As school nurses, we are passionate about what we do! We care deeply about the children in our care and find joy in making a difference for our students, families, and communities. If you have any doubt about that, view school nurse testimonials in the Being a School Nurse playlist from NASN. We practice in the education and health worlds and have the privilege of working with students where they live while we view life's issues through the lens of community/public health.
The impact of poverty, lack of access to healthcare, food insecurity, neglect, and abuse are factors that we seek to mitigate for our students and families. It is not only about treating illness, it is about achieving wellness and promoting positive academic outcomes. We celebrate when a student is resilient with healthy coping skills and graduates and leads a successful life. Every day, we find reasons for joy and to celebrate as we see our students become independent and realize their dreams.
Challenges are part of the school nursing experience, including funding sources and high student-to-school nurse ratios. It is important for us to advocate as much for ourselves as for our students. More school nurses result in more students with access to health services. Each and every one of us are leaders of health and wellness in our schools! The Framework for the 21st Century School Nursing PracticeTM clearly defines our practice and enables us to communicate and collaborate with others in the school community to articulate our roles. We must collaborate and communicate with others within our schools to be change agents.
When we use the Framework on a daily basis, we are viewed by educators, administrators, and others as a valuable part of the team who has a positive impact in the lives of everyone in the school and community (NASN School Nurse, 2016).
Mahatma Gandhi said that we should “be the change that we want to see in the world.” We must take an active role in educating ourselves about technology, evidence-based practice, and commit to being lifelong learners. NASN provides these tools and, as part of our professional responsibility, we need to belong to our professional organization. There are standards of practice for school nursing but we know that there are as many different models as there are states. Our practice is evolving and in order to rapidly respond, we need access to current evidence-based care and all of NASN’s resources. This comes with membership in NASN. Being an NASN member is the best resource available for school nurses and it provides us with communication links to our colleagues for additional support and practice advice.
CALL TO ACTION!
As we celebrate National School Nurse Day, May 11, 2016, take the time to identify ONE change from the Framework that you have made, can make, or will make to impact a child and promote Better Health. Better Learning.TM Share your change on Facebook or Twitter. Be sure to include NASN's handle @schoolnurse and the School Nurse Day hashtag #SND2016 in your tweet.
Also, take some time for yourself, relax, meditate, exercise, read a book. Taking care of the caregiver is leading by example. Children look up to you! Congratulations to you, a school nurse, for your dedication to students, families, and staff, in your school communities.
