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2015 Year in Review- My Top Ten

By Beth Mattey, MSN, NCSN, RN, FNASN posted 01-03-2016 14:59

  

Happy New Year!    I enjoy reading Top Ten Lists of “The Year in Review” from any number of sources so last year I started my own top ten list.  This year is no exception and I am excited to share my “Top Ten List from 2015!”  I invite all of you to share your Top 10 list and let others know what is important to school nurses.  

Starting at Number 10…the school nurses in my district!   Every day I witness school nurses who are committed to the health of children.   A particular shout out to Melissa Kunz who took over for me as the full time nurse at the high school.   Working with her has been a joy as I watch her connect with students and families to ensure they have access to care. Thank you Melissa and Brandywine District School Nurses! 

9.   This is a two-for-one.  Appreciating technology as I do, I was thrilled as President of the National Association of School Nurses to Chair the October Teleconference Board Meeting to approve the Framework for  21st Century School Nursing Practice  Of course, the highlight is the Framework.   The Framework  articulates the specialty practice of school nursing demonstrating the role is much broader than the tasks of nursing.  And then to have the NASN Board of Directors approve the Framework using 21st Century technology… pretty cool!

8. The School Nurse International Conference in London, England was truly inspirational.   The involvement of young people in the conference was compelling as groups of young people shared the concerns they had as children and adolescents.  The youth told stories of growing up and the support needed from the school nurse.   It was a continuous reminder of why we do what we do.   An absorbing presentation by the World Health Organization on the state of school health around the world was a harbinger of the recent Global School Health Statement.   Again…cool stuff!

7.  NASN Executive Director Donna Mazyck and I attended the 2015 Campaign for Action Summit in Washington, DC where Indiana School Nurse Andrea Tanner was introduced as a 2016 Breakthrough Leader for her work creating a “Culture of Health” in her community.  Andrea is one of only ten nurses in the nation chosen by the Campaign for Action, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and AARP.  Andrea is a terrific representative, actively demonstrating 21st Century School Nursing Practice.

 

 

   

 

 

Susan Reinhard, AARP, Andrea Tanner and Sue Hassmiller, RWJF

 

 

6.   As President of NASN, I have the opportunity to travel to our affiliates, networking with school nurses and sharing the work of NASN.  This year I was fortunate to visit New Mexico, New Hampshire, Tennessee and of course Delaware.  I met with school nurses who are advocates for children, collecting data, sharing information and providing resources for children and families to access care.   I met a school nurse who picked up a serious heart condition in a child and persisted until the child received appropriate care.   School nurses across the country are forming partnerships to integrate health and education as a member of both teams.  Change begins at the local level and school nurse leaders are making it happen.

                                                              

                                                              

 

 

              

5.  I was a guest at the J & J Institute’s School Health Leadership Program Commencement in November.  I was blown away as school nurse teams shared the stories of leadership in their school communities.  The J & J School Health Leadership Program empowers school nurses to recognize the potential and imparts the tools for participants to pursue the possibilities.  The school nurses who attended are from a diverse geographic background as well as diverse practice environments demonstrating that school nurse leaders can overcome potential barriers and initiate sustainable health programs.   It was an inspiring evening. 

4. TWITTER!  TWITTER!  TWITTER!  The power of Twitter is incredible and I encourage all school nurses to join in the conversation.   I think I like it because messages must be clear and concise with a limit of 140 characters.  I can quickly scroll through the Tweets scanning for information of interest when I have a moment. However, there is definitely much more to Twitter- It has the power to cross boundaries and hierarchies establishing a diverse community of sharing, networking and personal learning communities.  Everything about Twitter is a highlight for me but I will try to just list a few here:

  • The School Nurse Twitter Chat in September made 1,026,335 impressions-Talk about promoting student health!   
  • Twitter Inspired Virtual 5K
  • The #HealthySchoolNurse Step Challenge at #NASN2015
  • Twitter Mentors and Twitter sharing at #NASN2015
  • #MembershipMondays and #NASNstrong on Twitter                                            

 

                                                                                              

  #HealthySchoolNurse in Philadelphia                                                                          

 

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  • As I traveled to London, New Mexico, Florida and Washington, D.C., I connected with many others who are “friends” on Twitter, but we had never met.  We had an instant connection, taking networking to a whole new level. 

 

 

 

 

                           

 

  Twitter Friends

  

3.  Students and alumni from Mt. Pleasant High School traveled to the 2015 NASN National Conference in Philadelphia to perform at the banquet on Friday evening.  These students are current or former members of the  “Knights Against Tobacco” and the singing group who travel throughout Delaware promoting our anti-tobacco message.   These young people are incredible leaders who inspire me daily.   It’s hard to express in words the pride and gratitude I felt watching as they shared their message on stage in Philadelphia.  It was a WOW!   Many thanks to the Delaware School Nurse Association for making it a reality and to PASNAP for co-hosting a great conference.

 

2. Of course being inducted as President of NASN ranks near the top of my list.  I marvel at the incredible commitment and dedication of school nurses.  I am honored and humbled to represent this organization, working with current leaders and following the leaders who have come before me.   I can’t possibly mention all of my role models, but know that there are many.   The NASN Board, Officers, committee members and the NASN staff are intelligent, thoughtful, dedicated and hardworking professionals and I appreciate this opportunity to work side-by-side to achieve the vision and mission of NASN.

  

 

 

AND Number 1 are the possibilities that are ahead for student health.   There is a perfect storm brewing where the health of students is front and center.  There is movement for healthcare in general to provide care where people live, work, learn and play.  The Affordable Care Act provides incentives to providers to give quality care at a lower cost by shifting the cost of healthcare to providers.   Healthcare communities are forming integrated care programs with a common mission, a caring collaborative team providing services for consumers in a holistic manner.  The Campaign for Action and the Institute of Medicine are succeeding as they encourage nurses as leaders in the planning and delivery of health care.  We know that school nurses are leaders and health experts in the community- coordinating care, removing barriers to care, and educating students and families.  The 2015 “Every Student Succeeds Act” (ESSA) signed by President Obama includes school nurses in the language of Student Instructional Support Services and directly mentions school nurses providing education in caring for students with chronic conditions.   ESSA provides for an Opportunity Dashboard which includes school nursing services as one measure of school accountability.  



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