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It’s a special NASN-VERSARY!  NASN at  50!    

(Pronounced “nas-un-VUR-suh-ree”)

Does the school nurse job description in your setting end with “and other duties as assigned by the Principal?” It is lunch time at school and a student shows up at your door because he has orange juice down the front of his shirt and pants.  As the keeper of the clothes closet, irritation may creep into your thoughts while you help two students with diabetes check their blood sugar and one has a reading of 58.  Isn’t there anyone else who can help the student find new clothes? You have a master’s degree in nursing and this isn’t what you learned in school, you think.  The young man’s big brown eyes look at you sadly pleading, and you ask him to wait.   Triage, after all…   The young lady with a blood sugar of 58 is given 15 grams of fast acting carbs and you turn your attention to the young man while still observing the student with diabetes.  As you look closer you see orange juice also made it into his hair.  Quietly, with tears brimming in his eyes, he says, “Brian poured juice on me”.    The complex role of the school nurse…. How do we define our role?

By the mid-20th century, no less than five national groups offered guidance on the duties of the school nurse.  These included the:

• American Nurses Association, [Division of Public Health Nurses-School Nurse Council],
• American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation [School Nurse Council],
• American School Health Association [School Nurse Committee],
• National Education Association [School Nurse Council], and the
• American Medical Association  (Zaiger, 2006).

In addition, school administrators directed school health services, individual state organizations described the school nurse role, and practice guidelines in state laws and regulations affected practice.  Available funding limited resources for school health services causing further confusion.  It is no wonder the expectations and understanding of the school nurse’s role was varied and unclear; over extended in some areas and underutilized in others. 

The leadership of the southern section of the California School Nurse Organization introduced the concept of a national organization dedicated to school nursing within National Education Association (NEA). Three years later the NEA Representative Assembly voted to establish the Department of School Nurses (DSN) on July 4, 1968.  The goal of the DSN was to “stimulate increasingly effective school nursing services and thereby strengthen our nation’s education process through improvement of the health status of children and youth” (Department of School Nurses NEA Project, Purposes and Objectives, June 1965).  The first publication by the new group addressed the core services provided by school nurses, “Standards for School Nurse Services” in an attempt to address the role confusion and expectations of the school nurse.  In 1978, the Department of School Nurses became the National Association of School Nurses.

NASN at 50!   Join us as we celebrate this milestone in NASN history, share our successes and learn from our past over the course of the next year.  The 50th Anniversary Committee describes this notable historical event in its vision:

To celebrate #NASNat50, we are now collecting oral and written stories from our members through SchoolNurseNet and social media.  We want you to share your NASN experience.  The fiber of experiences and connections from our members weave the strong foundation that is NASN. Together we are a force, growing communities that promote the health and well-being of students well into the future. 

The official kick off celebration begins June 29, 2018 with a party sponsored by School Health at the 50th Annual NASN Conference in Baltimore, MD.  We hope you will join school nurses from around the country and the world to celebrate this momentous occasion and attend the 50th NASN Conference.  Events planned at the conference include a full display of past and present visionary leaders and the narrative recorded throughout NASN history.  Articles in NASN School Nurse during our anniversary year will reflect on our past, celebrate the present and anticipate our future. 

To support the 50th Anniversary’s vision to grow communities that promote health, the Committee recommended that a sustainable affiliate leadership program, as outlined in the 2017-2020 NASN Strategic Plan, kick-off during the 50th Anniversary Year.  The Leadership Program begins June 29, 2018 in Baltimore with affiliate leaders.  The committee also recommended that information gathered in our historical review be used to help guide our future.  History can help us see that the opportunities and the barriers we face have been addressed by those who have come before us and our solutions are similar to solutions used in the past (Zaiger, 2006).  What do we repeat and where do we use innovation to enhance and support our complex role and the changing needs of the students in our care?   

Oh…, and what about our little boy who needs a change of clothes in the midst of a busy school nurse’s day?  Every school nurse sees the underlying message and need in this young man’s dilemma.  That’s what school nurses do.

Join all NASN members as we examine the POWER OF THE PAST, CELEBRATE THE PRESENT, and look towards the FORCE OF THE FUTURE!

Add your stories and join the

year-long celebration of NASN.

Beth Mattey, MSN, RN, NCSN

Chair,  NASN 50th Anniversary Committee

NASN President 2015-2017

50th Anniversary Committee Members:

Members: Kim Bartholomew-OR, NASN Board of Directors; Robin Cogan-NJ; Laurie Combe-TX, NASN President-elect; Catherine Davis-AL; Kay Duncan-NE;  Nina Fekaris-OR, NASN President; Laurie Fleming-NH, NASN Board of Directors; Jeanne Kiefner-NJ; Keisha Major-MD, NASN Board of Directors;  Lynne Meadows-GA, NASN Board of Directors; Lindsey Minchella-IN; Linda Wolfe-DE, NASN President 2001-2003; Sue Zacharski-MI, NASN Vice President.

Corporate Members: Vanessa Cole-School Nurse Supply; Don Salvucci-School Health; LaTanya Whitman-MacGill;

NASN Staff: Donna Mazyck, NASN Executive Director;  Margaret Cellucci; Devin Dinkel;  Danielle Harris; Sherry Latimore-Johnson; Jon Lemich; Erin Maughan 

Reference: 

Zaiger, D. (2006). Historical Perspectives of School Nursing. In Selekman’s School Nursing:  A Comprehensive Text.  F.A. Davis Company: Philadelphia.