive policies, and fostering collaborations with community health partners. Addressing these barriers through targeted educational programs and policy changes will increase the efficacy of vaping interventions and promote healthier school environments.

School nurses continue to focus on vaccine compliance and strategies to overcome increased hesitancy after the COVID-19 pandemic. The Santa Fe Public Schools district (SFPS) in New Mexico offers a school-located vaccination clinic (SLVC) through the Vaccines for Children Program (VFC). The SFPS SLVC provided the student population 2,524 vaccines from 2023-2025 and will continue to provide more vaccines through the rest of the 2024-2025 school year and beyond. This article will outline the SFPS SLVC operations, challenges, and recommendations for other districts considering implementing an SLVC. Barriers to vaccine compliance and mitigation strategies including communication enhancements, incentivization, and the role of social media will also be discussed.

School nurses have an important role in planning for the health needs of students on field trips. Students with special health care needs require additional considerations and planning. This article discusses areas to consider and ways to overcome obstacles for students with special health care needs participating in field trips.