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AAP recommends full-time nurse in all schools
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The AAP recently released a policy statement calling for a minimum of one full-time registered school nurse in every school across the United States.
“As student health needs became more complex, the school nursing role has expanded to include additional responsibilities,” Anne Sheetz, MPH, RN, former director of school health services for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, said in a press release. “By establishing working relationships with the pediatrician, school nurses can help manage chronic conditions and develop individualized health care plans for each student.”
Breena Welch Holmes
The recommendation calls for one full-time registered nurse in every U.S. school with districtwide medical oversight from a school physician. The policy also encourages pediatricians to ask school-related questions and provide pertinent health information directly to school nurses. Pediatricians also are advised to enter school information directly into electronic health record files, including patient’s school name and primary school contact.
The policy recommends that pediatricians develop a community of support for the management of chronic conditions such as asthma by developing a working relationship with school nurses.
The new statement replaces a previous recommendation made in 2008, which called for one school nurse for every 750 healthy students and one school nurse for every 225 students with special health care needs. The current policy states that this ratio method was inadequate to meet the health care needs of schoolchildren.
“School nursing is one of the most effective ways to keep children healthy and in school and to prevent chronic absenteeism,” Breena Welch Holmes, MD, FAAP, clinical associate professor in the department of pediatrics at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, and chair of the AAP Council on School Health, said in the release. “Pediatricians who work closely with school nurses will serve all of their patients better.” – by David Costill
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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