Back to School Blog Post 2014
Good News and Bad News
It’s the time of year where the school floors are freshly waxed, the school buses are starting to run and noise once again fills the halls of our schools.
There’s good news and there’s bad news.
First the good news: The school year is beginning!
Now the bad news: The school year is beginning . . . are you prepared?
Most jobs in the world work on an annual calendar with no true benchmarks except January 1st or possibly the start of their fiscal year, but for those who work in schools, the year has a definite beginning and end. We have the benefit of embracing a new year every August and September.
. . . the "science and art of school nursing."
Of course there are immunizations records to wade through and outreach to new students with chronic health needs and a million other “back to school” responsibilities. But there’s always a freshness to this time of year - a new year filled with new people, new connections and most importantly, new possibilities.
School nurses are in such a unique position – we are usually the only healthcare professional in the school setting. Within nursing, we practice with autonomy and independence, practicing what our Scope and Standards of School Nursing calls the “science and art of school nursing.” School nurses have the opportunity to approach each school year with an expectation of improving the quality of our practice.
. . . how will you choose to advance your own practice of school nursing?
Our unique nature comes back to the foundation of our practice – the nursing process that we learned forwards and backwards no matter where we were educated as a nurse. As school nurses we assess, determine a nursing diagnosis, plan for outcomes, implement our interventions and constantly evaluate whether we are meeting our student’s health needs. And within this framework, we work to keep students healthy, safe and ready to learn.
Click the image to access the complete infographic poster. Print and display in your office.
So, as you stand on the threshold of this new school year, how will you choose to advance your own practice of school nursing? Will you write one more individualized healthcare plan than you did last year? Will you look for evidence to guide your clinical decisions for your students with chronic health issues? Will you pursue a leadership position within your school or your school nursing organization? Will you advocate for the role of the school nurse to your school’s administration or your legislative representatives?
How will you welcome this new year? Embrace the possibilities - and make it ALL good news!
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Resources:
NASN Back to School Toolkit - http://www.nasn.org/ToolsResources/BacktoSchoolToolkit
Want to connect with other school nurses? SchoolNurseNet - http://schoolnursenet.nasn.org/Home/
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