Utah's ratio of school nurses to children is 1 nurse to 6,330 students. In a recent study conducted by the National Association of School Nurses, only two states in the nation had a worse school nurse to student ratio. The national recommendation is one nurse to 750 regular education students. Professional School Nurses in our schools work diligently to meet the daily and emergency medical and health needs of each student population they serve. They identify and assist in the removal or modification of health-related barriers to the learning process for children and youth.
Healthy students can reach higher educational potentials.
School Nurses help students to cope with developmental, situational, social, financial and emotional problems so that these students will learn better. Today, there are many more children with special needs in our schools than ever before. School Nurses are an essential part of the school team that assists in accommodating students with special needs. These are the children who are dependent on daily medication, nursing procedures, or special diets for normal function. The school must be prepared to address these needs as well as students' health-related emergency needs.