Relentless School Nurse

JANUARY 9, 2024

As we dive into 2024 and gear up for a new year, the importance of connections in our school community cannot be overstated. As school nurses, we play a pivotal role in promoting this nurturing environment too! Her decades-long research in educational neuroscience is transforming schools across the country. And guess what?

Wellness 188

Wellness Schooling Health Strength 188

Relentless School Nurse

SEPTEMBER 23, 2022

. It has not been a figment of our imagination, or hyperbole that school nurses across the country have been struggling under the cumulative stressors of the pandemic. This was a collaboration between NASN, the CDC, and the National Association of State School Nurse Consultants. – NASN Executive Director, Donna Mazyck .

Schooling 348

Schooling Health Conditioning Wellness 348

Relentless School Nurse

SEPTEMBER 17, 2022

. School is back in full session. What is going well and where do you need support? What are you doing differently this school year? How are you taking a stand for your own well-being? The big question remains, what do we want school nursing to look like in this semi post-pandemic world?

Schooling 353

Schooling Conditioning Wellness Health 353

Relentless School Nurse

JANUARY 8, 2023

A six-year-old child is angry and dysregulated, has access to an unlocked and loaded firearm, and brings it to school. This is not a far-flung script for a crime show, this is real life and it happened this past Friday at an elementary school in Newport News, Virginia. .

Schooling 66

Schooling Elementary School Elementary Teacher 66

SHAPE America

OCTOBER 3, 2023

When a school is celebrating a sports championship, they often go big: rallies, trophies, and loud cheers all around. What if the entire school and community applauded students for developing the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to be health-literate individuals ? It might be a great fit for your school.

Health 444

Health Schooling Creativity Health Education 444

Relentless School Nurse

AUGUST 27, 2022

A school nurse was asked by a parent at her elementary school’s open house if she was trained to respond to COVID, Monkeypox, and an active shooter. I am skilled in infection control measures and have taught school staff over the past three school years what we can do to keep ourselves and our students safe.

Schooling 322

Schooling Elementary School Elementary Health 322

SHAPE America

OCTOBER 12, 2023

Every November, schools throughout Kentucky celebrate Kindness Across the Commonwealth , a week-long event started by KYSHAPE in 2020 to spread kindness throughout our state while promoting lessons and activities from SHAPE America’s health. such as teamwork, gratitude, kindness, wellness, and mindfulness. ® FUNdraiser.

Schooling 436

Schooling Physical Education Gyms Teaching 436

Relentless School Nurse

OCTOBER 22, 2022

On the heels of the recent release of NASN’s survey about the mental health of school nurses during COVID , comes an important publication from the U.S. Murthy, The Framework for Workplace Mental Health & Well-Being. What is adequate staffing in the school health office? Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek H.

Wellness 214

Wellness Health Schooling 214

Relentless School Nurse

JULY 30, 2022

. The impact of COVID on school nursing is not yet fully realized, but what we do know is there are many open positions. The fall of 2022 looks rather bleak for some school districts. I have been on the faculty of Rutgers University – Camden School of Nursing for more than a decade. That was one sign of trouble ahead.

Schooling 295

Schooling Coordination Health Education 295

Relentless School Nurse

JANUARY 16, 2024

This innovative app is not only beneficial for nurses in traditional healthcare settings but can also be valuable for school nurses who face our own unique set of challenges and stressors.’ School nurses can utilize this community platform to discuss our unique challenges and seek advice from peers.

Schooling 269

Schooling Health Exercise Wellness 269

Relentless School Nurse

AUGUST 6, 2022

I came across this article, “North Carolina school district planning to put AR-15 in every school in the event of another school shooting,” and my heart started racing. This is not school safety. It is dangerous and reactive which will turn schools into battlefields. . Hardening schools does not work.

Schooling 265

Schooling Assessment Psychology Coordination 265

Relentless School Nurse

APRIL 29, 2023

School Nurse Day 2023 is May 10th. I wrote a blog post a few weeks ago that we should celebrate ourselves this year, because in the past so many school nurses felt left out. I was encouraged to find this thoughtful proclamation by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Schooling 293

Schooling Health Education Education 293

Relentless School Nurse

APRIL 2, 2023

There are many unsung heroes in schools across the country. I posted the news story on my Relentless School Nurse Facebook page and to my amazement, one of the school nurses commented: Jim saved not just a child but my child. I’m the school nurse there. ” We cross this main road every single school day.

