Facilitating successful substitute school nurse programs: a multi-school roundtable

Fortunate indeed are schools that have adequate school nurse-to-student ratios, let alone schools that also value and provide substitute registered nurses (RNs) in the absence of the contracted school nurse. In a recent article in the Journal of School Nursing, Vollinger, Bergren, and Belmonte-Mann discussed personnel who staff the school health office in the absence of the school nurse; the authors found substandard coverage in the majority of the schools. The article recommended, among other things, that school nurses engage in dialogue to encourage programs to increase the number of RN substitutes. The purpose of this roundtable article is to provide initial dialogue on this subject.