Increasing the Self-Confidence of School Nurses to Provide Mental Health Care to Students

School nurses want and need continued education in student mental health care because of variability in their knowledge, skills, and confidence in assessing and responding to mental health concerns. To address this concern, two student mental health simulation scenarios were developed for a large school-based health program in Hawaii.

School nurses (n = 51) participated in a 1-day skills training that included two scenarios with actors depicting students presenting with depression or anxiety. This mixed methods study used a qualitative component to explore nurses' simulation experiences and a six-item survey to assess confidence levels pre- and postsimulation.

Scores for all six confidence items showed significant improvement after the intervention. Nurses highly valued the live actors and feedback sessions.

Mental health care simulations can significantly increase school nurses' confidence in providing appropriate assessments and follow-up care to students. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2025;56(1):20-26.].