Equipping the school nurse to be an immunization champion

Background:

School nurses are in the critical position within their school communities to assess immunization needs, serve in a leadership capacity to develop immunization programs, and promote community awareness of the value of immunizations. Partnership with other community immunization champions promotes a healthy school and broader community, ensuring the health and educational success of students.

Purpose:

Efforts to equip the school nurse with the knowledge, skills and resources to partner in the planning and implementation of community immunization programming involve a multi-faceted approach: online continuing education, toolkits, and media training.

Significance:

As an immunization champion and partner, the school nurse can contribute to easing the burden of vaccine preventable disease, reducing school absenteeism, and promoting a healthy school environment that fosters student health and academic success.

Methodology:

The National Association of School Nurses partners with government and non-government agencies to develop and disseminate quality, evidence-based information, tools and resources. Outcomes of these outreach efforts include active participation in immunization coalitions, and the development and dissemination of continuing education (CE) programs and toolkits for school nurses.

Findings/Results:

Successful outcomes resulting from school nurses armed with information, tools and resources to promote immunizations will be cited.

Conclusions/Recommendations:

The school nurse, in collaboration with other community immunization champions, is central to the success of promoting a positive immunization message to the community. Resulting improved vaccination coverage rates can result in lowered absentee rates leaving students in the classroom and ready to learn.