Raising Sex Trafficking Awareness Among School Nurses

Sex trafficking, a type of human trafficking, has become a public health concern. Sex trafficking is taking place on a large scale in the United States. Children in the United States are at greatest risk. Raising the awareness of healthcare providers about sex trafficking is imperative. An unsung hero that may hold the keys to this awareness in the healthcare profession is the school nurse. The school nurse is trained in many areas, and upholds practice standards, but sex trafficking is not currently included in their repertoire. As nurses, they already hold a trusted position. With education, proper resources, and updated practice standards, the school nurse could be at the forefront of eliminating the untoward effects of sex trafficking among children in the United States

Unlocking the Potential of School Nursing: Keeping Children Healthy, in School, and Ready to Learn

Outlines disparities in school nurse staffing; promising policies and funding strategies; the role of school nurses in the educational, healthcare, and public health systems; and the challenges they face. Calls for better coordination between sectors

Dietz, Elizabeth Liz Oshry

CSU Fresno State, School Nurse Credential, CSN 2019 University of San Francisco, Education - Curriculum & Instruction, Ed.D. 1985 Boston University, Nursing - Community Health, MSN 1974 Cornell University, School of Nursing, BSN 1969 Westbrook College, Liberal Arts, AA 1965https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/erfa_bios/1285/thumbnail.jp

School Nurses' perspectives on the role of the school nurse in health education and health promotion in England: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: The role of the school nurse is complex with many possible elements identified by previous research. The aim of this study is to understand perceptions of the role of the school nurse in order to support school nurses in the delivery of health education. METHODS: The study used an inductive, qualitative research design involving semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Participants were recruited from four NHS trusts across England and final sample size was thirty one school nurses. Three focus groups and two interviews took place in person, and three interviews were over the phone. Data was thematically analysed. RESULTS: School nurses described six main themes. Four themes directly related to the school nurse role: the main roles of a school nurse, school nurses' role in health education, prioritisation of workload and activities, and community work. A further two other themes related to the delivery of health education: the school nursing system and educational resources. CONCLUSIONS: The role of the school nurse in England is very diverse and the school nurse role in health education is primarily to advise and support schools, rather than to directly deliver education. The study identified that tailored public health educational resources are needed to support school nurses

California School Nurse Survey

The purpose of this study was to obtain evidence to support the assumption that school nurses have a positive effect on school attendance and medication administration practices and to hear the voice of the California school nurse. Data from this exploratory, descriptive study came from an online researcher developed survey consisting of both forced choice and open-ended questions completed by California school nurses representing the three major regions of California (Northern, Central, and Southern). The following three research questions guided the study: 1) What is the relationship between school and nurse factors on student outcomes? 2) How valued do California school nurses feel? 3) What makes the California school nurse feel valued? Descriptive statistics and correlations between school nurse and nurse factors and student outcomes were computed for comparability analysis at baseline. Research question three was analyzed qualitatively for themes using a horizontal approach. A total of 382 surveys were utilized for data analysis and these were separated based on region of California. The majority of nurses reported having a method to track attendance and receive referrals for students with frequent absences. The majority also reported that attendance improved after their intervention. The majority of nurses reported that they have guidelines for medication administration; the most common people to administer medications were the health aide or secretary; and no medication errors occurred in the previous month. Of the errors that had occurred, the most common error was a missed dose. Correlations between years of experience as a school nurse, number of students and school sites that the nurse is responsible for and number of medication errors and number of children sent home were non-significant. The majority of school nurses felt extremely valued or valued in their current positions. Nine themes from open ended questions were developed to learn specifically what makes school nurses feel valued. Limitations of this study included the self-report nature of the survey, the large amount of data missing for key questions, and the convenience sample. Discussion for areas of future research is included

A Toolkit to Assist Massachusetts School Nurses Start Elementary School Substance Use Prevention Education Programs

Purpose: Massachusetts currently only mandates fifth-twelfth grade substance use prevention. Literature states it is counter productive to wait until the adolescent years to initiate substance use prevention due to the adolescent developmental stage of social conformity. Starting evidence-based substance use prevention education in early elementary school will arm children with the knowledge and confidence they need to make healthy choices and reduce future high school drug rates. Methods: A toolkit was created to assist Massachusetts elementary school nurses to start a substance use prevention program in their schools/districts. The toolkit was presented and evaluated in January 2018 by the Massachusetts school nurse leaders that attended the five regional school nurse leader meetings. A pre- and post-presentation survey was distributed to 192 school nurse leaders to ascertain if the toolkit was helpful. Results: Out of the 351 school nurse leaders in the Commonwealth, 192 attended the five meetings, 160 completed surveys, and 39 wrote comments. With survey results and written feedback from 11% of Massachusetts school nurse leaders (39 out of 351), the toolkit was edited and improved. The final toolkit was posted February 2018 to the Boston University School Health Institute for Education and Leadership Development website with the endorsement of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Conclusion: Survey analysis revealed that the toolkit presentation increased school nurse leaders’ likelihood of starting an early elementary school substance use prevention program (average mean increase of .825 on a 1-4 Likert Scale)

