School Nursing

The American Federation of Teachers’ article on school nursing sheds light on the great importance of this specialty in schools today. Because of the increase in chronic illnesses which affect children today, such as obesity and asthma, school nurses are more important than ever. School nurses take on many jobs, and these can range from counseling students on sexual health, to monitoring students’ immunization schedules, to conducting routine screenings for growth and development. The importance of school nurses is clear through statistics. According to the article, when a school nurse is present, only 6.2 percent of students are sent home due to illness. When a school nurse is not present, that percentage more than doubles. This is just one of the many examples the article provides. You can read the full article here.