School nurses play a pivotal role in the assessment, identification, intervention, referral, and follow-up of students with mental health concerns. School nurses are estimated to spend approximately 33% of their time addressing student mental health concerns. NASN's new NCPD learning module, Enhancing the Capacity of School Nurses to Reduce Student Anxiety, aims to help school nurses enhance their skills and knowledge to identify signs, symptoms, and various interventions to manage anxiety in the school setting. Free for NASN members!

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Related Resources:

• NASN's Consensus Document, Elevating the Role of School Nurses in School-Based Mental and Behavioral Health
• NASN's no-cost NCPD program, Elevating the Role of School Nurses on School Behavioral Healthcare Teams

The December issue of The Journal of School Nursing (JOSN) features several research articles and acknowledges reviewers for their service during the past year. Here are a few highlights:

• An Evaluation of Post-Concussion Return to School Guidelines: A Survey of Massachusetts School Nurses

• School Nurses’ Diabetes-Related Attitudes and Self-efficacy in Diabetes Education and Management

• Application of the Toxic Stress Schema: An Exemplar for School Nurses

Vaccination rates remain low in the 5–11-year-old age group, particularly in Black and Hispanic racial/ethnic groups. The NCPD program, School-Located Vaccination (SLV): Role of School Nurses in Improving Student Vaccination, initially presented at Virtual NASN2022 and now in the NASN Learning Center, provides options for strengthening SLVs focusing on populations with low vaccination rates, methods to increase vaccine confidence, and actionable steps to partner with state or local health departments to implement or expand SLVs. Free for NASN members!

Related Resources: 

• View NASN's School-located Vaccination Position Statement.
• See the NASN School Nurse Supplement on School-Located Vaccination Clinics.
• Access free resources, including flyers, videos, and surveys, on NASN's Champions for School Health project page for information and inspiration to encourage vaccination in your school 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.

• Thousands of Philly Students Typically Lack a School Nurse. Parents Changed That. (Source: inquirer.com)
• Roddy Named Nurse Administrator of the Year (Source: smithfieldtimes.com)
• School Nurses Facing Challenges Beyond Illnesses, Injuries (Source: spectrumlocalnews.com)
• Local Nurses Recognized for Excellence (Source: westnewsmagazine.com)
• Wood BOE Hears Pitch for Adding Nurse at PHS (Source: newsandsentinel.com)
• With Few Black Male Educators in Local Schools, a Push for More Diversity: ‘You Get Tired of Being the Only One’ (Source: inquirer.com)
• RCRTA Supports Elementary School Nurses (Source: greensburgdailynews.com)

The Center for Transition to Adult Health Care for Youth with Disabilities, a national center funded by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), has launched a new website to help young people and their families take the lead in health care transition. The accessible website was created by and for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). It features tools and resources for youth and their families and resources for health care professionals supporting these families through health care transition. Visit www.MovingToAdultHealthCare.org to learn more! 

A survey by the Diabetes Leadership Council (DLC) showed that nearly two-thirds of parents/caregivers are unaware that type 1 diabetes (T1D) can be identified before symptoms occur. There are several options for T1D autoantibody screening – all done through a blood test that families can discuss with their healthcare providers to learn which option may be right for them. Read more in the Press release from the DLC and educate your school communities on how T1D screening can help reduce life-threatening complications and improve outcomes.

Related Resources:

• To learn more about T1D screening and access resources, visit gettingaheadoftype1.org
• NASN's Children with Diabetes page contains resources, including the Improving Care Coordination for Students with Chronic Health Conditions Toolkit, to assist school nurses in providing evidence-based quality care to students with T1D.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released a school mental health action guide created to provide K-12 schools with actionable strategies to help improve the mental health of their students. This action guide is a direct response to recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey findings, which show that adolescent mental health has been worsening for more than a decade and that key indicators of poor mental health have reached alarming levels. Schools can promote positive behavioral and mental health and help reduce the need for services by providing education and early intervention strategies designed to reach many students. 

Join the School Crisis Recovery and Renewal project and the Center for Adjustment, Resilience, and Recovery (CARRE) on December 12, 2023, from 2-4 PM ET for a special collaborative session to create space for service providers (based in schools or community) who want to engage the practice of attuning and attending to our emotional landscape as we witness institutionally sanctioned and unprecedented death and violence. Learn more and register. 

Join the Leadership Exchange for Adolescent Health (LEAHP) team in partnership with the Office of Population Affairs on Thursday, December 14, at 2 PM ET for a webinar on the recently launched Take Action for Adolescents – A Call to Action for Adolescent Health and Well-Being that aims to ensure that all adolescents in the United States have the safety, support, and resources they need to thrive, be healthy, and have an equitable opportunity to realize their full potential. Register for the webinar.

Related Resources: The Call to Action provides a toolkit to guide its implementation.  

The American Academy of Pediatrics is recruiting school nurses, administrators, school medical directors, facilities staff, school health consultants, public health department staff, and other school staff involved in developing and implementing school infection prevention and control guidance to participate in the Infection Prevention and Control School-based Health ECHO to ensure the most up-to-date IPC protocol is in place to keep kids healthy during the school year. Preference will be given to individuals serving diverse and rural/underrepresented populations. Six 1-hour sessions will be hosted monthly at 4 PM EST on the following dates: January 31, February 28, March 20, April 24, May 29, and June 5. Register here. Please direct any questions to Alexis Katzenbach, ECHO Manager.

NASN is excited to be a collaborator at HIMSS24 in Orlando from March 11 to 15, 2024, where you can connect, collaborate, and create with the brightest minds in health information and technology. Our members always receive the HIMSS member rate to attend. Early Bird discount pricing ends December 8. Learn more and register today!

• Florida Association of School Nurses 28th Annual Conference - Reflect ♡ Refresh ♡ Refocus - February 2-3, 2024. Learn more and Register

• California School Nurses Organization 74th Annual Conference - Stay the Course Through Advocacy and Support - February 8-11, 2024. Learn more and Register

• Save the Date: Pennsylvania Association of School Nurses and Practitioners 2024 Annual Conference - March 22-24, 2024. Learn more.

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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