School Nursing

The Relentless School Nurse: Good Housekeeping Features Challenges of School Nursing – “Why Are Our School Nurses Disappearing?”

This is a special edition of The Relentless School Nurse because of the importance of this article written by Gina Rich for Good Housekeeping. One of the most compelling reasons for school nurses disappearing was quantified by Linda Aiken, Ph.D., R.N., director of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing’s Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research.  

Dr. Aiken found that 46% of school nurses surveyed were dissatisfied with their opportunities for advancement. Unlike hospitals, “Schools are really not offering the same level of continuing education opportunities or tuition benefits for nurses,” she says. In addition, while nurses in health care settings benefit from an on-site network of colleagues, school nurses often cover multiple buildings on their own and are much more isolated.

I am still digesting the impact of this finding, something that I have been struggling with for years and I know I am not alone in this frustation. A future blog post will focus on the deeper impact of what it means that at least 46% of us are dissastisfied with opportunities for advancement. Actually, I am quite surprised the number is not greater and I wonder if that would be true the longer school nurses stay in the same position over years and years. 

Here is the Good Housekeeping article, please share within your network so that this important information spreads! 

Why Are Our School Nurses Disappearing?

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