School nurses strengthen and facilitate the educational process by improving and protecting the health status of children and staff, and by identifying and assisting in the removal or modification of health-related barriers to the learning process for individual children. The status of a student’s health is directly related to the student’s ability to learn.
Today there are around 450 school nurses serving students and staff across the state. They act as care provider, advocate, change agent, and educator. They collaborate with other education and health care professionals to provide optimal school nursing care to the school community.
- Function as a collaborative member of the school staff in all aspects of the school health plan.
- Total health and developmental assessment of students
- Medication in schools
- Health counseling
- Assist in the appropriate placement of students with exceptional chronic health problems (diabetes, asthma, epilepsy, cancer, etc …)
- Assurance of a well-nourished school population
- Prevention and control of communicable diseases
- Emergency Care
- Health instruction
- Serve as School Health Liaison to community agencies and medical care facilities
- Evaluate and continuously improve the school nursing services
These school nurses that are providing health promotion and illness prevention to the students and staff of our State are also ensuring that they have the tools necessary to lead healthy lifestyles.