Public Health A Common Subset Of Public Nursing

Public health is one of the numerous influential roles a registered nurse can pursue. A common subset of public nursing is school nursing. Nurses have been a part of the school setting since the late 1800’s when they provided student inspections to identify those with communicable diseases needing treatment (Kulbok, Thatcher, Park, Meszaros, 2012). Since then, school nurses have proven to be valuable members of the public health team. School nurses save lives, increase student attendance and decrease early dismissals (Kulbok, Thatcher, Park, Meszaros, 2012). They are the first responders to critical incidents on school property, provide direct health services for students, and identify threats to health in the school community and work to†¦show more content†¦The next minority races are as follows, 6.5% Hispanic, 1.2% Asian alone, 0.7% American Indian alone, and 0.6% Black alone (City-Data, 2016). The most common ancestries include German, Irish, and Norwegian (City-D ata, 2016). Taking care of the population in Jordan, ages Kindergarten through twelfth grade, is one licensed practical nurse (LPN) that stays in the middle school for medication passes, and only one registered nurse (RN) that covers the elementary, middle, and high school. The RN’s office is in the elementary and mostly overseas daily interventions with elementary aged children grades kindergarten through fourth grade. The daily interventions handled by the school nurse can put him/her into multiple different roles to handle the children’s specific needs. The role of a school nurse includes being a direct caregiver, health educator, case manager, consultant, counselor, and a community outreach person (Stanhope Lancaster, 2014). The nurse at Jordan Elementary School serves as a direct care giver by administering scheduled and as-needed medications to the students. She also treats students with minor injuries, removes wood ticks and examines students who may be carrying lice. The nurse provided education to the pupils on the importance of handwashing in reducing the spread of germs to surfaces and to the other students. The nurse also acts as a case manager in helping to coordinate care for