Schooling 301

Schooling Teaching Teaching Health 301

Relentless School Nurse

SEPTEMBER 29, 2024

Croakey Health Media School nurses are invited to participate in a foresight project led by Dr. Terri Hinkley, CEO of the National Association of School Nurses (NASN). This survey is part of a research project Terri is conducting for a course exploring the future of school nursing in 2050. A big ask, I know, but doable.

Schooling 268

Schooling Physiology Assessment Health Education 268

Relentless School Nurse

OCTOBER 3, 2023

West Virginia school nurse, Sarah Arbogast stood before her school board meeting to explain her concerns as a district school nurse and a parent of a special needs child. We have three minutes to present our cases to our own school boards. Let’s be as proactive as Sarah and take meaningful action.

Schooling 284

Schooling Assessment Teacher Education 284

Relentless School Nurse

DECEMBER 20, 2023

Photo credit: CDC Protective Factors Protective factors are individual or environmental characteristics that promote the health and emotional well-being of children and adolescents. Here are the 5 protective factors for schools and their significance in promoting children’s well-being.

Wellness 176

Wellness Schooling Academics Health 176

Relentless School Nurse

SEPTEMBER 10, 2022

The new “you do you” anti-public health approach to COVID has seeped into school classrooms and it is disheartening, to say the least. Welcome back to school is #COVID un Safe in the new 2022-2023 school year. . I have shared them with my schools with great appreciation.

Schooling 281

Schooling Health Wellness 281

Relentless School Nurse

OCTOBER 16, 2022

The first few months of school have been a whirlwind of confusion, missteps, and a complete lack of clarity. Meanwhile, ask most school nurses, and you will hear about cases growing, but they may not be counted because home tests are not being accurately reported. Outbreaks are happening in schools, but who is capturing the data?

Schooling 327

Schooling Health Wellness 327

Relentless School Nurse

APRIL 8, 2023

SCHOOL NURSE DAY 2023 Wednesday, May 10, 2023 Since 1972, National School Nurse Day has been set aside to recognize school nurses. National School Nurse Day was established to foster a better understanding of the role of school nurses in the educational setting. National Nurses Week is May 6-12 each year.

Schooling 294

Schooling Motivation Health Education Health 294

Relentless School Nurse

JANUARY 28, 2023

My last blog was a call for stories to share from school nurses across the country. I was excited to hear from Meg Jenkins, a New Hampshire school nurse and incoming Director to the NASN Board. This is Meg’s reflection on her school nursing journey to become NCSN – Nationally Certified School Nurse.

Schooling 304

Schooling Elementary School Elementary High School 304

Relentless School Nurse

DECEMBER 8, 2024

Are you a school nurse with a story to tell? Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics has extended the deadline for school nurses to share personal experiences navigating the ethical dilemmas that arise in our vital role. Our insights can illuminate our unique challenges and impact on student health and well-being.

Schooling 179

Schooling Health Education Health Education 179

Relentless School Nurse

NOVEMBER 9, 2022

Twitter, while undergoing some unfortunate gyrations with its new owner, is still a space where I believe you can find like-minded people who care deeply about the health and wellbeing of children, youth, and school communities. Universal Masking in School Works. New Data Shows How Well. . . . . . .

Schooling 304

Schooling Conditioning Health Wellness 304

Relentless School Nurse

SEPTEMBER 30, 2022

It is barely one month into school and I have already run out of steam. The frenetic energy of school has ratcheted up to a level that is even more chaotic than last year. . Here are some suggestions that might help us regroup and regain equilibrium; at least I hope so: Be realistic about what you can achieve during the school day.

Schooling 320

Schooling Conditioning Achievement Health 320

Relentless School Nurse

MARCH 17, 2024

New Jersey State School Nurses Association (NJSSNA) is celebrating the conclusion of our 2024 Spring Conference. Our second in-person since COVID as we continue to rebuild our strength, endurance, and school nurse community. The theme of NJSSNA2024 was “School Nurses Make the Impossible, Possible.”

Schooling 228

Schooling Dance Obesity Endurance 228

Relentless School Nurse

NOVEMBER 18, 2022

The anger and frustration displayed in cars has come out from behind the wheel into the streets, schools, and other public spaces. Well, I certainly don’t treat others with my rage and fury. School nursing during COVID has been the most difficult time during the 38 years I have been a nurse.

