NASN Radio- National Association of School Nurses

Sudden cardiac arrest is the number one killer of student athletes. School nurses are well-positioned to help save lives. Learn the most current practices school nurses are taking to save students' lives. Follow: @schoolnurses @Pfizer @PHWorg @bamradionetwork Michele Snyder has been Executive Director of Parent Heart Watch since 2010. She has over two decades of experience in the non-profit sector.

The holidays are also high season for burn injuries. Join us for this refresher on the ABCs of managing burn injuries along with tips on helping recovering students return to school. Philip H. Chang, M.D. is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and also cares for burn patients at the University of Cincinnati where he is an assistant professor of surgery. His interests are novel treatments of post-burn itch, burn and scar assessment technology, and history of surgery.

Sports injuries impact millions of students annually. In this episode, we offer school nurses tips, tools, and resources to help students with injury prevention, safety information, and care when injuries occur at school. Michael J. Priola, D.O., is a board-certified pediatric orthopaedic and sports medicine surgeon at Shriners Hospitals for Children — Twin Cities. He is a member of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopaedics and the American Osteopathic Association.

As most school nurses know, food allergies can be potentially fatal. The symptoms may be mild (rashes, hives, itching, swelling, etc.) or severe (trouble breathing, wheezing, loss of consciousness, etc.). Creating a safe environment for students with food allergies requires collaboration between the school nurse, parents, the child and other school staff. This segment provides a guide for creating an allergy management plan for your school.

The new trend in student drug abuse is more insidious because it often goes undetected by parents, teachers and school nurses. The abuse of legal over the counter drugs like cough medicine can produce major health issue that confound school nurses who don't know what to look for and what questions to ask. Find out what you need to know. Shelley Schneiderman Ducker is Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA)'s Director of Communications and Outreach. A former reporter with pharmaceutical business newsletter The Pink Sheet, Shelley has covered a broad range of issues ranging from FDA policy and enforcement, drug advertising and FDA reform and more. Peggy McKibbin has nearly 15 years' experience as a school nurse and currently works at Polytech High School in Woodside, Delaware. Peggy, a mother of two, is also a member of the Five Moms: Stopping Cough Medicine Abuse initiative, part of the Stop Medicine Abuse prevention campaign.

A recent report indicated that many families are unaware of the various new healthcare options available to them. This Pfizer sponsored segment provides an overview of some of the new health care options. Follow: @schoolnurses @Pfizer @bamradionetwork Gary Pelletier is Senior Director of Corporate Responsibility at Pfizer, where he leads the Pfizer RxPathways® medicine access initiative that connects eligible patients in the US to a range of support services, including insurance counseling, co-pay help, providing Pfizer medicines for free or at a savings, and more. He also serves as the Executive Director of the Pfizer Patient Assistance Foundation, and is co-lead of the Pfizer Corporate Affairs Multicultural Center of Excellence.

Flu season starts in October, so we're taking this segment to talk about the tips and tools school nurses can use to helo fight the flu Follow: @schoolnurses @famfightflu@bamradionetwork Lee Ann Neill, MSN, RN, NCSN is the Coordinator of Health Services for Springfield Public Schools in Springfield, Missouri. She is actively involved in flu prevention efforts in the district, including annual on-site flu vaccination clinics for staff and students. Serese Marotta is the Chief Operating Officer for Families Fighting Flu, a national non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the lives of children and their families against influenza. Serese lost her young son to the flu in 2009, and is extremely passionate about increasing awareness and educating all families about the seriousness of the influenza and the importance of annual vaccination.

Join us as we walk through the issues important to school nurses as we head back to school and offer support and useful resources. Follow: @schoolnurses @schoolhealth @bamradionetwork Beth Mattey, MSN, RN, NCSN has been a school nurse in the Brandywine School District for 26 years. Beth is President-Elect for the National Association of School Nurses. In addition, she is an instructor at the University of Delaware.

Join us as we celebrate the value of school nurses, and pause to look at the new framework for 21st-century practice. Follow: @schoolnurses @schoolhealth @bamradionetwork Beth Mattey, MSN, RN, NCSN has been a school nurse in the Brandywine School District for 26 years. Beth is President-Elect for the National Association of School Nurses. In addition, she is an instructor at the University of Delaware.

