Blogs - News

NASN Launches Beyond Bandaids Podcast

By NASN Inc posted 4 days ago
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NASN is proud to introduce Beyond Bandaids , a new podcast dedicated to celebrating the essential role of school nurses in shaping healthier school communities. Hosted by NASN CEO Terri Hinkley, EdD, MBA, BScN, RN, CAE, the monthly series will spotlight the voices of school nursing advocates, explore key policy issues, and share strategies that strengthen the profession. You can watch the podcast on NASN's YouTube channel or listen on Spotify . In the inaugural episode, Hinkley welcomes NASN’s Director of Government Affairs, Piper Largent, and Senior Policy Advisor at Venable LLP, Jim Twaddell, for an insightful discussion on NASN’s 2025 advocacy priorities ...

Updated Advocacy Web Pages and Resources Now Available

By NASN Inc posted 10 days ago
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At NASN, we believe every child deserves access to healthcare at school to thrive both academically and personally. Explore our newly updated advocacy pages below to join us in advocating for healthier, safer learning environments. Together, we can ensure all children thrive! What School Nurses Do Including this new resource: The Vital Role of School Nurses: Public Perception and Policy Support Our Priorities Medicaid in School Nursing School Nurse Day State Advocacy Resources

Frequent Flyers or Preparing to Soar: The Effect of Stigmatizing Language in School Health

By Kimberly Garrett posted 11 days ago
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Join me at IN-PERSON NASN2025 on 6/26/2025 from 2:30 – 3:45 PM for my interactive session, Frequent Flyers or Preparing to Soar: The Effect of Stigmatizing Language in School Health . Together, we’ll explore the critical role of language in school health and how it can shape student outcomes. What to Expect In this session, we’ll identify stigmatizing language commonly used in school health settings and discuss its impact on student well-being. Through interactive activities, you’ll learn strategies to: Recognize and replace stigmatizing phrases with inclusive alternatives. Foster a culture of respect and support for all students. Evaluate your ...

Congressman Hank Johnson & Senator Elizabeth Warren Win Lillian Wald Award

By NASN Inc posted 12 days ago
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For Immediate Release February 26, 2025 Contact: Kate McDuffie National Association of School Nurses kmcduffie@nasn.org Congressman Hank Johnson & Senator Elizabeth Warren Win Lillian Wald Award SILVER SPRING, MD — The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) has named Congressman Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr., of Georgia’s Fourth Congressional District, and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts as the winners of the Lillian Wald Legislator/Public Policy Award. Warren was unable to attend in person to receive her award. The award recognizes a legislator or public policy official who has supported or uniquely contributed to NASN, school ...

Holy Cow! I Just Saved a Student's Life

By Laura Phillips, MPH, BSN, RN, NCSN posted 15 days ago
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Holy Cow! I Just Saved a Student's Life! Laura L. Phillips, MPH, BSN, RN, NCSN January 17, 2025 It was just before noon and I was in the conference room at my charter school documenting health information in a student’s IEP when one of my health aids came in and asked where the stethoscope was kept. This particular health aid is a registered nurse employed in a hospital as a flex NICU nurse as well as part-time in the school health room as an aid. This nurse does not need the money; as the nurse has previously asked to be a volunteer in the health room. But because of HIPPA, only staff can work in the health room and see students, so the school hired this ...

NASN2025 Registration is Open

By NASN Inc posted 20 days ago
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NASN's Annual School Nurse Conference, NASN2025 , features two educational events to meet your needs. Separate conferences with unique schedules and presenters allow you to choose which format best suits you: in-person, online, or both! Virtual NASN2025 sessions are recorded and available for a full 90 days.

Caring for the Crisis: Empowering School Nurses to Address Mental Health Challenges

By Mary-Lee Helbing posted 21 days ago
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Date and Time: This session is an “anytime session” and therefore can be viewed for 90 days beginning July 7, 2025! In today’s rapidly evolving educational landscape, mental health crises among students are a growing concern. School nurses are often the first to encounter students in distress, placing them at the forefront of crisis management. Recognizing the critical role they play, we (Dr. Meghan Pontz and Dr. Mary-Lee Helbing) are presenting an insightful session titled Caring for the Crisis: School Nurse Preparedness and Role Development . Our one-hour presentation will dive into the intersection of school nursing and mental health, exploring ...

New Podcast: Application of AI in the School Health Setting

By NASN Inc posted 27 days ago
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School nurses must anticipate the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare and be ready to ensure proper implementation and safeguards. In the latest Journal of School Nursing (JOSN) podcast, Martha Dewey Bergren, editor of JOSN , interviews author Kathleen Johnson to discuss the article "Does School Nursing Benefit From AI?". 🎧 Listen to the podcast . ...

NASN Delegation to Cuba: A Cultural and Professional Exchange of Best School Health Practices

By Linda Neumann, RN posted 02-11-2025
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School nurses care for diverse populations. NASN’s School Nursing Practice Framework ™ calls for an action-oriented approach to school nursing practice (Tanner et al., 2024) . The Future of Nursing 2020-2030 – Charting A Path to Achieve Health Equity report, points out the need to expand and diversify school nursing practice to advance health equity for students (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2021) . On December 1 st of 2024, a group of NASN delegates traveled to Cuba, for a high-level, in-depth international exchange of both culture and professional school nursing practice. The desired outcome… to foster one-on-one ...

