School Nurse's Role and Practice in Primary Health Care Services

This report provides a comprehensive overview of the professional practice role of school nurses within the primary health care system. It highlights the diverse responsibilities of school nurses, including health promotion, disease prevention, and student well-being. The report emphasizes the importance of school nurses in delivering immunization programs, addressing mental health concerns, and promoting healthy lifestyles. It also explores the collaborative nature of school nursing, involving partnerships with students, educators, parents, and healthcare professionals. Furthermore, the report outlines the specific roles of school nurses in both primary and secondary school settings, addressing issues such as obesity, drug and alcohol abuse, and sensitive social concerns. The report draws upon various research studies and resources, including those from the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, to illustrate the scope and significance of school nurses in providing quality healthcare services and promoting positive health outcomes for students and their families.

Primary health care is defined as the first level of medical care accessible to the population and
comprising of a spectrum of health care services such as health promotion, prevention of illness,
medical screening, early intervention, health care treatment as well as health management (Soul
City Institute for Social Justice, 2016; Australian Government Department of Health, 2013).
Beside general practitioners, nursing professionals also play a role in delivering primary health
care services to the populations (Australian Government Department of Health, 2013). Primary
health care covers a wide range of specialized professional practices for the nursing community
which involves community health nurses, general practice nurses, nurses employed in remote
areas, occupational health nurses, rural nurses, school nurses, midwives, mental health, and
sexual health nurses (Australian Nursing Federation, 2011). Here, we will be focusing on school
nurses and we will be discussing the professional practice role of school nurses in relation to the
primary health care system.
Primary school nurses are known as health care professionals employed within the primary
school setting where they play a crucial role in delivering preventative health programs; in
looking after the health and ensuring the well-being of students along with their families (State
Government of Victoria, 2017; Kaakinen et al., 2014, p. 152). Primary school nurses have an
integral role in the provision of a range of healthcare services to children at school that comprise
of health promotion, health surveillance, school community development activities, health
counselling, illness prevention (immunisation, injury prevention, nutrition, and management of
asthma) including health screening (hearing and optical testing) (McMurray & Clendon, 2015, p.
114; Hoekstra et al., 2016). Primary nurses aim to promote academic success and non-
absenteeism at school, by educating school-aged children on how to handle chronic illnesses
with medication administration (McMurray & Clendon, 2015, p. 114). Additionally, school

nurses also serve to advocate children and to assist school-aged people with special needs, in
taking their medication, and with catheter care. Nursing team at school works in collaboration
with children, education staffs and parents with the outcome of enhancing physical and mental
health (Kaakinen et al., 2014, p. 152). Research highlights that school nurses have an important
role in delivering immunization programs during which they sometimes must deal with
challenging situations, for instance, vaccinating children with special needs (Boyce & Holmes,
2012). Also, study briefly reported cases where school nurses promoted disease prevention in
adolescents with complex needs, by patiently convincing their parents about the importance of
getting immunized for Human Papillomavirus (HPV), as a primary intervention against cervical
cancer (Boyce & Holmes, 2012). Additionally, school nurses promote positive mental health
consequences in young people through early detection, by advising brief intervention and
making referrals to mental health professionals available onsite or in the community
(Bohnenkamp, Stephan & Bobo, 2015). To achieve the objective of preventing children from
turning obese and thus from experiencing long-term health issues such as cardiac or diabetes
mellitus diseases, school nurses tackle obesity problems at an early stage by the following
practices: (Holmes & Sheetz, 2016)
 Arranging for the screening of BMI.
 Working in collaboration with food service staffs and the management for the provision
of healthy meals or snacks onsite at school.
 Liaising with staffs at school for optimizing physical activity opportunities.
 Raising awareness in parents about lifestyles that promote good health.
In a secondary school context, nurses work to raise awareness and knowledge to the youth
community about sensitive social issues such as misuse of drug and alcohol; suicide, depression,

