It has not been a figment of our imagination, or hyperbole that school nurses across the country have been struggling under the cumulative stressors of the pandemic. Our mental health has been impacted during COVID, which is no surprise to any of us, but the data clearly supports our anecdotal experiences. NASN released the results of a national survey in March of 2022. This was a collaboration between NASN, the CDC, and the National Association of State School Nurse Consultants. Almost 8,000 school nurses from across the country responded to the 121 -item questionnaire.
It is beyond time to pay attention to our own mental health. The results of the survey are sobering, to say the least.
It is time that we address the mental health and wellness of the school nurses who have so valiantly cared for our nation’s school children and staff. – NASN Executive Director, Donna Mazyck
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
1 thought on “The Relentless School Nurse: Time to Pay Attention to the Mental Health of School Nurses”
Sobering is an understatement. These results are horrendous and no surprise. Sad. Going to bring it to my superintendent tomorrow. Personally.
Sobering is an understatement. These results are horrendous and no surprise. Sad. Going to bring it to my superintendent tomorrow. Personally.