The new Zika virus is spreading and posing a threat that school nurses need to understand to help keep students safe. Learn the basics you need to know. Follow: @schoolnurses @bamradionetwork Dr. William Schaffner is past president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and has served on the Executive Board of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. He is also Professor of Preventive Medicine in the Department of Health Policy as well as Professor of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Medicine at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee.

The new guidelines for managing cardiac emergencies are out. Find out what you need to know to update your school's emergency response plan. Follow: @schoolnurses @bamradionetwork As a practicing school nurse for 30 years, Kathleen Rose, RN, MHA, NCS, has served as the President of the Florida Association of School Nurses and on the Board of Directors for the National Association of School Nurses. She is now working with the American Heart Association to develop a Cardiac Emergency Response Policy for Schools to address a sudden cardiac arrest when it happens within the school.

Diabetes management in school is easier thanks to new technologies. Listen in as we review the basics every school nurse needs to know. Follow: @schoolnurses @hopewarshaw @EStoneSN @bamradionetwork Eva Stone is the Director of Student Support Services for Lincoln County Schools in Kentucky. She is a Family Nurse Practitioner and oversees the school health, family resource, and migrant programs. She is a speaker for NASN’s HANDs program, one of the nurses selected for the healthy schools campaign 2015 school nurse leadership award, and a pumper with type 1 diabetes. Hope Warshaw has been a dietitian and certified diabetes educator for nearly 40 years. She is an insulin pump and pod trainer and a freelance writer and the author of numerous books published by American Diabetes Association. Hope is serving as president of American Association of Diabetes Educators during 2016.

As we kickoff 2016, we decided to spend a few minutes speaking with NASN president Beth Matty. In this episode, we discuss the development that promise an exciting road ahead for school nurses. Follow: @schoolnurses @bamradionetwork Beth Mattey, MSN, RN, NCSN has been a school nurse in the Brandywine School District for 26 years. Beth is President-Elect for the National Association of School Nurses. In addition, she is an instructor at the University of Delaware.

Studies show that abuse of prescription and OTC medicines is a problem among today’s teens. Teens might abuse OTC cough medicine because it is affordable and easily available. Today, roughly one out of three teenagers knows someone who has abused OTC cough medicine to get high. Learn more. Follow: @schoolnurses @bamradionetwork Peggy McKibbin, is a member of National Association of School Nurses (NASN), with nearly 15 years' experience as a school nurse, and currently at Polytech High School in Woodside, Delaware. Nichole Bobo is the current Project-Manager of CDC three-year funded immunization project focused on determining knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of school nurses.

This special episode is part of a national initiative to train emergency responders and bystanders to stop life-threatening bleeding and save lives. Follow: @schoolnurses @elizpaquette @bamradionetwork Elizabeth Paquette is a graduate of Fitchburg State University and the school nurse at Malden Catholic High School for the past 15 years. She is a member of the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) and current Chair for the Private and Parochial School Nurses. David King is an acute care surgeon with military combact experience at the Massachuesetts General Hospital Center and an assistant professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School.

School nurses play a vital role in ensuring that schools are prepared to handle myriad emergencies of various kinds. In this segment, we review the basics every school nurse needs to know. Follow: @schoolnurses @bamradionetwork Christine Tuck MS, BSN, RN, NCSN has been a school nurse and Health Services Director for the Seaman USD #345 school district, in Topeka, Kansas for the past 25 years. She served on the Governor's Commission for Safe and Prepared Schools (KCSPS) whose advocacy efforts led to the creation of a Center for Safe and Prepared Schools in Kansas, in 2010. Linda Kalekas has 38 years experience in critical care, trauma, and school nursing and is currently a health services administrator for the Clark County School District, in southern Nevada, the 5th largest in the U.S. She earned a post-master's certificate in School Safety and Emergency Management in 2010, and served on the Nevada S.P.A.R.T.A.N Coalition to help all Nevada school districts develop an all hazards planning approach to prepare for school-based disasters.

