Demonstrating the Relationship Between School Nurse Workload and Student Outcomes.

This article describes how one very large, diverse school district developed a Student Acuity Tool for School Nurse Assignment and used a logic model to successfully advocate for additional school nurse positions. The logic model included three student outcomes that were evaluated: provide medications and procedures safely and accurately, increase the number of students with a medical home, and increase the number of students with chronic illness that receive case management. Pairing a staffing formula with an evaluation plan that focuses on student outcomes and the priorities of the school district provides a strong case that school nurses are essential and that they contribute to student success.

Factors Related to School Nurse Workload.

Recognizing the need for a school nurse workload model based on more than the number of students in a caseload, the National Association of School Nurses issued recommendations related to measuring school nurse workload. Next, a workforce acuity task force (WATF) was charged with identifying the steps needed to further the recommendations. As a first step, the WATF focused on identifying existing literature and practices related to school nurse workload. The purpose of this article is to synthesize and categorize the factors that were identified, delineate sources for collecting and retrieving these factors, and make recommendations for clinicians and researchers interested in developing instruments to measure school nurse workload.

School Nurses' Emotional Wellbeing: May the Schwartz Be With you!

The purpose of this article is to introduce Schwartz Rounds as a means for school nurses to foster their personal wellbeing by sharing their experiences. Nurse panelists openly discuss their journeys, followed by facilitated small-group conversations led by mental health professionals. To address the unique challenges of school nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic, the New Jersey Nursing Emotional Well-Being Institute initiated virtual Schwartz Rounds. New Jersey State School Nurses Association leaders joined as panelists to discuss the theme of hope for the upcoming school year. Schwartz Rounds prove highly effective in preserving and enhancing school nurses' mental health and wellbeing, allowing them to maintain their vital work while caring for themselves and their school communities. This approach builds community among school nursing professionals, fostering connections, and providing mutual support to combat isolation.

Explaining the Variability in School Nurse Workload and Educational Outcomes.

This secondary analysis examined the variability in the effects of school nurse workload on individual student outcomes of 9th grade attendance, being on track to graduate, and high school graduation. A principal axis factor analysis of the variables underlying school nurse workload and a structural equation model of the latent construct school nurse workload in 5th grade and the three outcome variables was tested using data from student records (N = 3,782). Two factors explained 82% of the variability in school nurse workload: acuity and volume factor and social determinants of health factor. The model had acceptable fit indices and school nurse workload explained between 35% and 52% of the variability in the outcomes with a moderate effect size (.6-.72). Creating school nurse workload assignments that maximize student educational outcomes may improve graduation from high school, which in turn increases the resources available for lifelong health.