disorders pertaining to eating; smoking, obesity, and injuries (State Government of Victoria,
2017). For instance, to educate students about the issue of drug and alcohol abuse, nurses use
various approaches which consist of the followings: (State Government of Victoria, 2002)
 Organising and encouraging students to participate in forums where they have access to
experts discussing issues in relation to drug and alcohol.
 Distributing informative posters and brochures to students and parents.
 Working in association with students and theatre teacher to organize plays portraying
drug and alcohol problems present within the youth community.
In England, school nurses from the NHS Trust, participating in a qualitative study, reported that
hand sanitization, dental decay, oral health, sexual health, smoking, mental health, obesity, and
healthy diet, were regarded as topics of greatest importance during educational sessions
(Hoekstra et al., 2016). Research also revealed that students find it better to learn healthcare
topics through presentations, preliminary sessions, or face to face school assemblies, conducted
by school nurses (Hoekstra et al., 2016).
According to the research inside the Australian General Practice recently, setting portrays the
accompanying parts of primary health care nurses; Patient care, coordinator, quality controller
and improvement specialist, critical thinking, instructor, and connectivity operator. The
significant importance of these roles will rely upon both the Nursing reference and the
responsibility and accountability of position of a nurse. According to in general Practice Nursing,
the nurse is registered, their services and employment are, according to the recent statistics there
is an average of 12500 nurses who are working in General Practice. (As per the reports by
AIWH). General Practice Nursing is the quickest developing zone inside the healthcare segment,
and has included numerous ranges of nursing practice; Lifestyle Education, Aged Care, Women's

Health, Men's Health, Infection Control, Heart Disease, Asthma and COPD Care, Immunity,
Cancer Management, Mental Health, Maternal and Child Health, Health Promotion, Population
Health, Diabetes, Wound Management, And many more. (Halcomb, 2005)
According to the Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation (ANMF), School district of the
school region have an alternate class of health services and the accompanying are the base that
health services have to give:
 Evaluation of health-related complaints, medication services, and the care of students
with unique health mind needs;
 A framework for the managing of emergency and crisis circumstances;
 Obligatory health screening program, inoculation check, and irresistible illness detailing;
And
 Identification and administration of chronic health care of students influencing
educational accomplishment. (Federation, 2009)
The school nurse used to function as a leader and facilitator of the school health service group or
team. The group or team may incorporate a school specialist, authorized practicable nurses,
health partners and clerical staff, school counselors, school analysts, social laborers of the
school, and substance abuse counselors. A few schools may have school-based or close school
health focuses, which can give essential care and psychosocial services. The school's nurse
facilitates the exercises of the school's healthcare group to give congruity of care to the child’s
primary care doctor and/or school-based health focal point of the school and to prevent
duplication of services. (Allensworth, 1987)
SCOPE: Roles of School Nurse

 Provide general improvement and positive student reaction office for intercession.
 Provides authority in advancing health and wellbeing, including a healthy domain.
 Gives quality health care and intervenes with genuine and potential health issues.
 Case managements utilizes clinical judgment in giving services.
 A joint effort with others to make the capacity of students and families for adjustment,
self-administration, self-support, and training.
There is a one of a kind part in guaranteeing school health services for kids with extraordinary
necessities of the present school nurses, including unending illnesses (diabetes, asthma, and so
forth.) and disability to degrees of severity.
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation is the best medium to ensure a strong relationship
with each student's medical home to support full-time school nurse in each school. The part of a
school nurse in each school has permitted the school specialist to work productively in giving
coordinated care, which every student needs. In the end, I would like to conclude that Children's
doctors ought to set up an association with working with school nurses who deal with the chronic
conditions of their patients to guarantee that the health designs of individual patients are by and
large successfully executed inside the school. Furthermore, Child’s Doctor communication with
school nurses identified with their patients of pediatricians ought to be adequately certain and
natty gritty so the school's nurses can be taken care of by the distinctive kids.

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