The role of the school nurse in protecting children and young people from maltreatment: An integrative review of the literature

Objectives. This review aims to describe the role of the school nurse in protecting children and young people from maltreatment by examining the international literature. Child maltreatment is a prevalent issue in global society today and includes physical, emotional and sexual abuse, neglect and exploitation. School nurses are ideally placed to identify and work with children and young people who are at risk of maltreatment through their regular contact with the school community. Design. Integrative literature review incorporating thematic analysis. Data Sources. Electronic databases British Nursing Database, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Medline, PsycInfo, Cochrane Library Database for Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). Search Terms: Role, School Nurse, Child Maltreatment. Review Methods. Initial title and abstract review of 444 studies resulted in 78 studies for full text review. Additional search strategies identified one relevant study. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were employed as follows; (1) study published in the English language, (2) peer-reviewed, (3) primary research, (4) inclusion of school nurses (or equivalent role internationally) in the study sample, and (5) a focus on the role of school nurses in preventing child maltreatment. Studies were appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool for qualitative studies and the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology checklist for mixed-methods and quantitative studies. Findings from the studies were identified, summarised and organised into a summary table, before being analysed thematically. Results. 21 studies met inclusion and quality criteria and were included in the review. Key themes that emerged from the analysis were; supporting the child and family, detective work, working with other professionals, training and supervision, barriers to protecting children and young people from maltreatment and trust. Conclusion. International literature highlights the variety of activities that school nurses may undertake in daily practice to protect children and young people from maltreatment. Several challenges to this role are identified, including time management and building relationships with children and young people. Recommendations for practice and further research are made

The Level of Confidence of School Nurses to Perform 46 Specified School Nursing Services

The newly hired, novice school nurse often transitions from a baccalaureate program or an acute care setting to the school nurse role. This newly hired school nurse may be ill prepared for the wide range of services required in school nursing. The California, coastal school district where this pilot study took place, needed to develop an orientation program for newly hired school nurses. The purpose of the project was to ascertain confidence levels of novice school nurses in performing their new role as compared to experienced nurses. Benner\u27s framework From Novice to Expert was used to guide this study. The data obtained provided a baseline for development and implementation of a training program. Two research questions were asked: What is the novice school nurse\u27s perceived level of confidence (as compared to experienced school nurses) performing 46 specified school nursing services, and what is their overall level of confidence in the school nurse role? This descriptive survey design used a Likert type questionnaire to assess confidence levels. Statistical analyses were performed using the Mann Whitney U test due to the small sample size of 14 school nurses (n = 7 novice and n = 7 experienced). Significant differences were found in 13 of 46 school nurse tasks at the p \u3c .05 level and 15 at p \u3c .10. The novice school nurses were less than confident in 22 of the 46 tasks. An awareness of the services that novice school nurses lack confidence in, will allow for the provision of training and orientation programs that cover services not required in other areas of nursing. Competence in performing these services will improve the quality of nursing services and the health of children

The Associations of the Level of School Wellness Policy Implementation and School Nurse Activities to Weight Status of School Children in Massachusetts

The increase in prevalence of childhood obesity has prompted child health authorities to propose mandates focusing on population health efforts that may be implemented in public schools. In 2010, the federal government passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, reinforcing the 2004 regulations to guide school districts in development and implementation of school wellness policies. The purpose of this secondary data analysis was an examination of the association between implementation of the school wellness policy and school nurse activities to the absolute change in percent of students with body mass index in the obese weight category between the school years 2005-2006 and 2008-2009. The methodological approach used correlational and ordinary least squares regression analyses. The Conceptual Model of Nursing and Health Policy guided this study. The data sources were the Massachusetts Departments of Public Health and Elementary and Secondary Education. Results indicated that school nurse activities were significantly associated with the absolute change in percent of students with body mass index in the obese weight category between the 2005-2006 and 2008-2009 school years. After adjusting for demographic variables, for every point increase in school nurse activities there was 0.16% (p \u3c .05) absolute change in percent obese, indicating a reduction in the percent of students in the obese weight category. The upper fourth quartile school nurse activities was associated with a nearly 3% (p \u3c .05) absolute change in percent of students with body mass index in the obese weight category when compared to the first quartile. The level of implementation of the school wellness policy was not significantly associated with the absolute change in percent of students in the obese weight category during the study years. School nurse ratio and promotional climate for implementation of the school wellness policy were not significantly associated with change in the level of implementation of the school wellness policy or school nurse activities. Childhood obesity is a public health problem that requires a multifactorial approach in treatment. The implications for research are to define, identify and investigate school nurse practices that may be associated with school policy implementation and reduction in childhood obesity