Goals Of the School Nurse
1. Improve student academic achievement by intensifying school health services through a lower school nurse to student ratio, expansion of school health program components, and applying individualized interventions of identified health conditions or issues.
* The school nurses will assess the following areas: vision, hearing, date of last check up by family doctor and dentist, eating habits, bedtime/sleep habits, and overall school attendance. If any areas need to be addressed then a referral will be made or education will be provided to the student/family. All of these areas have a significant impact on a child's academic achievement.
* The school nurses will identify pregnant and/or parenting teens and counsel them as well as track their attendance in order to help decrease the number of days of school missed as well as help them address issues that might keep them from completing high school. We want more pregnant and/or parenting teens to complete their education.
2. Implement a Comprehensive School Health Program as defined by the Centers for Disease Control.
* Over the last 3 years, each school has completed the assessment phase of the School Health Index and have began to implement plans based on the conclusions of the assessment. This remains an ongoing process that will help each school identify the health/safety priorities for that school and create a plan to address these needs and then evaluate the success of the intervention and begin work on the next priority.
3. Families will recognize routine, preventive health and dental care as important to achieving the best degree of health and wellness for their children.
*School nurses will identify students without a medical and/or dental provider.
* School nurses will contact the families of these students and remind them of the importance of ongoing well child care for their children as well as helping link these families with available resources as needed.
* These efforts are also aimed at helping reduce the number of emergency room visits for non- emergent visits. We hope that by helping link families with providers that children will begin to use a "medical/dental home" for care instead of the emergency room.
4. Prevent chronic health conditions from becoming a barrier to school success by consistently managing these conditions through improved communication and cooperation between the school staff, doctor's office, parent, student, and school nurse.
* 100% of all children with identified chronic health problems will have a "care plan" developed so that the school staff can safely manage the student's medical condition while at school.
*Reduce absenteeism of those students identified with a chronic illness, such as asthma or diabetes, when the absence is associated with that illness.
5. Identify and resolve health issues that affect the ability of students to attain optimal health status and school success by ensuring age appropriate health screenings and follow up of any referrals generated.
* Vision Screenings will be done for 1st, 3rd, and 5th graders.
* Height, weight, and BMI screening will be done for 1st and 5th graders.
* Dental screening for kindergarten and 5th graders will be provided by the state Dental Hygienist.
* Hearing screening will be done for kindergarteners by the audiologist, and for those identified as "at risk" by the school nurse.
* School records will be reviewed for current immunization status and referrals made as needed. Those students who remain out of compliance with state immunization requirements after 30 days of school are to be suspended until they get the required shots.