What are the seven roles of a school nurse? - Answers i. Provide healthcare services
ii. Promote healthcare education
iii. Take initiative in providing healthcare services
iv. Screen and refer students for health conditions
v. Promote a healthy school environment
vi. Assume leadership for health policies and programs
vii. Advocate for students with disabilities who have special healthcare needs
Provide healthcare services - Answers i. Provide short-term care for students' acute injuries,
illnesses, or crisis interventions (such as for the flu or colds)
ii. Perform required healthcare procedures for students with special health needs (such as
catheterization and tube feedings)
Promote healthcare education - Answers i. Provide healthcare instruction or information (e.g.,
education about maintaining a healthy diet) to students, school personnel, families, and
communities
ii. Counsel students on social-emotional issues (e.g., support a student who is concerned about
how he or she will be accepted by his or her peers)
Take initiative in providing healthcare services - Answers i. Develop emergency plans and train
staff to carry out plans (e.g., a student in a wheelchair needs an exit plan in case of an
emergency evacuation)
ii. Delegate care according to applicable laws and policies (i.e., train, supervise, and evaluate
other school personnel to carry out some healthcare services such as having a physical therapist
monitor skin break-down for someone wearing a brace)
Screen an refer students for healthcare services - Answers i. Perform activities such as vision,
hearing, posture, or body-mass-index screenings
ii. Conduct overall health assessments
Promote a healthy school environment - Answers i. Report communicable diseases, such as
tuberculosis, as required by law
ii. Monitor the school's physical environment (e.g., playground safety)
, Assume leadership for health policies and programs - Answers i. Promote programs and policies
that positively affect students' health
ii. Engage in the evaluation of health policies for school districts
Advocate for students with disabilities who have special healthcare needs - Answers i.
Coordinate school and community healthcare services
ii. Communicate regularly with families and community healthcare providers
Ms. Garcia has been a school nurse for nearly 20 years. She notices more students with severe
healthcare needs in public schools now than at any other time in her career. Discuss three
reasons why this change might have occurred. - Answers i. There could simply be more methods
of diagnosing students so it may seem like there are more students with healthcare needs but
they may have just not been able to detect those needs before.
ii. Students may not be receiving the proper care for their needs and as a result, their conditions
have become severe
iii. Environmental factors have gotten worse and as a result, students' health has declined.
Explain the differences between a Section 504 plan and an IEP - Answers i. A Section 504 plan is
a document that outlines the needs of a student who has a physical or mental impairment, so
that he or she may participate successfully in the educational environment. Students who have
a 504 plan are not required to receive special education services.
ii. An individualized education program (IEP) is a detailed document describing how a school will
meet the learning needs of a student with disabilities.
c. School nurses participate in both IEP and 504 plans by..... - Answers i. Appraising a student's
current health status by consulting with the student, the family, and the healthcare providers
ii. Acting as a team liaison to the medical community
iii. Assisting family members in identifying and utilizing community resources
iv. Educating teachers and school personnel about the student's healthcare needs
v. Collaborating on the development of plans that address the student's health needs, thus
enabling the student to participate in educational activities
vi. Developing an Individualized Healthcare Plan (IHP), which is made up of general information
about the student's health needs and of the types of nursing services that will be provided to
address these needs on a daily basis