Beyond Ratios: Enhancing Safe and Equitable School Nurse Assignments Through Acuity Measurement

By Tammy Jeffery, MSN-PH, NCSN posted 02-10-2025
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Are your school nurses stretched too thin? Do you want to ensure every student, especially those with complex health needs, receives the care they deserve? Join us to explore a game-changing, data-driven solution: the Jeffco Acuity Metric Tool (AMT). [Presented in Austin at In-Person NASN2025 on Saturday, June 28, 2025 at 02:00 P.M.] This innovative tool revolutionizes how we think about nurse staffing. We meticulously tracked nurse workloads for three years, moving beyond simple nurse-to-student ratios that often fail to capture the full scope of a school nurse’s responsibilities. The AMT addresses each school's diverse needs, including chronic health conditions, ...

NASN2025 Justification Toolkit Now Available

By NASN Inc posted 02-10-2025
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The NASN2025 Justification Toolkit provides compelling reasons to attend NASN2025 Stronger Together In-Person in Austin, Texas, June 26 - 29, online for the Virtual event July 7 - 9, or both. The Toolkit includes an editable template letter for communicating with administrators or employers about how attendance benefits the entire school community. Registration opens this month!

Empowering School Nurses: Navigating Pregnancy Support for Students

By Bonnie MacAdams, BSN, RN, NCSN, DESE posted 02-07-2025
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Session Date and Time: Thursday, June 26: 1:00 PM - 2:15 PM As school nurses, we hold a unique and vital role in ensuring that all students, including those navigating pregnancy, feel supported and cared for. I am excited to invite you to my NASN session, "Empowering School Nurses: Navigating Pregnancy Support for Students," where we will explore practical ways to foster a supportive environment for pregnant students in school settings. In this session, we’ll discuss the unique needs of pregnant students and how school nurses can advocate for equitable care, including physical and educational accommodations, such as 504 Plans or home tutoring during postpartum ...

Tuberculosis Outbreak Resources

By NASN Inc posted 02-05-2025
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As of Jan. 31, 2025, there are 67 confirmed active cases of tuberculosis (TB) disease in Kansas. Cases have also been confirmed in Michigan, Ohio, and North Carolina. Now is a great time to : Review your knowledge of TB symptoms Take a look at your health education programs to raise awareness of TB. Monitor students for absenteeism with TB in mind and conduct health checks to identify potential TB cases early. Reestablish protocols for post-exposure prophylaxis for students who have been exposed to TB. Contact your local health department. Resources: World ...

Get to Know the NASN 2025 President-Elect Candidates

By NASN Inc posted 02-04-2025
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The videos featuring the NASN President-Elect candidates are now available for online viewing. These videos offer insights into the candidates and their motivations for seeking the presidency of NASN.

2025 NASN Distinguished Service and Recognition Awards: Nominations Due March 1

By NASN Inc posted 01-30-2025
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NASN is seeking nominations for the 2025 NASN Distinguished Service and Recognition Awards. Would you like to recognize an organization or individual that has provided outstanding service, consistently supported, or uniquely contributed to NASN, a special NASN project, school nursing, or school health services at a national level? Learn more about the awards and nomination process . Please submit your nominations by March 1, 2025 .

Open Letter to School Nurses

By NASN Inc posted 01-24-2025
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To Our Dedicated School Nurses, In these confusing and often unsettling times, we, the leadership of NASN, want to extend our deepest gratitude and unwavering support to each of you. Your role as caregivers, advocates, and trusted figures in schools has never been more critical. We recognize the immense challenges you face as you work to ensure the health and well-being of students, staff, and, by extension, their families. Parents need to feel safe sending their children to school. Children need to feel safe and supported at school while they learn and grow. As school nurses, you play an essential role in fostering this sense of safety and trust. Whether ...

School Nurse Day 2025 Proclamation and Logo Now Available

By NASN Inc posted 01-24-2025
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The proclamation and logo for National School Nurse Day on May 7, 2025, have been released. Visit schoolnurseday.org . Processing requests for proclamations can take time, so we encourage you to plan and promote the event well in advance. A social media toolkit will be available in April, including images, social messages, and posters to display.

NASN Names Dr. Mayumi Willgerodt as New Editor of The Journal of School Nursing

By NASN Inc posted 01-22-2025
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printable version For Immediate Release January 22, 2025 Contact: Kate McDuffie National Association of School Nurses kmcduffie@nasn.org NASN Names Dr. Mayumi Willgerodt as New Editor of The Journal of School Nursing SILVER SPRING, MD — The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) is pleased to announce that Mayumi Anne Willgerodt, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN, FNASN, a distinguished academic and leader in school nursing and public health, will assume the role of Editor for The Journal of School Nursing . Dr. Willgerodt will succeed Martha Dewey Bergren, PhD, RN, NCSN, PHNA-BC, FNASN, FASHA, FAAN, who has been at the helm of the journal since September ...

NASN Statement on Wildfires in Southern California

By NASN Inc posted 01-15-2025
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Our thoughts are with the communities and individuals affected by California's ongoing Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) fires. We stand in solidarity with those impacted by this crisis, which has been declared a public health emergency , to support the healthcare response. The health and welfare of our nation's children and youth are dependent upon the quality of the environment in which they live, learn, play, and work. School nurses play a vital role in contributing essential expertise, collaborating to achieve well-coordinated emergency preparedness before, during, and after events, and fostering resilient learning environments ...

Creating an inclusive system to care for students with learning Disabilities and health care needs

By Deborah Thomas posted 01-15-2025
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Introduction : Are you ready to take your school nursing expertise to the next level? Join me on Saturday, June 28, from 2:00 PM to 3:15 PM at NASN2025 for an engaging session that dives deep into innovative practices tailored to special education programs. In this session, we’ll explore actionable strategies that can transform the way school nurses support students in District 75 (D75) settings and beyond. Why This Session Matters: School nurses are often the unsung heroes in special education settings, balancing complex student health needs with limited resources. D75 schools, which cater to students with the most intensive needs, require a specialized ...