Photo by Ain Media on Scopio

My Philosophy of School Nursing

School nursing is an often misunderstood nursing specialty. The primary value of having a nurse in a school is not for response to ongoing needs; it is to promote health and safety, ultimately with the focus on giving each student their best opportunity to receive an education, as a state of safety and good health is the ideal state for learning to happen.

Children in schools have an environment separate from their own personal lives that should offer an equal opportunity for all students to thrive. While the teachers develop curricula and adapt to meet the learning needs of each student, so does the nurse develop health plans and relationships to ensure each student’s individual physical and mental health needs are met. The school nurse is a public health nurse, and should utilize not only the school but also the surrounding community and its resources to ensure student health and safety. The school nurse should adapt to ensure their practice is evidence-based, and always be alert to how their practices meet the standards of nursing care. Guidance from the Ohio Board of Nursing and from the National Association of School Nurses should act as a reliable guide toward safe, effective, and exceptional school nursing practice. An effective school nurse helps facilitate a child’s growth, health, safety, and education, and be an effective role model and leader in a school.

To be a school nurse is to be an advocate for each child in receiving the best opportunity for education possible. To be a school nurse is to seek out ways to make a difference in children’s lives through the perspective of public health and education.