Despite the legendary work historically done by school nurses to get students vaccinated, immunization gaps still exist. In this segment, we discuss how school nurses can help close the chasm among all populations. Follow: @schoolnurses @bamradionetwork Jean Grabeel is the Manager of Health Services for Springfield Public Schools, serving over 25,000 students in Springfield, MO. A graduate of St John's School of Nursing and Missouri State University with a bachelor's in nursing. Dr. William Schaffner is past president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and has served on the Executive Board of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. He is also Professor of Preventive Medicine in the Department of Health Policy as well as Professor of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Medicine at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee.

In this segment we discuss how school Nurses and public health nurses are collaborating to ensure that the health needs of the community are being addressed. Follow: @schoolnurses @bamradionetwork Brad Waid is an educator & educational evangelist. Global speaker, technology guru and educational change agent Susan M. Bearden is the Director of Information Technology at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy in Melbourne.

School nurses are facing many changes in the policies and protocols for administering epinephrine at school. Laws have been passed in over 45 states that allow the use of stock epinephrine. Many school nurses now have the responsibility of teaching unlicensed persons to administer epinephrine in emergency scenarios. In this segment we look as sound policies to guide an emergency response. Carrie Clarke has been a school nurse in South Dakota's largest school district for over fifteen years. She is the past president of the South Dakota School Nurses Association, winner of the 2010 Voices of Meningitis Challenge and currently serving as one of the Epinephrine Resource School Nurses for South Dakota. Dr. Michael Pistiner is a pediatric allergist for Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates and a voluntary Instructor of pediatrics at Boston Childrens Hospital. He serves as a voluntary consultant for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, School Health Services. He is a fellow in the American Academy of Pediatrics where he is a member of the Council of School Health and the Section of Allergy & Immunology

This year we celebrate national School Nurses Day by reflecting on school nursing highlights, our growing importance, and wish lists of what school nurses need and want. Follow: @schoolnurses @bamradionetwork Lara Booth currently serves as the Float and Lead nurse for the Indian River School District, Sussex County Delaware and as the Secretary for DSNA. Carolyn Duff, MS, RN, NCSN is President-elect of the National Association of School Nurses. A school nurse for fifteen years, she is a Nationally Certified School Nurse employed as an elementary school nurse in Columbia, South Carolina.

April is the beginning of the season for higher exposure to tick bites. In this segment we look at a variety of uncommon tick borne diseases and identify the regions across the nation where children are most at risk. Follow: @schoolnurses @bamradionetwork Marjorie Cole, MSN, RN, is the State School Nurse Consultant at the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. In this role she is responsible for providing consultation to Missouri's 1,500 school nurses. Gordon Christensen, M.D. is Professor and Infectious Disease Specialist in Tropical Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Clinical Tropical Medicine, and Knowledge in Clinical Tropical Medicine and Travelers' Health. He has been elected by peers for inclusion in "Best Doctors in America"(1996 through 2010, consecutively).

Underage drinking at the elementary, middle-school and high school levels is a concern for parents and educators. In this segment we discuss the latest statistics and research. Finally, we point to educational resources created specifically for school nurses and school staff. Follow: @schoolnurses @bamradionetwork Shirley Schwartz has been Director of Nursing Education at NASN for the last 11 years. She has extensive experience in children's health and school health. Ralph Blackman is President and CEO of the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility. The Foundation has transformed countless lives through programs that contributed to significant reductions in drunk driving and underage drinking. Funded for more than 23 years by the nationâls leading distillers, they bring individuals, families and communities together to guide a lifetime of conversations around alcohol responsibility.

Transitioning out of high school is a pivotal time in the life of a teen with diabetes. School nurses can play an important role in preparing students to assume more responsibility for their health care. In this segment we discuss the physical, social, cognitive and developmental issues involved and offer tips for how school nurses can offer support. Follow: @schoolnurses @bamradionetwork Sarah Butler, MS, RN, CDE, NCSN, is a nationally certified school nurse and certified diabetes educator. She is the Director of Diabetes and Nursing Education for the National Association of School Nurses. She is a member of the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) Children & Adolescents with Diabetes Stakeholder Group. Dr. Weissberg-Benchell is a pediatric psychologist and certified diabetes educator with over 20 years of research experience and clinical work with children and adolescents with diabetes and their families. She is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.

