September 8, 2022

The use of appearance and performance enhancing drugs and substances has been an ethical and health issue in sports for many years. It is vital that school nurses learn to recognize performance and appearance enhancing substance use to ensure student athletes and exercisers receive the care and education they need.

In The NASN School Nurse September Podcast, NASN School Nurse Editor Cynthia Galemore interviews author Lee Anne Siegmund about the article, "Appearance and Performance Enhancing Drugs and Substances: The Role of the School Nurse."

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The Journal of School Nursing (JOSN) article, School Nursing Research, and Research Implementation Priorities, describes how school nurses can grow from reading, understanding, and contributing their own research publications to JOSN and highlights NASN's 2022 Research Priorities, pivotal guidance documents shaping those priorities and more.

As children and teens continue to head back to classrooms, there are questions about the risk in K-12 schools regarding the spread of monkeypox. The CDC has released monkeypox guidance for K-12 schools, daycares, and other settings serving children and adolescents. 

Linda Mendonça, president of NASN, said the guidance has been especially helpful for school nurses, who are often required to relay health information to the community. "It certainly is helpful to have that, and it provides us talking points and information to share with our school communities," Mendonça told ABC News. Read the article.

• Mendonça also joined The Perkins Platform - BlogTalkRadio to talk about NASN, what U.S. schools are doing to prepare nurses and staff for a possible Monkeypox outbreak, and what toll the past two years have had on the school nursing profession. Listen here.

Join us at 3:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, September 14, 2022, for the eighth meeting in the Meet the Editor web series. During this interactive meeting, JOSN Editor, Dr. Martha Dewey Bergren, will provide tips for authors and field comments and questions from aspiring authors. For this specific meeting, attendees will be able to list the types of manuscripts published from DNP projects, describe essential characteristics of a publishable DNP project, and identify projects that are not publishable. Register now.

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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.

• Nurses preparing for the start of school in Harrison County, West Virginia (Source: wvnews.com)
• Lions Club donates to School Health Services (Source: chronicleonline.com)
• With Back to School Comes Back to Sleep: Third Annual Student Sleep Health Week to be Held Sept. 12-18 (Source: globenewswire.com)
• Community heroes: 'You never know what they're going through' (Source: news.yahoo.com)
• Community heroes: 'You instantly see the rewards' (Source: news.yahoo.com)
• Second Annual Period Pouch Project for area schools (Source: timesrepublican.com)
• How K-12 schools are planning for monkeypox outbreaks as a new year starts (Source: abcnews.go.com)
• Classmates memorialize beloved Hatley Attendance Center nurse’s legacy (Source: djournal.com)
• 5 best practices as schools brace for monkeypox (Source: k12dive.com)
• Messaging About Vaccines and Boosters: 3 Best Practices for School Districts (Source: edweek.org)

Course: ME/CFS: School Nurses Can Improve Outcomes

Scientists estimate that up to 2 in 1,000 children suffer from myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). There is no diagnostic test for ME/CFS, and diagnosis relies on identifying symptoms that occur with sufficient frequency and severity to meet a pediatric case definition. ME/CFS is a long-standing stigmatized disease that contributes to the majority of cases being undiagnosed. Thus, school nurses with knowledge of ME/CFS are in a position to improve outcomes for students. In this NASN learning center activity, experts in the diagnosis and management of ME/CFS provide a panel discussion about ME/CFS and provide school nurses with the knowledge and tools to help recognize ME/CFS in the student population. Resources to share with families, students, administrators, and staff members are also provided. Learn more and complete the course.

• Here you'll find CDC Resources for ME/CFS in children.

On August 30, 2022, the National Institutes of Health published research that may explain the connection between COVID-19 infections and the resulting "brain fog" reported by those experiencing long COVID symptoms. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, The National Eye Institute, and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases combined forces for this study. Learn more about the study results and the impact on student learning.

