Health Policy Brief

Health Promotion

Samantha Koens

Western Washington University

Health Policy Brief 2

Increase the amount of Nurses in Schools and Improvement in Wellness

An issue that is being faced in the schools in Washington state is the amount of

children (Kindergarden-12th grade) who are using one single nurse in the school system.

A way to decrease the amount of communicable diseases spread in schools and increase

compliance with chronic conditions at a young age is to increase the amount of school

nurses in schools. When looking at the research, the Council on School Health

recommends that each school have a designated school nurse on campus during school

hours (Magalnick, 2008). Healthy people 2020 also recommends that the use of nursing

staff to follow students K-12 to ensure increased health promotion as students reach

young adulthood.

Background:

What does a school nurse do in a day? School nurses carry a multitude of

responsibilities daily. Increasing numbers of students with chronic illnesses need

management during the school day. Other tasks school nurses perform are, preventative

services, early identification of problems, interventions and referrals to foster health and

educational success (Magalnick, 2016).

Healthy people 2020 recommends a school nurse in each school if possible to

promote wellness and care for children with chronic health issues. On average the

University of Michigan reports that 15-18% of children in the US are living with a

chronic health condition (Boyse, 2012). Children that fit into this category are under the
Health Policy Brief 3

age of 18 and have one of the following: Asthma, Diabetes, Cerebral Palsy, Sickle cell

anemia, cystic fibrosis, cancer, AIDS, Epilepsy, spina bifida, and congenital heart

problems (Boyse, 2012). A majority of these children living with these health conditions

still attend school.

By increasing the amount of school nurses in schools we could increase the

compliance of children with chronic illnesses. More school nurses would also mean that

more children could be seen. School aged children may only be seen for physical

problems but by increasing the amount of school nurses, every child can be seen and

screened for certain health concerns, may they be physical or mental illness. According

the CDC, since school- age children have limited contact with primary care providers,

depression screening and referrals for treatment by school nurses can help to increase

early recognition and intervention for such mental health concerns (Owens-Gary, 2013).

The more children being seen on a regular basis the faster nurses can catch certain issues

that children may be facing. The sooner a problem is caught the faster interventions can

be put into place in order to resolve or improve the current issue.

Health Policy Brief 4

Citations

Boyse, K., RN, Boujaoude, L., MD, & Laundy, J., MD. (2012, November). University of

Michigan Health System. Retrieved February 24, 2017, from

https://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/chronic.htm

Magalnick, H., MD, & Mazyck, D., MS,RN, NCSN. (2008). Role of the School Nurse in

Providing School Health Services. Pediatrics, 121(5), 1052-1056.

doi:10.1542/peds.2008-0382

Owens-Gary, M. D., & Allweiss, P. (2013). Addressing Diabetes and Depression in the

School Setting. NASN School Nurse,28(1), 15-19.

doi:10.1177/1942602x12467650