In this segment we discuss insulin types, insulin storage and the ways school nurses can help students manage their insulin during the school day. Follow: @schoolnurses @bamradionetwork Kim Higgins is a registered nurse and has been a diabetes educator for 30 years. She enjoys working with pediatric endocrinologists, families and children/teens with type 1 diabetes. Kim has been an NASN H.A.N.D.S. program instructor since 2008. Jean Grabeel is the Manager of Health Services for Springfield Public Schools, serving over 25,000 students in Springfield, MO. A graduate of St John's School of Nursing and Missouri State University with a bachelor's in nursing. She earned her master's in health education from University Missouri- Columbia.

Every hour approximately 48 people will have a cardiac event outside of the hospital. However, what is surprising to many is that 6,000 children and adolescents die each year from heart failure. In this segment we discuss the pivotal role school nurses play in limiting the number of student deaths due to heart attacks in school. Follow: @schoolnurses @bamradionetwork Kathleen Rose, RN, MHA, NCS, the NASN Director of Florida Association of School Nurses, she has been a school nurse for 30 years, working from Pre-K through 12th grade. During that time, she taught CPR, AED and first aid to students, staff and coaches. In addition, she created an educational unit, "Healthy Hearts - Now and Later" for elementary and MS students. Dr. Dianne Atkins is a Pediatric Cardiologist at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital and her research interests have centered around cardiac arrest in the Young, CPR training and defibrillation. An active volunteer for the American Heart Association, she worked with the Emergency Cardiovascular Care Committee.

After the declaration that measles had been eradicated in the US, the disease is making a comeback. In this segment we offer prevention tips to be shared with teachers, parents and students. Follow: @schoolnurses @bamradionetwork Nichole Bobo is Director of Nursing Education for the National Association of School Nurses and is the current Project-Manager of CDC three-year funded immunization project focused on determining knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of school nurses. Dr. William Schaffner is past president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and has served on the Executive Board of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. He is also Professor of Preventive Medicine in the Department of Health Policy as well as Professor of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Medicine at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee.

As we enter into what is typically the height of flu season, the risk is particularly severe this year. In this segment we disucss why students are more at risk and offer specifc additional precuations to share with staff, students and parents. Follow: @schoolnurses @bamradionetwork Nichole Bobo is Director of Nursing Education for the National Associtiation of School Nurses and is the current Project-Manager of CDC three-year funded immunization project focused on determining knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of school nurses. Lorraine Schoenstadt, BSN, MS, RN, BC is a board certified public health nurse and has worked as a public health nurse for over twenty-nine years. She is the Immunization Education Coordinator and Perinatal Hepatitis B Coordinator for the Chicago Department of Public Health Immunization Program.

In this segment we talk about how to teach children and parents to adjust insulin based on their carbohydrate intake. Follow: @susangweiner @bamradionetwork Patricia "Tricia" McCarty, BSN, RN, NCSN, CDE, isa registered nurse and certified diabetes educatorfor the University of New Mexico Department of Pediatric Endocrinology. She is a NASN instructor for the H.A.N.D.S. program," Helping Administer to the Needs of the Student with Diabetes in School." Susan Weiner, MS, RDN, CDE, CDN is the owner of Susan Weiner Nutrition, LLC in New York, advisor and author of "The Complete Diabetes Organizer: Your Guide to a Less Stressful and More Manageable Diabetes Life". She is the 2015 Diabetes Educator of the Year awarded by the American Association of Diabetes Educators.

The legal issues around school nursing are complicated. What basic legal considerations should school nurses be familiar with and routinely contemplating. In this segment we look at some typical scenarios. Follow:@MichelleLaubin @schoolnurses @schoolhealth @bamradionetwork Michelle C. Laubin, Esq., is a Senior Partner with the law firm of Berchem, Moses & Devlin, P.C. She is admitted to practice in Connecticut and New York, as well as the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Cheryl Resha is an Associate Professor of Nursing at Southern Connecticut State University with over 18 years of experience in school health. Prior to her faculty position, she was a school nurse supervisor for a large suburban district and the state school nurse consultant. Cheryl has experience in policy development, research, professional development, and school nurse competencies.