Schooling 331

Schooling Teacher Health Wellness 331

Relentless School Nurse

MAY 10, 2023

Nurse Holly is one of the administrators of the School Nursing Facebook page. The page has grown to almost 18,000 school nurses over the last few years. It is an active and vibrant community where school nurses gather for information, advice and support. Holly created a poem for this year’s National School Nurse Day!

Schooling 259

Schooling Creativity Health Education 259

Relentless School Nurse

JUNE 4, 2023

Back to writing though, I am looking to grow some school nurse bloggers. I work out social issues, personal reflections, and work challenges and hopefully also inspire other school nurses to not feel as alone or isolated as we are known to be. Blogging can have a significant impact on your school nursing practice.

Schooling 232

Schooling Creativity Health Education 232

Relentless School Nurse

MARCH 31, 2023

On the eve (the end of April) of her well deserved retirement, she was called to Capitol Hill to face the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Accountability. She spoke with purpose, conviction and represented NASN and school nursing as a consummate professional. This is bullying and intimidation on a national level.

Schooling 310

Schooling Endurance Teacher Health 310

Relentless School Nurse

NOVEMBER 25, 2024

Finally, some positive news in emergency preparedness for schools: Maryland’s new active shooter drill guidelines , set to take effect in the 2025 school year, mark a significant shift towards prioritizing student mental health while maintaining effective emergency readiness. Clear communication is at the heart of these changes.

Schooling 190

Schooling Psychology Flexibility Assessment 190

Relentless School Nurse

NOVEMBER 15, 2022

group of school nurses has quietly gathered every Sunday evening from 7 – 8 pm for more than two years in support of each other. The conversations focused on the stressors related to COVID and the impact on our health and well-being as we scrambled to keep up with the ever-changing public health emergency.

Schooling 285

Schooling Flexibility Health Wellness 285

Relentless School Nurse

JANUARY 3, 2024

Imagine finding out that your school district was gifted millions of dollars to improve access to healthcare for your students and staff! The recipient of the joint gift is the School-Based Health Alliance , the national voice for school-based healthcare.

Schooling 198

Schooling Health Coordination Health Education 198

Relentless School Nurse

MAY 19, 2023

Welcome to a special edition of the Relentless School Nurse blog! As passionate health advocates for our students, it is crucial that we also prioritize our own well-being and professional growth. Clearly articulate your workload, responsibilities, and any challenges you face to school administrators and colleagues.

Schooling 230

Schooling Health Wellness Health Education 230

Relentless School Nurse

DECEMBER 5, 2024

Rogers even maintained a consistent weight of 143 pounds for decades, viewing it as a symbol of love, stability, and care, values that resonate deeply with our work in schools. It’s an opportunity to show love and kindness to those around us, just as Fred Rogers did every day, fostering a culture of empathy in our schools and beyond.

Schooling 187

Schooling Wellness Health Education 187

Relentless School Nurse

FEBRUARY 2, 2023

Sharing stories from school nurses across the country is one of the goals I had for starting The Relentless School Nurse almost seven years ago! Please keep sending in your stories, they can be brief, typically 500 words or less work well. I started part time at a high school. The issues back then were different.

Schooling 50

Schooling High School Health Wellness 50

SHAPE America

NOVEMBER 19, 2024

In a school era focused on technology and standardized tests, might the key to some students’ success lie not in more academic work on a device, but in the opportunity to move their bodies outdoors? Bringing Bikes to Our School About six years ago, I developed a biking curriculum for my PE program.

Academics 400

Academics Physical Education Education Education 400

Relentless School Nurse

JUNE 16, 2023

I have been honored to speak at many school nursing conferences over the years. My school year is coming to an end like a tall glass of sweet tea, as I was able to travel to Savannah, Georgia and speak at Georgia Association of School Nurses (GASN) annual conference. I certainly felt the healing beginning in Savannah, Georgia.

Schooling 269

Schooling Wellness 269

Relentless School Nurse

JULY 30, 2023

Illustration from Healing Meme Therapy As a seasoned school nurse, I’ve often heard the phrase, “You need thick skin for this job,” and while it’s meant to be a badge of honor, it doesn’t sit well with me. Above all, feeling safe at work is essential. Illustration from Healing Meme Therapy

Schooling 245

Schooling Wellness Health 245