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American Public Health Association
133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition
December 10-14, 2005
Philadelphia, PA
 APHA 2005
 
Session: Use of Mentors and School Nurses to Improve the Health of Children
5077.0: Wednesday, December 14, 2005: 8:30 AM-10:00 AM
Oral
Use of Mentors and School Nurses to Improve the Health of Children
Maintaining and enhancing the health of school students involves the help of many and this session focuses on the use of mentors and school nurses. The first presenter describes a program that used college-age volunteers with diabetes as a source of support for children and adolescents with diabetes. They reported on the benefits received by all involved in the program, the mentors as well as the children and their families with whom they worked. The second presenter collected data on unplanned school health care encounters over a two month period. The results showed the significant differences in the clinical practice between school nurses and unlicensed assistive personnel and should be considered as decisions are made about hiring school nurses in elementary schools. The third presenter reports on the impact of singe RN school health clinics on educational system policies and student achievement. Evaluation of the screenings of more than 5,000 children over a three year period will be reported. The fourth presenter surveyed school nurses to assess asthma morbidity, management, and education in elementary schools. The main obstacles to asthma management reported were lack of time and funding.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session the participants will be able to: 1. Describe the benefits to college mentors as well as the benefits to the children and adolescents and their families with whom they worked. 2. Describe how differences in clinical practice between school nurses demonstrate the benefit of having a school nurse. 3. Describe the characteristics of a successful sing RN school nurse program in a rural state. 4. Identify the role of school nurses in assessing asthma morbidity, management, and education in elementary schools.
Organizer(s):Maria Theresa Wessel, EdD, CHES
Moderator(s):Julie Gast, PhD
8:30 AMBeta Buddies: A Mentoring Program for Children and Teens with Diabetes  [ Recorded presentation ]
Erin Kane, Julia Dezen, Josefine Wendel, MS, RD, Ricki Lacy, MS, RN
8:50 AMDifferences in school health practice between school nurses and unlicensed assistive personnel  [ Recorded presentation ]
Pam S. Buchalter, PhDc, RN, Diane Allensworth, PhD, Patricia C. Clark, PhD, RN, Colleen DiIorio, PhD, RN, Gloria Taylor, DSN, RNc
9:10 AMCan Single RN School Health Clinics Impact Educational System Policies and Student Achievement: A Beginning Case of Evidence from a Rural State  [ Recorded presentation ]
Kaye Bender, RN, PhD, FAAN
9:30 AMAsthma morbidity, management, and education in New York State elementary schools: A survey of school nurses
Shao Lin, PhD, Christine Kielb, MSPH
See individual abstracts for presenting author's disclosure statement and author's information.
Organized by:School Health Education and Services
Endorsed by:Maternal and Child Health; Public Health Education and Health Promotion; Public Health Nursing; Socialist Caucus
CE Credits:CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing

The 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition (December 10-14, 2005) of APHA