Our guest today has started a breast health exam movement with support from school nurses. Listen in and find out why school nurses are so important to fighting breast cancer and what you can do to help in your school. Follow: @schoolnurses @schoolhealth @bamradionetwork Mary Ann Wasil is the inspirational founder, president and CEO of the non-profit Get In Touch Foundation. A breast cancer survivor and health activist, MaryAnn formulated the foundation with a cornestone mission--the Get In Touch Girls' program and Daisy Wheel.

Instances of enterovirus D68 are being identified across the country and impacting children at many schools.Tune in to learn what information school nurse should be prepared to share with staff, parents and children. Follow: @schoolnurses @bamradionetwork Julia S. Sammons, MD MSCE is attending physician at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where she serves as Hospital Epidemiologist and Medical Director of the Department of Infection Prevention and Control and Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Supporting students of who are at risk of Hypoglycemia requires a team effort. In this segment we discuss what's required to ensure that all school staff can recognize hypoglycemia and know how to appropriately respond. Follow: @schoolnurses @bamradionetwork Susan Hoffmann MSN, RN, NCSN, registered nurse for 33 years, school nurse for 19 years at WB Simpson Elementary School in Wyoming, DE. Past NASN Director, Delaware, NASN HANDS instructor. Volunteer medical staff at residential diabetes camp for 5 years, Sarah Butler, MS, RN, CDE, NCSN, is a nationally certified school nurse and certified diabetes educator. She is the Director of Diabetes and Nursing Education for the National Association of School Nurses. She is a member of the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) Children & Adolescents with Diabetes Stakeholder Group.

Our guest reviewed 122 well researched and peer-reviewed studies and concluded that the connection between student health and academic achievement is undeniable and well support. Her research is an invaluable tool to school nurses making the case for continued or greater support. Follow: @schoolnurses @bamradionetwork Beverly Bradley has experience working in schools as a school nurse at elementary and high school levels, site administrator at two high schools and as a coordinator of health services and education at a County Office of Education. Dr. Bradley was Assistant Clinical Professor in the School of Medicine at University of California, San Diego.

Increasing numbers of students are being impacted by food allergies. Allergies may be life threatening, but there are many things school nurses can do to increase awareness and prepare everyone to respond when needed. Follow: @schoolnurses @bamradionetwork Andrea Tanner has been a school nurse for the past thirteen years and worked with Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle School and Special Education Students in self-contained classrooms. She has served two years as President Elect of the South Dakota School Nurses Association and currently in her second year as the President of the SDSNA. School Nurse Sally Schoessler, RN, BSN, MSEd NASN, is a Director of Nursing Education for the National Association of School Nurses. She has over 20 years of experience in school nursing as a school nurse in both elementary and secondary settings in public and private school settings and served as the Executive Director of the New York Statewide School Health Services Center.

School Nursing is changing on many fronts. In this segment we review the results of a recent survey of school nurses for a glimpse of the road ahead. Follow: @schoolnurses @bamradionetwork Carolyn Duff, MS, RN, NCSN is President-elect of the National Association of School Nurses and employed as an elementary school nurse in Columbia, South Carolina. Dr Erin Maughan is the Director of Research with the National Association of School Nurses.

Who should be involved in creating an individualized health plan for students? What are the key components that should be considered? What are the critical legal issues that should be understood? In this segment we offer a quick review and guide. Learn more... Follow: @schoolnurses @bamradionetwork Carrie Clarke, RN, has been a school nurse for the past thirteen years. She is currently in her second year as the President of the SDSNA. Sally Schoessler, RN, BSN, MSEd NASN, is a Director of Nursing Education for the National Association of School Nurses. She has over 20 years of experience in school nursing.

This is peak season for influenza. Are there any steps that parents and children should be taking this late in the season to avoid getting the flu? The answer is yes, learn more... Follow: @schoolnurses @bamradionetwork Carol Laura Scott is the Executive Director of Families Fighting Flu, a national non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the lives of children. The organization's members include families whose children have suffered serious medical complications or died from influenza. Nichole Bobo is the current Project-Manager of CDC three-year funded immunization project focused on determining knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of school nurses.

