One of the nurse’s caps I wear is the Legislative co-chair of the New Jersey State School Nurses Association (NJSSNA). This is one of the more challenging roles I have had in my school nursing career. I still feel very new in this role, even though I am entering my second full year. Thankfully I have expert guidance from my dear friend and partner in all things school nursing, Eileen Gavin.
Who remembers this from Schoolhouse Rock?
We have great news to share! Our State School Nurse Consultant bill had it’s 3rd and final vote in the NJ State Legislature yesterday and it passed. NJ has never had a formal position of State School Nurse Consultant at the Department of Education. In fact, for many years, there has been no school nurse at either the Department of Education or Health.
It took a pandemic, an amazing State Senator @SenMTeresaRuiz who listened to the concerns of NJSSNA, and the support of the NJ State Senate and Assembly to take action on this much-needed leadership position.
NJ is one signature away from having a State School Nurse Consultant. Governor Phil Murphy, NJ school nurses are counting on you to sign this bill into law and we hope to be at the signing, socially distanced of course!
Published by Robin Cogan, MEd, RN, NCSN, FNASN, FAAN
Robin Cogan, MEd, RN, NCSN, FNASN, FAAN, is a Nationally Certified School Nurse (NCSN), currently in her 22nd year as a New Jersey school nurse in the Camden City School District. Robin is the Director for New Jersey to the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) Board. She is proud to be a Johnson & Johnson School Health Leadership Fellow and past Program Mentor. Robin is the honored recipient of multiple awards for her work in school nursing and population health. These awards include, 2019 and 2020 National Association of School Nurses President’s Award, 2018 NCSN School Nurse of the Year, 2017 Johnson & Johnson School Nurse of the Year, and the New Jersey Department of Health 2017 Population Health Hero Award. Robin serves as faculty in the School Nurse Certificate Program at Rutgers University-Camden School of Nursing, where she teaches the next generation of school nurses. She was presented the 2018 Rutgers University – Camden Chancellor’s Teaching Excellence Award for Part-time Faculty. Robin writes a weekly blog called The Relentless School Nurse. She also writes a monthly column in My American Nurse, the official journal of the American Nurses Association. Robin’s work is included as a case study in The Future of Nursing Report 2020-2030. You can follow Robin on Twitter at @RobinCogan.
View all posts by Robin Cogan, MEd, RN, NCSN, FNASN, FAAN
