A COMPARISON OF THE ACTUAL AND IDEAL ROLE OF THE SCHOOL NURSE AS PERCEIVED BY SCHOOL NURSES AND NURSE EDUCATORS IN MASSACHUSETTS.
Contributors: Peabody College For Teachers Of Vanderbilt University.
Published: 1989
Number of pages: 175
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Education, Higher.; Education, Health.
Description: This study examined the areas of agreement and disagreement among Massachusetts school nurses and baccalaureate nurse educators on how the ANA Standards of School Nursing Practice are being implemented. One hundred-sixty school nurses and 26 nurse educators completed a 73-item questionnaire to determine perceptions of performance of the functions of the following eight school nursing standards: theory, program management, nursing process, interdisciplinary collaboration, health education, professional development, community health systems, and research. The data were analyzed by use of the paired t test and the independent groups t test to compare the perceptions of school nursing standards by school nurses and nurse educators and to examine the relationship of school nurses' educational preparation and type of employer to these standards.

Both school nurses and nurse educators agreed that, ideally, more time should be spent than is actually being spent performing the functions of all eight standards. School nurses indicated that they actually spent significantly more time than was perceived by nurse educators on functions related to all the standards except program management. Ideally, school nurses stated they should spend less time than was indicated by nurse educators performing activities associated with program management and community health systems. For actual role, school nurses with baccalaureates stated they spent significantly more time than school nurses without baccalaureates on functions related to program management, interdisciplinary collaboration, and community health systems. For ideal role, school nurses with and without baccalaureates were in agreement. School nurses employed by school committees indicated that they actually spent more time on the activities of program management and, ideally, would like to devote more time to activities of health education than school nurses employed by departments of health.

Recommendations for school nursing practice include baccalaureate preparation, curriculums that reflect ANA standards and input from school nurses, state certification, mandated continuing education, appointment of a state school nurse consultant, and promotion of the role by school nurses. Recommendations for future research include replicating the study in other geographic locations, identifying obstacles to practice, evaluating school nursing curriculums, and identifying the knowledge and skills required to perform school nursing standards.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-09, Section: B, page: 3916.

Thesis (ED.D.)--PEABODY COLLEGE FOR TEACHERS OF VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY, 1989.

School code: 0074.