05/04/04

National School Nurse Day will be celebrated on May 12th, 2004 , in conjunction with National Nurse Week. The day was originally set aside to promote a better understanding of the role school nurses play in the educational setting.

School nursing encompasses a broad range of responsibilities and requires enormous dedication. In fact, the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) has defined school nursing as "a specialized practice of professional nursing that advances the well being, academic success, and life-long achievement of students. To that end, school nurses facilitate positive student responses to normal development; promote health and safety; intervene with actual and potential health problems; provide case management services; and actively collaborate with others to build student and family capacity for adaptation, self management, self advocacy and learning."

Daily, school nurses work with parents and teachers to help children gain a better understanding of the importance of personal health and safety and provide appropriate interventions to potential and real health problems. The commitment of school nurses conveys to parents and community members that children's health problems and injuries will be sensitively, caringly, and skillfully handled. For over 100 years, school nurses have been playing a vital role in caring for and improving the health and wellness of our nation's children.

This year DoDDS Pacific school nurses have participated in the NASN course, Managing School Emergencies, and assisted in designing and reviewing their school medical emergency plans. Their expertise and leadership in the management of school emergencies has been an integral part in ensuring that medical emergencies will be handled efficiently and effectively.

I ask all employees in DoDDS Pacific to join me in saying "thank you" to all school nurses for their untold contributions and service to the children and families within our school community. Let us take this day to celebrate and honor the critical role nurses play in the Department of Defense Pacific schools.

Nancy C. Bresell
Director, DoDDS Pacific