FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 10, 2023
CONTACT: Louise Wilson, MS, BSN, RN, Licensed School Nurse, NCSN
NASSNC President
president@schoolnurseconsultants.org
608-266-8857
NASSNC Releases Action Agendas Calling for School Nurses to Declare Their Nursing Professionalism
Across America
The National Association of State School Nurse Consultants (NASSNC) is challenging school nurses to declare they are Registered Nurses.
Today, the National Association of State School Nurse Consultants (NASSNC) released two action agendas: #1 Declare You are a Registered Nurse and #2 Explain School Nursing to School Administrators. School nurses should claim their professional preparation as Registered Nurses (RN). Using the RN credential documents their expertise and asserts their legal authority to practice professional nursing. School nurses should speak with one voice, universally and consistently using RN in all communication with school staff, parents, and the public. School administrators need to have a better understanding of the breadth and depth of the school nurses’ knowledge and competence. The action agendas provide school nurses with strategies to accomplish both.
The public recognizes and respects the credential of Registered Nurse and understands they are vital healthcare providers. The COVID-19 pandemic spotlighted a range of RN roles from life-savers in hospital critical care to prevention specialists via community mass immunization clinics. As the sole healthcare provider in schools, school nurses provide direct health care services for students with increasingly complex physical and mental health issues as well as being public health champions for the school community.
School nurses are advocates, problem solvers, educators, negotiators, and navigators.
NASSNC is calling for increased:
● Awareness that school nursing is anchored in preparation as an RN.
● Recognition of school nurses as experts at the intersection of health and learning.
● Use of school nurses’ wide range of knowledge and skills to address health-related barriers to learning of individual students and to anticipate population health needs of the school community.
The NASSNC statements can be accessed here.
Louise Wilson, NASSNC President, said today:
“Keeping students in school and ready to learn is an important shared goal of parents and school staff. The National Association of State School Nurse Consultants seeks to raise the awareness of everyone who is invested in children and youth - parents, school staff and, public health partners, healthcare providers, and local and state leaders – of school nurses’ expertise and their significant contributions to the health and educational success of students. School nurses address student health concerns so teachers can teach and students can learn.”
ABOUT NASSNC
The National Association of State School Nurse Consultants is the professional organization that supports the role and work of State School Nurse Consultants across the nation. State School Nurse Consultants serve as the liaison between national, state, and local health and education agencies. State consultants engage all school nurses within states to support clinical school health services and school nursing practice through consultation and technical assistance, continuing education, and support for best practice in the schools. This engagement fosters healthy students, keeping them safe in school, and focused on learning, growing, and development.
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