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Association News

Behavioral Health Program Provides Insight to School Nurse's Role
Behavioral Health Services in the School Setting: The Role of the School Nurse
Early Identification and Management of Behavioral Health Issues
This online continuing nursing education program is specifically written for school nurses.  Participants can earn 2.5 CNE contact hours. NASN members participate at special member rates!  Learn more.

Common Data Points for School Nurses
NASN and the National Association of State School Nurse Consultants (NASSNC), in a joint effort, are working to identify common data points for school nurse practice. The first few data points will be announced this summer for school nurses to begin collecting in the 2014-15 school year. When all school nurses are collecting the same data the same way, best practice models and appropriate workloads can be determined, and school nurses can better articulate their role to decision-makers. Read more about this joint effort.

School Nurse Evidence-Based Clinical Guidelines: Asthma
Coming soon!
By the time you are ready to think about returning to school in the fall, or August in many areas, these clinical guidelines will be available on the NASN website. The purpose of school nurse evidence-based clinical guidelines is to facilitate and support school nurses to keep students healthy, safe and ready to learn and to lead the transformation of school health. Clinical guidelines are based on the latest evidence of care.  Stay tuned for more information! Access asthma resource in NASN.org.
 
Preview the June 2014 Journal of School Nursing with an Audio Podcast
This preview podcast and an author interview podcast highlight content coming your way in the June issue of this NASN publication.  Access these podcasts and others on NASN's publisher's website.

Educational Advancement Awards Announced
Congratulations to Emily Green of California and Suzanne Tanner of Utah!!  Each of these NASN members is receiving a $1,500 scholarship for use in advancing their education.  Learn more about these award opportunities.

Kansas School Nurse of The Year Goes to Local Nurse
WIBW.com
NASN member Garrie Oppitz, school nurse for Logan Elementary School in Topeka, Kansas, was named the 2014-2015 Kansas School Nurse of the Year for helping provide care for her students.  View this announcement.

The Vigilant School Nurse Role in Disease Surveillance  
The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is just the latest emergence of a previously unknown virus in the U.S. detected by disease surveillance at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Disease surveillance is also a key role for the school nurse. Be alert to flu-like symptoms in students or staff who have recently traveled from the Arabian Peninsula or had close contact with anyone with a confirmed case of MERS. Read more about confirmed cases of MERS from the CDC.

Results and Fact Sheets from the School Health Policies and Practices Study (SHPPS)
The Division of Adolescent and School Health has just released resources to share results reported in their 2012 SHPPS national survey.  Access an overview of the results and numerous fact sheets including one on Health Services.

Annual Food Allergy Conferences Include Workshop for School and Clinical Nurses
The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team (FAACT) is hosting Food Allergy Conferences in 4 locations nationwide. FAACT partnered with NASN to include a two-hour workshop for school and clinical nurses on 504 plans, IHP's, and IEP plans. Learn more about these events. 

School Nurses Save Money!  
A Massachusetts program, that put full-time registered nurses in schools, more than paid for itself by averting medical costs and lost work for parents and teachers. Findings from this program are published in a journal article from JAMA Pediatrics titled Cost-Benefit Study of School Nursing Services. The authors, including NASN members Mary Ann Gapinski, Marie DeSisto, and Anne Sheetz, as well as, NASN Director of Research Erin Maughan, calculated that every dollar invested in the school nurse program saved $2.20 overall.
Read a press release on the findings.
Access the JAMA Pediatrics article abstract.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) and School Nursing
NASN and Healthy Schools Campaign discussed exciting opportunities the ACA presents for school nurses in a recent webinar. Included in the discussion was the innovative pilot project in Oregon to ensure school nurses are included in health services delivery. The future of healthcare makes the work and expertise of school nurses more important than ever.
Access the archived webinar.
   
An Infographic Featuring the Highest and Lowest Paying Nursing Specializations
The Top 10 Nursing Jobs of 2014
Resource courtesy of Olivet Nazarene University http://graduate.olivet.edu/  
Access the infographic.

Putting It Into Practice: Pediatric Environmental Health Training Resource
Children's Environmental Health Network's free Pediatric Environmental Health Training Resource consists of 12 PowerPoint modules, each with a supplementary User Guide designed to assist you in incorporating pediatric environmental health into your practice.  Learn more.

5 Steps to Becoming a Local Health Policy Advocate
Healthcare professionals are in a great position to affect policy through advocacy, which does not have to be difficult or time consuming. A little education and effort can go a long way.
Access these advocating tips from the National Institute for Children's Health Quality. 

NASN's Calendar of Events lists upcoming events for school nursing professionals.  Events happening soon include:

Nebraska School Nurses Annual Health Conference

June 8 - 10, 2014

School Nurse Organization of Idaho Annual Conference

June 9 - 10, 2014

Healthfinder.gov's National Health Observances site lists special days, weeks, or months dedicated to raising awareness about important health topics.