Scope and Standards of PracticeMy homework helper

Posted: March 15th, 2023

School Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice

4th Edition

Draft

Proposed Publication Date: 2022

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Acknowledgments

Contributors: NASN Work Group Members

· Co-Chair: Cheryl Resha, EdD, MSN, RN, FNASN

· Co-Chair: Kathleen H. Johnson, DNP, RN, NCSN-E, APHN-BC, FNASN, FAAN

· Martha Dewey Bergren, DNS, RN, NCSN, PHNA-BC, FNASN, FASHA, FAAN

· Laurie G. Combe, MN, RN, NCSN

· Nina Fekaris

· Wendy Rau, MSN, BA, RN

· Kathy L. Reiner, MPH, BA, BSN, RN, AE-C

· Sharonlee Trefree

· Camille Wheeler

· Catherine F. Yonkaitis, DNP, RN, NCSN, PHNA-B

 

ANA Staff

 

 

 

 

Table of Contents

Preface 6

How to Use this Document 6

Nursing and School Nursing Foundational Documents 6

Audience 7

Scope of School Nursing Practice 9

Definitions 9

Distinguishing Characteristics 9

Overview of the Scope of School Nursing Practice 10

Guiding Principles 12

School Nursing (WHY): Students Need Access to School Nursing Services to Learn 14

Ethical Considerations in School Nursing 15

Social Justice 19

Characteristics of Professional School Nurses 22

Education 23

Bachelor of Science in Nursing 23

Masters or Doctoral-Level Prepared School Nurses 23

Continuing Professional Development 24

Nursing Licensure 25

Registered Nurses 25

Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) 25

National and State Certification 26

Professional Competence, Self Determination, and Professional Identity in School Nursing Practice 27

Professional Competence 27

Self Determination 30

Professional Identity 31

Mentoring and Preceptorship 31

Statistics of the Profession 32

School Nursing Practice Delivery 34

Art of School Nursing 34

Science of School Nursing 35

The Nursing Process 35

Framework for 21st Century School Nursing PracticeTM 36

School Nursing Settings 43

School-Based Health Centers 46

School Nursing Services: Every Day, All Day 46

Emergency and Disaster Preparedness 47

The Role of Practicing School Nurses 49

Trends and Issues Facing School Nursing 51

Structural Factors 52

Societal Factors 53

Student Factors 54

Nurse Factors 55

Summary of the Scope of School Nursing Practice 56

Standards of School Nursing Practice 57

Origin of School Nursing Standards 57

History of School Nursing Standards 57

Development and Function of School Nursing Standards 59

Overview of the Standards of School Nursing Practice 60

Standards of Practice for School Nursing 62

Standards of School Nursing Practice 64

Glossary 111

References 127

Appendix A 147

Appendix B 148

Appendix C 153

Appendix D 154

 

Preface

The scope and standards of school nursing practice provide a mechanism for accountability of the specialty to the public. The scope describes the who, what, where, when, how and why of the specialty practice. The standards are the professional expectations for behavior that guide the practice of school nursing. The standards have practical and formal value in advocacy, decision-making, setting and describing professional values and roles, and framing issues. They are valuable resources for the school nurse to guide position descriptions, role expectations, performance appraisal tools, program quality and a communication tool regarding the essence of school nursing (Resha, 2019). Each of the standards is detailed in the associated competencies. Behaviors that meet the standards and competencies provide evidence of an expected standard of care.

While school nursing is rooted in the same fundamentals of all nursing care, it is important to define it given the unique population and setting (schools) in which care is provided. School nursing requires a comprehensive knowledge base of both the nursing and education fields. This unique understanding of the nexus of health and education allows school nurses to properly advocate for the health and safety of the student, family, and school community. Together, the scope and standards of school nursing practice describe the core of the specialty.

How to Use this Document

As noted in the preface, the scope and standards of school nursing practice highlight the specialty and professional expectations. In order to use the breath of this publication, it is essential to explore the scope (who, what, where, when, why and how); focus on the definition of school nursing; and review all the terminology in the glossary. The glossary provides clarity for all readers and is an important tool to fully understand the expectations of the standards and accompanying competency statements. Finally, the associated references and appendices provide the reader the opportunity to delve further the specialty practice of school nursing.

Nursing and School Nursing Foundational Documents

ANA’s Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, 4th edition (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2021b), the Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements (ANA, 2015a) and its companion, Guide to the Code of Ethics for Nurses: Development, Interpretation and Application, 2nd edition (Fowler, 2015) are the foundational documents that describe the comprehensive practice of nursing. Together they outline the expectations of the professional role of the registered nurse. They are critical resources for professional nursing practice and represent the standards of professional nursing practice for all registered nurses. The ANA Scope and Standards document provides the structure upon which the School Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, 4th Edition, is based. The scope and standards of school nursing describe a competent level of school nursing practice and professional performance

Registered nurses, practicing in the United States and abroad for the U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity (US DoDEA), as school nurses also have other key professional resources, such as the Framework for 21st Century School Nursing Practice TM (Appendix A), NASN position statements and practice documents, and various school nurse textbooks and resources. These documents set the framework for registered nurses across all roles, levels, and settings. School nurses are further advised by the 2021 National Association of School Nurses Code of Ethics for the School Nurse (NASN, 2021c) (Appendix A).

Audience

School nurses, school nurse administrators, and registered nurses are the primary audience of this professional resource. Healthcare providers, healthcare systems, agencies and organizations, other nursing specialties (such as public health nurses), school district administrators, school board members, nurse educators, school-based health center staff, and interprofessional colleagues will also find this a valuable reference in understanding the role of school nurses, the supervision of nursing personnel and unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) in schools, and the development, maintenance, and evaluation of the school health program. In addition, students, families, groups, communities, and other populations using healthcare services in the school and in the community can use this document to better understand what comprises the practice of school nursing provided by registered nurses and graduate-level prepared nurses. Finally, legislators, regulators, legal counsel, and the judiciary system may wish to reference this document describing the scope of school nursing practice and the accompanying specialty standards of practice and professional performance.

School Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, 4th Edition, describes the professional responsibilities of all registered nurses engaged in school nursing practice, regardless of setting. As such it can serve as a basis for a range of uses, including:

· School nurse recruitment

· Position descriptions

· New employee orientation

· Performance appraisal/evaluation

· Agency policy, protocol, and procedure development

· Competency gap analysis

· Education of individuals regarding the role of school nurses

· Quality improvement systems and/or program evaluation efforts

· Development and evaluation of school nursing service delivery systems and organizational structures

· Educational offerings

· Database development, data collection, and research

· Establishing the legal stan