October 27, 2022

Become familiar with the candidates stepping forward to lead NASN. In the upcoming election, NASN members will select a president-elect, secretary/treasurer, and a nominating committee member. All candidates have completed the nominating committee process. The election will be conducted online from March 15, 2023 to April 15, 2023.

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Join us at 3:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 2, 2022, for the next meeting in the Meet the Editor web series, Step by Step from Project to Publication. The Journal of School Nursing Editor, Dr. Martha Dewey Bergren, will provide tips for authors and field comments and questions from aspiring authors during this interactive web meeting, designed for nurse educators, but others are welcome to attend. Once finished, attendees will be able to describe weekly assignments designed to coach a student from project to publication in one semester. Register now.

NASN is excited to offer a search solution on the NASN website to help you find more of NASN's content. The enhanced search will locate content on NASN web pages, articles in NASN’s journals, courses and toolkits in the NASN Learning Center, and discussions and resources shared by school nurses in the online communities. Learn more and watch a video of a search in action.

Approximately 7% of children live with food allergies. The JOSN article, Children's Perspectives on Food Allergy in Schools: A Qualitative Study, aimed to understand food allergy-related experiences, beliefs, and learning preferences among children with and without food allergies to inform a school-based food allergy education program. Findings will help inform the development of a school-based food allergy education program, with a long-term goal of minimizing food allergy-related worries and optimizing safety for children with food allergies.

The NASN2023 annual conference, Building for the Future: Health, Advocacy, and Leadership needs presenters like you. School nurses, researchers, and all focused on supporting students and school health services are encouraged to submit presentations. Presentation modes for In-person NASN2023 are General, Breakout, Workshop, Preconference, and e-Poster sessions. Presentation modes for Virtual NASN2023 are General and Breakout sessions.

All submissions are due November 16, 2022, at noon ET. Learn more and submit.

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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.

• Massachusetts has a shortage of school nurses and it could last years (Source: cbsnews.com)
• Staying well: School nurse gives tips on keeping students healthy (Source: clantonadvertiser.com)
• Help school nurses heal from COVID’s mental health impact (Source: centralmaine.com)
• Nurses in Denver Public Schools to start carrying Narcan (Source: 9news.com)
• A school nurse is the bridge in a New Orleans' school-based health center (Source: nola.com)
• How did COVID change school nursing? An award-winning Illinois nurse weighs in. (Source: chicago.chalkbeat.org)
• School nurses still in high demand after pandemic-related departures (Source: spectrumnews1.com)
• Nurse leader updates school committee (Source: thelandmark.com)

School Nurse-Led Case Management – Application of the Nursing Process

School nurses, refresh your perspective about how the application of the nursing process guides the provision of School Nurse-Led Case Management (SNLCM) for vulnerable students. This free course offers evidence-based current information, tools/resources, and strategies to support the confidence and competence of the school nurse role in promoting health equity for students with a known (asthma) & suspected (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - ME/CFS) health condition using SNLCM. 

Learn more and complete the course.

CDC Patient Story: ME/CFS Following COVID Illness

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a disabling and complex illness. Eleanor’s story is one of ME/CFS following acute COVID-19.

"I was scared when the doctor told me ME/CFS because I knew a coworker who had it and I saw her decline. She said it was the most challenging period of her life. It really opened my eyes to ME/CFS, and I know now what it is like to have ME/CFS."

• NASN Resources: The School Nurse-Led Active Surveillance Manual provides guidance and resources to support school nurses' role in addressing chronic absenteeism for health reasons including ME/CFS.

Join NASN staff and school nurse leaders Nov. 15-16, 2022, in-person or virtually, for the symposium, K-12 COVID-19 Response Across the Nation: What Worked, What We Learned, and What’s Next, to connect with colleagues from across the country and reflect on our pandemic response successes and lessons learned. 

The event, coordinated by the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and Brown University School of Public Health and made possible by The Rockefeller Foundation, will welcome Deborah L. Birx, M.D., former White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, as the keynote speaker. Learn more and register.

The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) offers an array of free downloadable graphics and other outreach materials about COVID-19 vaccines. Watch and share an extensive library of FAQ videos from KFF's THE CONVERSATION / LA CONVERSACIÓN series featuring healthcare workers who provide facts and dispel misinformation in English and Spanish. Learn more.

The Operational Guidance for K-12 Schools and Early Care and Education Programs to Support Safe In-Person Learning recommends that school nurses and other staff working in the school health office wear a mask to prevent the spread of infection from COVID-19 based on community transmission. Students exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 should wear a well-fitting mask while waiting for transport home.

It's Red Ribbon Week, a great opportunity for caregivers, teachers, educators, and community organizations to raise awareness about substance abuse. DEA has created a series of materials to help your community participate in Red Ribbon Week.

• NASN Resources: Drug and substance abuse continue to pose a danger to the lives of students across the US. See NASN's Drugs of Abuse resource page.

Schools, school districts, and institutions of higher education may find the threat of opioid misuse and abuse affects their population in several possible ways. With the status of the opioid crisis as a public health emergency, schools may want to consider addressing it in their preparedness efforts. This Opioid Fact Sheet from the Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance (TA) Center offers materials to help schools prepare for opioid emergencies. 

• NASN Resources: See NASN's Position Statement: Naloxone in the School Setting.

The Pediatric Environmental Health Center at Boston Children’s Hospital and the New England Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit invite you to join a monthly virtual Pediatric Environmental Health Grand Rounds series. The first Grand Rounds in the series is on Tuesday, November 15, 2022, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET on “Pollution, Climate Change, and Children’s Health” and presented by Phil Landrigan, MD, MSc. Learn more and register.

The Immunization Integration Program (IIP) released its Bulk Query Toolkit, providing recommendations to immunization information systems (IIS) and their data exchange partners. The toolkit provides strategies to maintain core IIS functionality while expanding query capability to support population health efforts. Find out how information technology is supporting public health interoperability.

Many Halloween treats aren’t safe for children with food allergies. That’s where the Teal Pumpkin Project® comes in. The FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) project is a movement to raise awareness of food allergies and to create a safer, more inclusive Halloween for all trick-or-treaters by making non-food treats available.

• NASN Resources: See NASN's Allergies and Anaphylaxis health and practice topics page.

• Florida Association of School Nurses' Hurricane Recovery - Robyn Hathaway, President of the Florida Association of School Nurses, has organized a fundraiser to benefit Florida School Nurses affected by hurricane Ian. Learn more 

• 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

• Utah School Nurse Association 2022 Virtual Fall Conference - Healthy Children are Better Learners - November 4 - Learn more and Register

• Texas School Nurse Organization Conference -Promoting student health by building resiliency - November 4-6 - Learn more

• Colorado Association of School Nurses Fall Conference - Supporting Student Success: School Nurses Make a Difference - November 4-6 -  Learn more and Register

• Virginia Association of School Nurses Fall Conference - 36th Annual Fall Conference - November 5-6 - Learn more and Register

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

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

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

NASN Calendar of Events

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

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