In October 1902, the first school nurse in the United States, Lina Rogers, began a long tradition of providing disease prevention and health promotion to students and their families. Within the first month in that New York City school, the benefits of school nurses delivering health care in schools rapidly spread to other schools and throughout the nation.
Fast forward 110 years to the present, where school nurses continue to deliver health care services in schools. The school nurse has a multi-faceted role within the school setting, one that supports the physical, mental, emotional, and social health of students and their success in the learning process.
Making a Difference
School nurses combine science and caring to make a difference in the lives of students. School nurses collaborate with students, families, school staff, and primary health care providers to provide health care services required in school; screen for health risks and make referrals; promote a healthy and safe school environment through policy and programs; educate individuals groups and the community to promote health and prevent disease; and links the school with community health resources.
Nurse Sally connected with two students at the high school where she worked. Over the years she listened to them and encouraged them during their visits to the health room. Now, years after they graduated, the two former students keep in touch with the school nurse who listened to them and provided health services they required in school.
Nurse Alana worked with students who have life threatening food allergies to develop a student support group. The group meets regularly and helps each other and the school community to learn more about living with allergies.
School nurses are an essential arm of public health, promoting health and preventing injury.
Five Ways a School Nurse Benefits the School
- Attendance – School nurses improve attendance through health promotion, disease prevention and disease management. Students with a full-time school nurse have about half the student illness- or injury-related early releases from school where no school nurse is present.
- Academics – Improved attendance means the healthy student is in the classroom and ready to learn. School nurses enable better academic performance, which also contributes to reducing drop-out rates.
- Time – School nurses save time for principals, teachers and staff. A school nurse in the building saves principals, teachers, and clerical staff a considerable amount of time that they would have spent addressing health concerns of students. A school nurse in the building saves:
- Principals almost an hour a day
- Teachers almost 20 minutes a day
- Clerical staff over 45 minutes a day
- Staff Wellness – School nurses improve the general health of staff. According to school staff reports, principals, teachers, and clerical staff are VERY satisfied with having school nurses in their schools for several reasons:
- Teachers can focus on teaching
- Office staff spend less time calling parents and sending students home
- Healthy staff means increased attendance and productivity
- Accountability – School nurses help schools stay accountable.
- Promoting compliance with federal and state law mitigates law suits
- Advocating for adequate staffing aligns with Healthy People 2020 recommendations of the ratio of one school nurse per 750 well students (1:750)
- Preparing for emergencies saves lives and property
- Addressing student mental health links to academic achievement
Every child deserves a school nurse, every parent deserves a school nurse, and every educator deserves a school nurse!
Take time to visit your school nurse today and learn more from her or him about what goes into keeping students healthy, safe, and ready to learn.
All the best,
Donna Mazyck
Donna Mazyck is Executive Director National Association of School Nurses. She can be reached at [email protected]
The National Association of School Nurses is a non-profit specialty nursing organization, organized in 1968 and incorporated in 1977, representing school nurses exclusively. NASN has over 15,000 members and 51 affiliates, including the District of Columbia and overseas. The mission of the NASN is “to advance the specialty practice of school nursing to improve the health and academic success of all students.” To learn more about the NASN, please visit us on the Web at www.nasn.org.
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