| Learning Objective #1: Describe differences and similarities in the perceptions of the school nurse's role between school nurses and superintendents | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Describe recommendations for redesigning the role of the school nurse to better serve health needs of school-age children |
The researchers collaborated with two former school superintendents to design a statewide survey to investigate similarities and differences in the perception of superintendents and school nurses regarding the role of the school nurse. Seventy-four percent of school nurses and 53% of superintendents surveyed responded to questions regarding the amount of time spent in various activities of assessment, care delivery, planning, health education, communication, data management, and other activities. They also provided estimates of how much time nurses should spend in these activities, rated the importance of the activities to the mission of the school, and whether the activity to be delegated to non-nursing personnel. Nurses reported spending most of their time in such activities as maintaining records, managing immunizations, administering first aid, assessing minor complaints, and performing screenings. These activities were also rated by the superintendents as the most time intensive. Superintendents and school nurses also agreed on which activities should be given more time. These included policy development, classroom health education, conducting health fairs, professional development, and health promotion. They also agreed on activities that take up more time than they should. These included inspecting head lice, assessing minor complaints, managing immunizations, and maintaining records.
Some recommendations include: design and use a nurse-friendly data management system, reevaluate current job descriptions for ways to allow the nurse to increase time on activities deemed most important, support time for professional development, and delegate non-essential nursing tasks to other school personnel.
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