NASN membership survey: Developing and providing leadership to advance the school nursing practice

The NASN membership is fairly consistent. The majority of NASN members are female; NASN members share a common interest in the specialty of school nursing. The majority of members are involved in one of the following areas: school nurse services, school nurse administration or supervision, and regional or state nurse consultant within the educational system. School nursing practice varies among survey participants; there are school nurses who have spent as little as one year specifically practicing school nursing and those who have spent as much as 36 years or more. Eighty-three percent (83%) of NASN members are employed by public school districts, salaries among members vary between $19,000 or less per year and $129,999 or more per year. NASN members serve students in different geographical areas; school nurses may care for students in urban, suburban, rural, reservations, and overseas (DOD, military) areas. Nonetheless, some school nurses may care for students in more than one geographical area. Twenty-eight percent (28%) of NASN members provide school nursing services to students in elementary school. Student-to-school nurse ratios vary among members; in some areas school nurses may care for 125 students or fewer to as many as 5,100 students or more. NASN members spend most of their time caring for episodic minor illness and injury (headache, pain, hay fever, pm medication, etc.), acute injury and illness, health screenings (vision, hearing, body mass index), and chronic health (case management, care plans, emergency plans, and 504). In addition, there is a consensus on the resources that would most allow school nurses to deliver safer care to their students to include assistance with administrative tasks, lowering student-to-school nurse ratios, and funding for projects. NASN members place a high priority in continuing education programs, especially in topics pertaining to direct student services, such as mental health, chronic health care, and acute illness. NASN members value the reading resources such as the electronic