Weekly Digest

NASN news & updates

November 11, 2021

President's Message

November brings with it the promise of crisp fall air and the season of thankfulness. We all know the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown many challenges our way, and we have continued to meet them and help our students thrive in spite of those challenges. But, it can sometimes be hard to see beyond those challenges to remember what we're thankful for.

There are many social media challenges during November, but I'd like to invite you to take part in one just for school nurses. Let's share one photo/post a day from now through the end of the month showing your thankfulness or gratitude for something in your life or your school. Let's flood social media with uplifting messages, and be sure to tag NASN's social media accounts and use #thankfulschoolnurses so we can all see them.

I'll go first: I'm thankful for our dedicated school nurses who continue to put our students first this year and always.

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

NASN President

BETTER HEALTH. BETTER LEARNING. ™

NASN News and Highlights

Vaping Toolkit Provides Resources for School Nurses

Vaping is impacting the nation’s youth at alarming rates. According to the 2020 National Youth Tobacco Survey, 19.6% of high school students and 4.7% of middle school students reported using e-cigarettes. To assist school nurses in addressing this issue, NASN has assembled a toolkit of information and resources to support school nurses in implementing evidence-based programs in their schools, including planning for sustainability and building collaborations with key stakeholders to successfully engage their school communities in tackling the topic of vaping head on.

LEARN MORE

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NASN School Nurse Chat: Identifying Contagious Disease Outbreaks

Donna Mazyck, NASN's Executive Director, discusses identifying contagious disease outbreaks with epidemiologist Danielle Block, and school nurse and blogger Robin Cogan on the latest episode of the podcast, School Nurse Chat.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

Next Meet the Editor Bimonthly Web Meeting: November 19

The fourth meeting in the web series Meet the Editor, The Journal of School Nursing Editor, Dr. Martha Dewey Bergen, will provide brief tips for authors and will field comments and questions from aspiring authors during this interactive meeting. Learners will be able to choose keywords that best match their manuscript, along with identifying keywords that are most effective for search engines. SEATING IS LIMITED to the first 100 slots! Join us at 3:30 p.m. EST on November 19.

New School-Located Vaccine Clinic Resources

NASN partnered with the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) to develop a checklist for school nurses to plan school-located vaccination and a tip-sheet for Immunization Program Managers. With the approval of COVID-19 vaccines for students under the age of 12 years, and flu season coming in fall and winter, SLVs are a strategy to improve the health of students. See resources.

Duke-Margolis partnered with the COVID Collaborative, the Council of the Great City Schools, National Rural Education Association, Rural Schools Collaborative, and AASA: The School Superintendents Association to develop an issue brief on Innovative Strategies for Leveraging Schools as Covid-19 Vaccination Sites.

The Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy (Duke-Margolis) and the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM), with support from the Rockefeller Foundation, released a series of resources for school leaders on how schools can serve as critical access points for students and families to receive Covid-19 vaccines.

SLV Webinar Available in NASN Learning Center

Opportunities to Improve Student and Community Health Through School-Located Vaccinations is now available in the NASN Learning Center. As a result of participating in this educational activity, learners will be able to:

Compare and contrast at least three options for strengthening school located vaccination clinics;
Articulate three desired impacts of SLVs from the recently published roundtable report: School-Located Vaccination Clinics for COVID-19 and Influenza;
Develop three actionable steps to implement or expand SLVs.

There is 1 CNE available and there is no cost for members and non-members. Learn more.

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.

First lady Jill Biden kicks off COVID-19 vaccine for kids campaign at historic Virginia school (Source: ABCNews)
School nurses feeling the strain of the pandemic (Source: Seacoastonline)
Petersburg School District hires a school nurse after years without one (Source: KFSK.org)
New partnership opens telehealth opportunities for Central Texas school district (Source: KWTX.com)

COVID-19 Updates

Advancing Children’s Health: Promoting COVID-19 Vaccination and Mitigation Measures

The Vaccine Equity Operative has a new report outlining detailed recommendations to protect children under age 12 and their families and communities. School nurses have a key role in supporting equitable vaccination for students

5-11 years of age. Learn more.

Holiday Celebration Guidance

Holiday traditions are important. CDC has updated guidance to enjoy holiday traditions. School nurses can send information to caregivers to minimize COVID-19 risk.

How the OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard Affects School Nurses

The OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) is now live for public inspection on the Federal Register: 2021-23643.pdf. More resources are being posted now to the OSHA website. As part of the President’s COVID-19 Action Plan through the ETS, covered employers must develop, implement, and enforce a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, unless they adopt a policy requiring employees to choose either to get vaccinated or to undergo weekly COVID-19 testing.

School nurse leaders with an interest in learning more about the OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard in the context of K12 and higher education can join one of the following briefings:

Friday, November 12 at 1:00-1:45 p.m. ET: ETS briefing with focus on K12. Join the briefing.
Friday, November 12 at 2:00-2:45 p.m. ET: ETS briefing with focus on Higher Ed. Join the briefing.

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

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

World Diabetes Day is Sunday, November 14

World Diabetes Day (WDD) was created in 1991 by IDF and the World Health Organization in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes. World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2006 with the passage of United Nations Resolution 61/225. It is marked every year on November 14, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin along with Charles Best in 1922.

Now is the Time to Review Absenteeism Data From Start of School Year

Rebound With Attendance is the Attendance Awareness Campaign theme, and reminds everyone to review their absenteeism data from the first months of school. This data will help to see early on which students are in need of additional support. If absenteeism affects a large group of students, it is a sign that systemic solutions are needed to ensure equal access to learning opportunities. Learn more from the Pathways to Engagement toolkit.

Opportunities & Networking

NASN’s New Lunch & Learn Series – Free to NASN Members!

The Emerging School Nurse Leader Role in Decreasing School Absenteeism in Children with Migraine Headache (1.0 CNE)

Nearly 60% of children and adolescents worldwide report headaches. Fewer than 50% have never been evaluated by a healthcare provider, given a headache diagnosis, or offered a management strategy. The school nurse is optimally positioned to change this trajectory for many of their students. In this presentation, we highlight the Headache Action Plan Project for Youth (HAPPY), describe the school nurse’s role as leader of a school-based public health initiative that rapidly identifies students with migraine, and show how timely identification and effective management of childhood migraine could prevent chroncification and long-term disability. This course is part of the new NASN Lunch & Learn Series and is now available in the NASN Learning Center. Learn more.

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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