Weekly Digest

NASN news & updates

October 28, 2021

President's Message

November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists (ADCES) specifically celebrate National Diabetes Education Week the first full week of the month.

As school nurses, we educate our school community about many chronic conditions, including diabetes. NASN has a number of resources that can help you talk to your students and families about diabetes and prediabetes.

Our partnership with ADCES brings you Danatech, at no charge to our members. Danatech allows you to research and review diabetes devices and mobile apps, and access tech-focused courses, webinars, and device training. You can also discover useful tools and evidence-based research, clinical trials, and reports. I urge you to check out this important tool during Diabetes Awareness Month.

Linda Mendonça, DNP, RN, PHNA-BC, NCSN, FNASN

NASN President

BETTER HEALTH. BETTER LEARNING. ™

NASN News and Highlights

FDA Advisory Panel Recommends Pfizer Vaccine for Kids Ages 5-11

A panel of independent advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted 17-0 with one abstention to recommend an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in children ages 5 to 11 years old. Read the NASN Statement Urging all School Staff and Eligible Students to be Vaccinated against COVID-19.

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New Infection, Prevention, and Control Resources

NASN partnered with the Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology to create resources for school nurses and school administrators. Share the new infographics including "Back-to-School Safety" and "10 Ways to Prevent Infection" with your school community, caregivers, and colleagues.

NASN and AIM Partner on School-Located Vaccine Clinic Resources

NASN and the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) have partnered to develop two reports on School-Located Vaccine Clinics (SLVs), which were completed in tandem and should be reviewed as a complementary pair. They describe various models of SLVs implemented, successes and challenges, and opportunities to continue supporting SLVs to promote influenza, COVID-19, and childhood vaccinations. We are working on publishing actionable tools for immunization programs, school nurses, and more! Funding for this work was made possible with special thanks to Flu Lab, an organization that makes grants and investments to advance innovative solutions to influenza challenges.

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School Nurses in the News

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.

School Nurse Deficit Deepens as States Seek Relief (Source: Pew)
Harvard EdCast: The Need for School Nurses (Source: Harvard Graduate School of Education)
School nurses: COVID-19 testing key to keeping kids in class (Source: SentinelSource.com)
Does my child really need the COVID-19 vaccine? A guide for parents of 5-11-year olds (Source: TODAY)
News brief: kids’ COVID vaccines, billionaires income tax, Jan.6 defense strategies (Source: NPR, Morning Edition)
Booster Guidance For All 3 Vaccines: Shots for Kids Weeks Away (Source: NPR, Consider This)
1 big thing: Kids vaccines could be coming soon (Source: Axios Vitals)
Segment on FDA review of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children ages 5-11 (Source: KSWO-TV)
National Association of School Nurses President Speaks at VRBPAC (Source: C-SPAN)
FDA Advisors Approve Emergency Use of Pfizer COVID Vaccine in Kids 5 to 11 (Source: HealthDay)
FDA Panel Recommends Authorization of Pfizer Shots for Kids Ages 5 to 11 (Source: The 74)

COVID-19 Updates

CDC has Updated Vaccine Guidance for Children and Teens

Although fewer children have been infected with COVID-19 compared to adults, children can be infected with the virus, get sick from COVID-19, and spread COVID-19 to others. School nurses can continue to advocate for students 12 and older to be vaccinated and protect unvaccinated students. Learn more.

Additional COVID-19 Booster Shots Recommended for Immunocompromised

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated guidelines to say people with certain health conditions that make them moderately or severely immunocompromised may get a fourth mRNA COVID-19 shot. Learn more.

Vaccine Facts for Nurses Releases Survey Data

NASN and the American Nurses Association, together with other nursing and healthcare organizations, launched the Vaccine Facts for Nurses site as a nurse’s hub for critical, current, and credible COVID-19 vaccine information. The group recently conducted a survey about nurses' access to information about COVID. See the survey results.

Effective COVID-19 Vaccine Conversations

The American Academy of Pediatrics has developed a free online course for healthcare providers to improve knowledge and competency to have effective COVID-19 vaccine conversations with patients and families, including the sharing of credible COVID-19 vaccination information and responding to misinformation. Learn more.

NASN's COVID-19 Interactive Tools

Can I Send My Student to School: Designed for school nurses to share with families, this interactive tool is based on CDC COVID-19 guidance and designed to guide families through assessing when their child should stay home from school.

How to Manage Difficult Conversations: A quick micro-burst of learning, this interactive module teaches school nurses a simple formula to use to respond effectively to challenging conversations.

COVID-19 and Students, Frequently Asked Questions: A resource designed to answer some questions families may have about students' health during COVID-19 and to support families with links to find additional resources.

Managing Chronic Health Conditions

Two NEW Online CNE to Support Students with Chronic Health Conditions

School Nurse-Led Case Management (SNLCM) – Application of the Nursing Process. Co-presented by NASN’s past president, Beth Mattey, school nurses will refresh their perspective about how the application of the nursing process guides the provision of SNLCM for vulnerable students. This free 1.0 CNE provides evidence-based current information, tools/resources, and strategies that will support the confidence and competence of the school nurse role in promoting health equity for students with a known (asthma) and suspected (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome) health condition using SNLCM. Learn more.

Pediatric to Adult Care Transition for Students with Lupus – The School Nurse Role in Care Coordination and Transition Planning. The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and NASN collaborated on this free 1.0 CNE. The course reviews the impact of pediatric onset lupus on children and teens and outlines the school nurse's role in contributing to a phased approach to transition planning from pediatric to adult care for continued effective and seamless self-management of the disease. ACR and NASN tools and resources will support the confidence and competence of the school nurse role in transition planning for students with lupus with an emphasis on health equity for at-risk students. Learn more.

Improving School Community & Student Health

Last Chance to Complete Survey on Racism in the Workplace

The National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing is calling nurses from all backgrounds, races, and ethnicities to complete a survey about racism in the workplace to help capture perceptions and lived experiences to further understand the impact of racism on the nursing profession and patient outcomes. The deadline to complete the survey is TODAY (October 28) by 11:59 pm EST.

National Diabetes Education Week is November 7-13

The Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists (ADCES) celebrates the first full week of November as National Diabetes Education Week to raise awareness and illustrate the impact of diabetes and prediabetes on more than 1 in 3 Americans.

NASN & ADCES Resources: Danatech was developed to support the technology access and assessment needs of healthcare professionals who care for patients living with diabetes and other chronic conditions. With the rapid evolution of technology and the proliferation of patient-generated data, Danatech is a trusted source of information geared to help practitioners focus on what they do best—caring for their patients. NASN members have complimentary access to the Danatech diabetes care tools and technology.

Event Focuses on Gen Z Patients with Diabetes

The College Diabetes Network (CDN) is hosting an event for the medical community that will dig deeper into the minds of Gen Z patients living with diabetes. This one-hour panel discussion will feature a diverse group of young adults living with diabetes, including 2021 CDN NextGen Fellows who attended the ADA's 81st Scientific Sessions or the ADCES21 Annual Conference. They will foster a deeper understanding of how clinicians can best connect with this population to build trust and educate with compassion.

Join CDN, CBDCE, and ADCES, along with diabetes expert and advocate Kelly Rawlings, on Wednesday, November 10, 2021, at 8 p.m. EST for this event. Register now.

Mark Your Calendar

NASN Calendar of Events

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

NASN CALENDAR

National Health Observances Calendar

This calendar lists special days, weeks, or months dedicated to raising awareness about important health topics. Access the 2021 calendar.

OBSERVANCES CALENDAR

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