What Does an Optimal District Standard For School Nursing Look Like?

Area of Science:

• School Nursing
• Health Services Administration
• Evidence-Based Practice

Background:

• The Mansfield Independent School District (MISD) sought to ensure its Health Services department operated at peak performance.
• There was a need to validate the implementation of evidence-based practices and optimize student and staff health outcomes.
• The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) developed the Framework for 21st Century School Nursing Practice to guide school nursing operations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To operationalize the NASN Framework for 21st Century School Nursing Practice for district-level application.
• To develop a collaborative tool and assessment program between MISD and NASN.
• To evaluate the approach, challenges, lessons learned, and outcomes of this partnership.

Main Methods:

• A partnership was formed between Mansfield Independent School District and the National Association of School Nurses.
• A collaborative tool and assessment program were developed based on the NASN Framework.
• The process involved discussing approaches, challenges, perspectives, and outcomes.

Main Results:

• A functional tool and assessment program were created through the MISD-NASN collaboration.
• The partnership facilitated the operationalization of the NASN Framework within a school district setting.
• Insights into the challenges, lessons learned, and outcomes of implementing the framework were gained.

Conclusions:

• The collaborative development of a tool and assessment program successfully operationalized the NASN Framework for 21st Century School Nursing Practice.
• This initiative demonstrated a viable model for school districts to enhance health services through evidence-based practices.
• Future potential changes within health services were identified based on the project's outcomes and lessons learned.