Special Day Class Teachers’ Perceptions of the Role of the School Nurse

Abstract

School nurses are on the front lines of health care in public schools. The integration of students’ health care needs as components of educational programs has become increasingly important as medically fragile children rely on school nurses to deliver or coordinate their health care services. The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine which school nurse services special day class teachers perceive as very important, important, somewhat important, or not important. Perceptions were surveyed via the School Nurse Services Data Collection Tool. The data were analyzed using percentages, mean values, and frequencies. The data were then aligned to match the role concepts set forth in the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) standards for school nurse preparation. The findings of this survey suggested that most of the services provided by school nurses were rated as important or somewhat important.