The evidence is growing that school-based telehealth provides opportunities to address student barriers to accessing health care. The lack of school nursing services impacts student health in school communities without a school nurse. School Nurse-Led Telehealth can extend the reach of an onsite school nurse to schools with and without a school nurse, but it is not a replacement. Explore NASN's new education brief, Advancing Equity in School Health Services: School Nurse-Led Telehealth, to learn about the benefits, misconceptions, implications, and more.

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Join us for the next Meet the Editor web series meeting on November 2, 2023, at 3:30 PM ET. During this interactive meeting, Dr. Martha Dewey Bergren will host JOSN Associate Editor of Practice Scholarship, Heide Cygan, who will provide tips for authors and field comments and questions. You will learn intentional strategies that support writing, the mechanics of a Writing Accountability Group, and the elements of a personal writing accountability plan. Register now.

School nurses are ideally positioned to affect a community's health by advocating for prevention and emergency response standards in the school setting. The NASN School Nurse article "Cardiac Emergency Response Plan: Is Your School Prepared" reviews the incidence of sudden cardiac arrest, discusses the latest guidance regarding preventive cardiac screening questions for all children, and shares how one school district implemented a CERP using readily available resources.

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Related Resources: Course: Cardiac Emergency Preparedness - The Role of the School Nurse in Leading a Multidisciplinary Team Free for NASN members! 

Listen to the JOSN October Podcast, where Martha Dewey Bergren, editor of JOSN, interviews author Felesia Bowen to discuss the article "Education is a Social Determinant of Health (SDOH): School Nurses Level the Playing Field." Adequate funding of school health and school nurses is imperative to elevate school nursing salaries, attract nurses to the specialty, and ensure full-time nursing services are available to all children in all communities.

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This section highlights news stories featuring NASN and school nurses. If you have a story about school nurses you'd like us to consider including, please send it to us.

• A Third of Schools Don’t Have a Nurse. Here’s Why That’s a Problem. (Source: cbsnews.com)
• Blazer Faculty, Staff’s Actions Commended (Source: dailyindependent.com)
• School Nurse Recognized for Effort (Source: catawbacountync.gov)
• New Nurse Arrives at Hillman Schools Next Week (Source: thealpenanews.com)
• Strong Public Schools and Better Health Outcomes Go Hand-In-Hand (Source: desotocountynews.com)
• School Nurses Gathered From Across the State to Discuss Health Equity (Source: delawarepublic.org)
• Narcan Is Being Used More Frequently in Washington Schools as Fentanyl Crisis Grows (Source: kgw.com)
• Northeast Nodaway Is a Heart Safe School (Source: nodawaynews.com)
• New Jersey School to Adopt Southside ISD’s Teddy Bear CPR Program (Source: wpde.com)

As a school nurse, you play a critical role in identifying children with chronic illnesses such as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) and Long COVID (Post-COVID Conditions [PCC]). The NASN NCPD program, ME/CFS and Long-COVID: The School Nurse Role in Identifying Children with Chronic Illness, is designed to help you understand your role and responsibilities in identifying the symptoms, referring students for further medical evaluation, and the health and academic impacts experienced by students. 

Related Resources:

• CDC's ME/CFS program announces its new CME course, ME/CFS Diagnosis and Management in the Age of COVID-19: Expert Insights. The goal of this CME activity is for learners to better diagnose and manage ME/CFS in persons with ME/CFS-like symptoms and comorbidities, including post-COVID-19 condition (a.k.a. "Long COVID"). CDC has partnered with Medscape to offer five CME activities for healthcare providers.

• The School Nurse-Led Active Surveillance Manual guides school nurses in establishing surveillance to identify and track conditions like ME/CFS.

Join Leadership Exchange for Adolescent Health Promotion's (LEAHP) webinar 2023 Youth Panel: Highlighting the Impact of Youth Voice on October 24 at 4 PM ET, which will highlight youth-led efforts and organizations, their models and histories, and a case study into a youth-led research project on the effects of racial and ethnic identity in the classroom.

International Infection Prevention Week #IIPW, October 15-21, celebrates the fundamentals of infection prevention and the basics that keep us all safe. Learn more.

Related Resources: The Reducing the Risk of Pathogen Transmission in Indoor Environments: Focus on K-12 Schools and COVID-19 session highlights effective methods to prevent communicable disease transmission. Presented at Virtual NASN2022 and now available in the NASN Learning Center, this session will help you learn more about forms of transmission, reasons surfaces are important in infectious disease transmission, and areas to "target for disinfection" in your school. This educational activity is free for NASN members!

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) invites you to the second annual National Summit on K-12 School Safety and Security November 1-2, 2023. The free online event brings together thousands of school safety leaders nationwide to discuss current safety concerns and share valuable resources, programs, and expertise. Learn more and register.

School nurses, your wellbeing matters, and researchers at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing want to hear from you! They are conducting a short online survey to better understand loneliness and burnout among school nurses. You can participate by clicking here or scanning the QR code. If you have questions, please get in touch with Rachel E. Wood at [email protected]

Over the last few months, CMS has released several new resources to help partners share information about Medicaid and CHIP renewals with their communities, focusing on school-based and early education settings, faith-based organizations, and special populations. Find the resources on the Outreach and Educational Resources Page on Medicaid.gov/Unwinding.

• Illinois Association of School Nurses 66th Annual Conference - Building for the Future: Emergency Preparedness, Advocacy, and Leadership - October 20-21, 2023. Learn more and Register

• Oregon School Nurses Association Fall Conference - At the Heart of School Nursing - November 3, 2023. Learn more and Register

• School Nurse Organization of Minnesota Fall Conference - Elevating School Nurse Practice - November 3-4, 2023. Learn more and Register



• Colorado Association of School Nurses 2023 Fall Conference - Mastering Self-Efficacy: A Key to School Nursing Success - November 3-5, 2023. Learn more and Register

• Virginia Association of School Nurses 37th Annual Fall Conference - Connect, Engage and Energize for Well-Being! - November 4-5, 2023. Learn more and Register

• West Virginia Association of School Nurses 2023 Fall Conference - Coming Together as One - November 9-11, 2023. Learn more and Register

• Indiana Association of School Nurses Conference 2023 - THE TIME IS NOW - November 15-16, 2023. Learn more and Register

NASN Calendar of Events

This calendar includes upcoming events hosted by NASN and NASN affiliate school nurse organizations. Access the calendar.

National Health Observances Calendar

This calendar lists special days, weeks, or months dedicated to raising awareness about important health topics. Access the 2023 calendar. 

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