Personal and professional characteristics of exemplary school nurses

This article describes a study conducted to identify the professional and personal characteristics of exemplary school nurses. During Phase 1 of the study, a content analysis was completed using nomination portfolios of 10 school nurses who were selected as School Nurse of the Year from 1986 to 1998 in the state of New York. Further content analyses were conducted using transcriptions of a focus group and individual open-ended interviews with exemplary school nurses. These analyses yielded 54 personal characteristics and 74 professional characteristics of exemplary school nurses. Using a Delphi technique in Phase 2 of the study, these characteristics were validated and refined by a national sample of exemplary school nurses who had been chosen to be their state nominees for the National Association of School Nurses' School Nurse of the Year award. Descriptive data were collected on the organizational/structural characteristics of the school systems in which these nurses practiced and on the nurses' individual characteristics. This article identifies areas for clinical and research use of the study's findings.