On August 22, CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, signed a decision memo that Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine be used as another primary series option for adolescents ages 12-17. In July, the FDA authorized Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine. The Novavax COVID-19 vaccine is an important tool in the pandemic that provides a more familiar type of COVID-19 vaccine technology for adolescents. Having multiple types of vaccines offers more options and flexibility for the public, jurisdictions, and vaccine providers. Here are some helpful Novavax resources:  

• Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted 
• Fact Sheet for Healthcare Providers Administering Vaccine      
• Fact Sheet for Recipients and Caregivers 

On August 11, the CDC updated the Operational Guidance for K-12 Schools and Early Care and Education Programs to Support Safe In-Person Learning highlighting the prevention principles to minimize the individual and societal impacts of COVID-19. Additionally, the CDC has published guidance on Ventilation in Schools and Childcare Programs including an Interactive School Ventilation Tool that shows how particle levels change as you adjust ventilation settings. 

The final 2022 Attendance Awareness Campaign webinar will go live on Sept. 28 at 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET. Diverse speakers will describe local and state bright spots that showcase effective approaches to sustaining student and family engagement and student attendance. You'll hear strategies to address the educational disparities exacerbated by the pandemic. Join us! Register today.

Caring for others requires that you also care for yourself. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) offers information and a range of resources created especially for frontline health care professionals. You’ll also find actionable tips on building resiliency and well-being and ways for families to get involved. Learn more. 

Dougy Center: The National Grief Center for Children and Families offers a wide range of resources for people of all ages who are grieving before and after a death. They've developed a School Personnel Toolkit for supporting grieving students and school staff, which includes materials on COVID-19 & Grief and Activities for Kids & Teens.

The observance, organized by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, drives awareness of the importance of healthy sleep for students of all ages to learn, grow and thrive. The AASM recommends a national standard of middle and high school start times of 8:30 AM or later, and they've compiled resources that will help teachers, school nurses, counselors, and coaches raise awareness of the importance of sleep for students. 

• NASN Resources: Optimal sleep during growth and development is critical for the health, safety, and academic success of our nation’s youth. Check out NASN and the Society of Pediatric Nurses' Joint Statement on Early School Start Times.

This toolkit is full of activities and resources to help families feel well, live well, and learn well during this busy transitional season. Let’s take on a new school year together — one healthy day at a time, addressing healthy snacks, activities, sleep, and more. 

On August 25, 2022, the U.S. Department of Education published the Back-to-School Checklist for Parents/Caregivers, which explains how the Federal American Rescue Plan funds can be used by school districts to support student academic success. A few areas include mental health services, health and safety, teacher shortage, and even COVID-19 testing in schools.

NASN recommends school nurses take an active role in the education of parents, students, providers, and school communities to promote proper evidence-based practices in the treatment and management of head lice. These actions include clarifying misinformation about how head lice are transmitted and advocating for a more supportive, less exclusionary approach to head lice management that does not disrupt the educational environment and promotes student attendance and academic success. Check out NASN's Head Lice Health and Practice Topics page. 

• Illinois Association of School Nurses Annual Conference - 65 Years of Improving Child Health Outcomes: School Nurses Leading the Path Towards Health Equity - September 30-October 1 - Learn more and Register

• Florida Association of School Nurses Face to Face 27th Annual Conference - Celebrating School Nurses in Supporting Student Success - October 14-15 - Learn more and Register

• Kansas School Nurses Organization - 46th Annual Governor's Conference for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect - October 11-20 - Learn more and Register

• Tennessee Association of School Nurses Fall 2022 Conference - Advancing the Professional Practice of the School Nurse: One Life at a Time - November 2-3 - Learn more and Register

• Texas School Nurse Organization Conference -Promoting student health by building resiliency - November 4-6 (Save the Date) Learn more and Register

• Virginia Association of School Nurses Fall Conference - 36th Annual Fall Conference - November 5-6 (Save the Date) Learn more

• West Virginia Association of School Nurses Annual Fall Conference - Back to Basics - November 10-12 - Learn more

• Annual North Carolina School Nurse Conference - School Health: A Time to Reflect, Celebrate, and Refocus - December 8-9, 2022 - Learn more

• Overseas School Health Nurse Association Spring Conference 2023 - March 26-27, 2023 - Learn more and Pre-register