School-based health clinics fill a growing need for routine health care for children--especially for those with working parents and special circumstances. Traditional school health services cannot handle increasing numbers of disabled, chronically ill, and medically fragile children. Costing about $170,000 yearly, clinics can prevent future…

This literature review identifies characteristics and elements of promising school-based adolescent pregnancy prevention programs, focusing on abstinence-based programs, abstinence- and contraceptive-based programs, life option enhancement programs, and role-playing programs. Results suggest that programs with a more comprehensive approach have…

School nurses are essential and cost-effective for school districts. Local school districts and state and local health departments can work together to benefit children. Districts that have analyzed the cost-benefit ratio of school nurses have striking evidence of their cost-effectiveness. The more health services are made available to children at…

This 1958 paper examines how former and current school health programs differ (e.g., school nurses moved from simply treating minor injuries and communicable diseases to working cooperatively with physicians and school staff to develop policies and procedures, and health education moved from simple anatomy and physiology to broader personal and…

Food allergies affect 11 million Americans, including 6-8% of children. The rate of peanut allergies in children doubled from 1997 to 2002. There is no cure; therefore, strict avoidance of the allergen is the only way to avoid a reaction. Fatalities are associated with delays in or lack of epinephrine administration. Severe reactions, called…

The repercussions of sexual activity among teens continue to be a significant issue in the United States. Detrimental consequences to unprotected sexual activity among teens include unintended pregnancy and acquiring a sexually transmitted disease (STD) or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It is estimated that each year approximately 3 million…

Although job satisfaction has been widely studied among registered nurses working in traditional health care settings, little is known about the job-related values and perceptions of nurses working in school systems. Job satisfaction is linked to lower levels of job-related stress, burnout, and career abandonment among nurses. This study evaluated…

Today, with the threat of bioterrorism and war, there is a new dimension to the traditional role of the school nurse. The smallpox threat to public health will invoke the school nurse's role as an educator, liaison, and consultant in the community. This article discusses smallpox, the vaccination process, adverse effects, and postvaccination care.…

Every day nurses make practice decisions that are based on knowledge drawn from personal, cultural, and scientific sources. Nurses therefore practice from a particular perspective that involves culturally based personal, professional, and societal beliefs and values. Their practice, however, may involve clients whose beliefs and values are…

A program of education and support is essential for children and their parent or adult caregivers when the children have experienced the death of a significant person. Children need guidance on how to deal with their profound feelings of grief. The purpose of this article is to give school nurses the ability to help children face the strange new…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now categorizes skin cancer as epidemic. Nearly 90% of these deadly cancers start from sun exposure during the childhood years. This makes sun exposure in school-age children a serious public health risk, also one that school nurses can address. Solar radiation is now classified as a "known…

This article describes how school nurses estimated their goal attainment in view of the contents and methods of health counselling and their roles and possibilities as health promoters in the school community. Data were collected from the school nurses (n=31) of the Finnish European Network of Health-Promoting schools, using a semi-structured…

Although commonly associated with girls and women, eating disorders do not discriminate. School nurses need to be aware that male students also can suffer from the serious health effects of anorexia nervosa, bulimia, anorexia athletica, and eating disorders not otherwise specified. Sports that focus on leanness and weight limits can add to a…

It has become increasingly important to collect information on the health care problems of students in Title 1 public schools. Information to help fill this need is provided here. The study opens with a discussion of children's and adolescents' health care needs. It describes how health care in public schools is delivered on a national level,…

Federal legislation supports participation in the public schools by children who are medically fragile and technology dependent. These children require specialized technological health care procedures for life support and/or health support during the school day. Inclusion in safe school environments that facilitate effective learning requires…