Applying Benner's model to school nursing of multiple handicapped children

The role of the school health nurse has become more complex in recent years due to public policy changes. The focus of this article is on changes in school health nursing since enactment of Public Law 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, which places medically complex and multiply handicapped children in the public school system. The changing character of school health nursing increases the need for the advanced practice nurse (APN) to use nursing theories to guide nursing decisions. In this article, Benner's Model of Expert Practice is used by the APN in the challenging setting of school health nursing. A case study is included to describe how an APN can use this model to promote optimal functioning in a child with multiple handicaps while helping the child and family transition through developmental stages.