School nurses are among the first people positioned to spot a behavioral health disorder in students. But behavioral health disorders can be difficult to identify. Our guests offer useful guidance and tools. Follow: @schoolnurses @bamradionetwork Mary Ann Gapinski, BSN, MSN, RN, NCSN, is currently employed as a School Health Nursing Advisor with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Mary Ann also serves on the National Board for Certification of School Nurses. David M. Schwartz, Ph.D., ABPdN is in private practice, specializing in Learning and Educational Issues. He is a Clinical Neuropsychologist in Atlanta, Georgia.

Multiple national surveys point to the disturbing abuse of prescription (Rx) and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, like OTC cough medicine, among today's teens. Six percent of high school teens admit to having abused cough medicine, to get high in the past year and thirty-three percent of high school teens say they know someone who has abused cough medicine. In this segment we provide school nurses and parents with tools to help address teen medicine abuse. Follow: @schoolnurses @bamradionetwork Peggy McKibbin, is a member of National Association of School Nurses (NASN), with nearly 15 years' experience as a school nurse, and currently at Polytech High School in Woodside, Delaware. Tammy Walsh is a High School Teacher & Founder: Northport Community Book Club designed to start conversation between parents and teens about the risk of substance abuse. Both are members of the Five Moms:Stopping Cough Medicine Abuse initiative, part of the Stop Medicine Abuse prevention campaign.

It has taken ten years, but the goal of raising a million dollars for school nursing research, scholarships and grants has been reached. Tune in and hear about the funding now available to you and how it will help advance school nursing and student outcomes. Dr Erin Maughan is the Director of Research with the National Association of School Nurses. Carolyn Duff is the current president of the National Association of School Nurses. Rob Rogers is COO of School Health Corporation, the nation's leading provider of medical supplies, equipment and assistive technology to healthcare professionals in educational settings and is the past chair of the National Association of School Nurses (NASN).

Meningitis is a deadly disease that can overcome a person within hours. However the disease can be prevented In this segment we discuss the disease, the signs, symptoms and the recommended vaccine. We also provide links to free resource created specifically for school nurses to inform parents and students about this disease. Beth Mattey, MSN, RN, NCSN has been a school nurse in the Brandywine School District for 26 years. Beth is President-Elect for the National Association of School Nurses. In addition, she is an instructor at the University of Delaware. Jamie Schanbaum is a Paralympic Cyclist Survivor National Get in the Game Campaign Ambassador. In November 2008, 20-year-old Jamie Schanbaum almost lost her life to a serious, yet potentially vaccine-preventable bacterial infection called meningococcal septicemia.

A recent survey of school nurses found that most feel prepared to teach oral health. However, a closer assessment revealed that some school nurses may be less prepared than the survey suggests. In this segment we talk about how you can assess your own oral health competency. Dr. Judith Haber is the Ursula Springer Leadership Professor in Nursing at the NYU College of Nursing whose unique organizational partner is the NYU College of Dentistry. She is the Co-Executive Director of a national nursing oral health initiative, the Oral Health Nursing Education Practice (OHNEP) Program funded by the DentaQuest, Washington State and Connecticut Dental Foundations. Susan Zacharski, MEd, BSN, RN, is a school nurse and has worked in the urban school district of Pontiac, Michigan for 25 years. She is a recent National Association of School Nurses Director.

There are numerous myths and misconceptions about head lice. Regretfully, some have been translated into school policies that can do immeasurable harm to students and families. In this segment out guest debunk these myths and offer school nurses critical resources that can be used to educate and manage lice out breaks in schools. Mark Terry has been in public education for 33 years, 23 as principal. Served as an administrator in urban, suburban, and rural districts from low socioeconomic to high. Principal of Eubanks Intermediate School in Southlake, Texas. Currently serving as the president of the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP). DeborahPontius is health services coordinator for Pershing county school district in Lovelock, NV and immediate past NASN board member She wrote "hats off to lice" for NASN school nurse 2011 regarding lice policy change in my district.

