Have you ever heard a nurse pass judgment on a colleague and say that another nurse isn’t a “real nurse”? Have you noticed some nurses looking down on those who choose to be school nurses or work in home health, dialysis, assisted living, medical offices, or ambulatory surgery? Judgmental attitudes by one group of nurses against another don’t do anyone any favors, but such thinking is all too common. So, given that there are still nurses who think in such old-fashioned ways, what then constitutes a “real nurse” anyway, and how do we know when a nurse is the real deal? (Hint: they’re all the re ..read more

Kimberly McClintick, MSN, RN, the children’s school health coordinator at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska, embarked on a mission in 2018 to elevate the experience of school nurses across the state. Through surveys and conversations, she discovered a crucial need for mentors, particularly in rural communities, where school nurses often find themselves as the sole healthcare provider for an entire district. The lack of support and guidance can leave these nurses feeling overwhelmed. McClintick was determined to bridge this gap and revolutionize the support system for ..read more

It’s back to school time again, which means school nurses are preparing for the year ahead and the challenges and opportunities a new school year will bring. In recent years, the roles and responsibilities of school nurses have evolved. Traditionally, school nurses are tasked with administering first aid and caring for students’ physical health. Still, we are seeing demand for school nurses to manage a broader definition of wellness, including physical and mental health. The new focus is the overall well-being of every student. Plus, they are now helping more than just the students. The CDC sa ..read more

The role of school nurses often has the reputation of being a treater of injuries for rambunctious kids. But they have a more profound impact. Nurses in educational settings contribute to kids’ physical, personal, and social growth. One of the most important ways this is evident is in how school nurses influence the development of students’ health literacy. Health literacy isn’t just about understanding information on wellness matters. Instead, it is discovering information, acting on it, and advocating for oneself to improve quality of life. Therefore, it is vital to encourage these ..read more

Nurse researcher and educator Kasey Jordan, RN, PhD knows the stereotypical image of a school nurse – overworked, underpaid and, over the past two years, often on the front lines of controversial COVID policies. And while those things are true, they aren’t the complete picture, says this Nurse of the Week. “We don’t always present them as these strong, capable expert professionals that they are,” she said. The same could be said for nursing in general – or for any traditionally “female” job. But Jordan sees the power in the interpersonal connections that nurses build with their patie ..read more

At Maine schools soon, the nurse might be ON even if they are not “in.” Communities in the state have been struggling with staffing and workload pressures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the nationwide school nursing shortage, so the Maine Departments of Education and Health and Human Services are partnering with Avel eCare to deliver telehealth nursing services to increase access to nursing services in the state’s public school system. To fund the initiative, the state is using a portion of its COVID-19 federal relief funding to pilot a program with Avel eCare. The eCare School Health pro ..read more

In a mutually beneficial collaboration that allows nursing students to receive experiential instruction, Rutgers University‒Camden is partnering with overburdened school nurses in the Vineland School District, who often function as the main COVID-19 officers in their schools. New Jersey’s 2,500 school nurses play a vital role in keeping students safe and healthy and have faced increased burdens during the pandemic as they fight to keep communities safe. In addition to caring for students, school nurses have been a source of health and safety updates, informing students and families of the late ..read more

School nurses have been on the front lines since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, administering COVID-19 testing, tracking the results and performing contact tracing, among other duties. Underpaid, overworked and overextended, school nurses have been placed in an unsustainable position as “de facto” public health officials for the children under their care—and like actual, appointed public health officials, are frequently on the “frontlines” of community battles being waged over mask requirements, quarantining of infected children, and of course vaccination. However, if they start to feel o ..read more

Last year was a nightmare for nearly everyone in health care. But for school nurses, 2021 has been worse. Since school doors opened this fall, school nurses have been working nonstop on COVID-19 contact tracing and quarantines. In most places, they’ve had to abandon many of their regular duties and add brutal weekend and evening hours to their schedules. Janis Hogan, a 22-year veteran of school nursing (and 2018-19 School Nurse of the Year by the Maine Association of School Nurses), is among them. Her job at Camden Hills Regional High School in Rockport, Maine, has been reduced to COVID-19 con ..read more

Kids at Yreka High School in Siskiyou, California know that one teacher is really looking out for their health. Our Nurse of the Week, BSN Amy Gaither, is a nurse-educator who tends to a very important patient demographic: Yreka High’s teens. Since early 2020, of course, her purview has broadened well beyond the usual adolescent cases of asthma, gym injuries, and Pop Quiz Flu. Gaither still handles those things, naturally, but she has also been disseminating pandemic safety policies and planning logistics with the Siskiyou Department of Health and Board of Education. Then, somehow, she teaches ..read more