A Study of Current School Nurse Practice Activities

Abstract

In this paper a survey of activities of school nurses will be described. A brief summary of the history of school nursing is included as an introduction to the analysis of the current activities of school nurses. Five current school nurse activity clusters are identified from findings of a study of activities: physical, supportive, educative, administrative, and clerical. The development and implementation of administrative skills are cited as major challenges for school nurses in the 1980s.

School Nursing Practice Today: Implications for the Future

“…Activities and the corresponding self-ratings of skill have been correlated using the Pearson r, and meaningful clusters of correlation were identified in the original study. Factor analysis of the data for perceptions of ability in the original study provided good replication of the factor structure, providing some evidence for the validity of the instrument (White, 1985).…”

“…School nurses are incorporating administrative skills into their daily practice. When White (1985) conducted her original study over a decade ago, she saw the challenge for school nurses was to "develop administrative expertise that parallels or supplements their proficiency in the areas of health education, supportive intervention, and physical care" (p. 55). In examining the responses of school nurses employed at both the secondary-and elementary-school level, the current study found nurses practicing in all the arenas of school nursing practice: physical care, supportive care, education, and administration.…”

“…Based on a previous study of school nursing practice activities (White, 1985), the researcher-designed questionnaire was used to survey all practicing school nurses in Delaware. The research instrument included 50 activities representing the five content areas defined by White: physical care, clerical, administration, instruction, and facilitation.…”

“…The definition addresses the many aspects that have an impact on a student's life, including health, safety, developmental issues, availability of services, and the influence of the family. White (1985) concluded that the "creative development of school nursing must be built on both the empirical knowledge of current practice and on the empirical recognition of the health needs of students and school systems" (p. 56). The current study assessed the current practices and competence of school nurses as a reflection of empirical knowledge and a measure of professional growth within the specialty.…”

The Level of Confidence of School Nurses to Perform 46 Specified School Nursing Services

“…It was found that the role of the school nurse was health supervisor, direct care provider, health counselor, and health educator. White ( 1985) presented a study of school nurses that found most of school nurse practice time was spent in assessment and providing care for students. A comparison of students', parents', and teachers' perceptions of the school nurse revealed that providing emergency care was ranked as most important by all three groups (Nehls, 1989).…”