The idea that immunizations can cause autism has long been debunked and rejected by health professionals. However, the belief still persists among many parents. In this segment we provide the research, sources, tools and communication strategies to help you handle this concern with parents. Dr. Deborah Wexler, a physician, an executive director of the Immuinization Action Coalition. Lynda Boyer-Chu, RN, MPH Wellness Center Nurse/Tobacco Outreach Coordinator, George Washington High School, San Francisco Unified School District.

We are well into flu season, so it's "all hands on deck" when it comes to limiting the outbreak of the flu in schools. In this segment we look at ways to extend flu prevention practices beyond the school nurses office, into classrooms and the homes of your children. Anna Post is the great-great-granddaughter of Emily Post, and a co-author of the 18th edition of Emily Post's Etiquette (William Morrow, October 2011). A modern etiquette expert, Anna is a popular source for national media outlets such as The Today Show and The New York Times. Susan J. Rehm, M.D., Medical Director for the National Foundation for Infectious Disease, has been a staff physician at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio since 1983, and serves as vice chair of the Clinic's Department of Infectious Disease.

In part two of this series, we look at some of the additional ways infections spread in schools and discuss ways to prevent or contain the risk to children and staff. Tia Campbell, MSN, RN, NCSN provides technical assistance and training to 132 school divisions as School Health Specialist at the Virginia Department of Education. Tia serves as Vice President of NASN. Chuck Gerba is a professor in the Departments of Soil, Water and Environmental Science (College of Agriculture), and Epidemiology and Biostatistics (College of Public Health) at the University of Arizona.

In this segment we review the basic prevention techniques for the five most common infections that keep students out of school. We then cover a few added measures school nurses can take to provide the best conditions for students to be healthy and ready to learn. Carolyn Duff, MS, RN, NCSN is President-elect of the National Association of School Nurses. A school nurse for fifteen years, she is a Nationally Certified School Nurse employed as an elementary school nurse in Columbia, South Carolina. Chuck Gerba is a professor in the Departments of Soil, Water and Environmental Science (College of Agriculture), and Epidemiology and Biostatistics (College of Public Health) at the University of Arizona.

There has never been a book published specifically dedicated to the unique needs of school nurse administrators until now. In this segment the editor explains why this new text book is an invaluable resources for school nurses, how it will save you time, give you confidence and help you avoid the big mistakes as you manage your school nurse program. Carol C. Costante, MA, BSN, RN, NCSN, FNASN, is currently an independent consultant in school health with more than 33 years in the field, 25 of which were as Supervisor of Health Services, Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS), Maryland. She is a past NASN President and currently serves on the National Board for Certification of School Nurses.

Unidentified speech issues in students cam have a profound impact on their literacy and ability to succeed academically. School nurses are a in key position to spot students who need special attention in this area. In this segment we talk about common speech issues and how to identify them. Nancy Carrera RN, is lead nurse at a special needs school with a mixture of medically fragile and developmentally delayed students and a mother of a multi-handicapped 20 year old daughter who attends the school. Deborah Adamczyk Dixon, M.A. CCC-SLP, Director, School Services, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). She also served as a member of ASHA's Legislative Council, the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) and on various ASHA committees.

Back to school is an exciting and stressful time of year for school nurses.There is much to do in a very short time. To assist we invited some experienced school nurses to put together a back- to -school check list, to help you start the new school year right. Judith Morgitan has been a Pennsylvania certified school nurse for approximately 25 years. She is currently employed as Coordinator of Perkiomen Valley School District Health Services. Linda Davis-Alldritt, MA, BSN, RN, FNASN, FASHA, is President, National Association of School Nurses and a School Nurse Consultant California Department of Education.

Across the nation school budgets are in crisis and cuts are being made at every level. In this segment we ask two experts to share with us what their research shows about the chances that your school nurse job may be cut. We also look at how school administrators are thinking about the priority of school health in their budget, trends being explored for funding school nursing and practical steps you can personally take ensure that school health gets funded. Dan Domenech is executive director of Association of School Administrators (AASA). Nicole Fauteux writes about health policy and the health professions. As a senior researcher and writer with Spann Communications, she has authored policy briefs in the Charting Nursing's Future series.