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 says, “School nurses promote a healthy and safe school environment. School nurses care for the entire school population—students and staff.”
Here are a few of the ways school nurses help keep the whole school healthy:
Mental Health Support
Mental health concerns are high for students, parents, and teachers. Mental Health America’s 2023 Youth Data survey reports that 11.5% of youth, totals over 2.7 million, have severe mental health issues. Since students spend so much of their waking hours at school, designated individuals must be on campus to help them with mental health-related issues.
However, 77% of counties in the U.S. lack school behavioral health professionals, as The National Council for Behavioral Health reported. Meaning in some cases, school nurses have had to fill in the gaps in services.
School nurses can play a vital role in early intervention since mental health challenges can sometimes manifest with physical symptoms and behavioral changes. This is especially common in children and teens. School nurses can be trained to recognize these warning signs and work hand in hand with school counselors (if available) and the student’s teachers and family.
Chronic Condition Management
Beyond basic first aid, nurses also help children manage chronic conditions at school. In the U.S., more than 40% of school-aged children and teens have at least one chronic health condition. These conditions can disrupt a student’s learning if not managed well.
Fully certified nurses can administer medication and treatments to ensure the student remains healthy and can attend classes. The nurse can also liaise with the student’s parents, teachers, and potentially even pediatricians to ensure all the student’s needs are met. Additionally, school nurses can help teach students how to manage their health, especially in secondary school settings, independently.
In some cases, a school nurse could be the first to notice an unknown health concern with a student, ensuring they get outside medical attention if needed. They are the all-around, on-site medical staff.
Health Education
School nurses not only help students with immediate health concerns but can also educate students on various health and wellness topics such as proper nutrition, substance abuse prevention, hygiene, and puberty.
This type of education is crucial to help students better understand their health and wellness and encourage them to make healthier choices. By promoting healthy behaviors, school nurses are contributing to the overall well-being of the student population.
Staff Wellness Programs
With the growing emphasis on staff well-being in the education industry and beyond, school nurses are also tasked with implementing employee wellness programs. The programs often focus on initiatives around physical health and stress management, including helping with access to general and mental health services and encouraging active and healthy lifestyles with fitness challenges, nutritional eating challenges, mindfulness seminars, and more.
These programs are becoming more critical for improving staff retention and productivity, decreasing employee absenteeism, and decreasing healthcare costs. And ultimately, supporting the well-being of the staff, by extension, helps keep the well-being of the students.
Financial Benefits of Nursing Programs in Schools
Besides these occupational benefits, nursing programs can also have financial benefits for the school and its families and staff. A solid nursing program in place was found to reduce medical care costs and productivity losses for parents and teachers in a study of the cost-benefit of school health services in a Massachusetts school district.
In other words, school nursing has broader benefits than just keeping students and staff healthy, and it’s increasingly important for school districts to have nursing professionals on staff.
We foresee that the school nurse’s role will continue to change as our society’s overall expectations for school services and education shift.
- Evolution of School Nurses - September 1, 2023