School Nursing Today: A Search for New Cheese

Abstract

The practice of school nursing must change with the times. School nurses must develop new leadership and collaborative skills to work within the interdisciplinary school and community teams that will be required to put changes in place. This article defines current trends and their implications for the search for the most efficient and appropriate school health services. It explores preparation and competencies for school nurses, legal and ethical concerns, and financing needed to provide adequate school health services. Many support systems exist today, and new ones are being developed to expand the range of health services provided in schools. The National Association of School Nurses encourages strategic planning for the new school health environment, and the Office of School Health at the University of Colorado provides extensive resources to help school nurses develop and put their plans in place.

Continuing Education: Improving Perceived Competence in School Nurses

“…Igoe (2000) expressed the concern that school nurses may have difficulty staying current because their role includes expanded clinical services. The results suggest that continuing education courses could help meet this need.…”

A Study of School Nurse Job Satisfaction

“…Although several articles and studies have examined the expanded roles and responsibilities of the school nurse (Anderson, 1994; Felton & Keil, 1998; Guilday, 2000; Harvey, 1998; Hootman, 1998; Igoe, 2000; McCarty-Marple, 1994; Periard et al, 1999; Zimmerman, Wagoner, & Kelly, 1996), little research has been conducted on the impact of these multidimensional roles on job satisfaction. Measures of job satisfaction have traditionally focused on factors in the employment setting that are external to the employee.…”

A Journey Through 25 Years of The Journal of School Nursing

“…The new layout will improve the readability and visual attractiveness of the articles” (Denehy, 2000, p. 10). As we entered a new millennium, a series of three articles on the past, present, and future of school nursing were published by recognized leaders in school nursing (Costante 2001a, 2001b; Igoe, 2000; Zaiger, 2000). Other articles of interest during this period included those on herbal medicines, employee wellness programs, smoking cessation programs for adolescents, and certification.…”