Abstract
School nursing in Oman lacks a formally defined scope of practice. This quantitative study, part of a larger mixed-methods project, surveyed 249 government school nurses in Muscat, Al Dakhiliyah, and Al Batinah (March–July 2025) to compare current practice with perceived importance across the five domains of the School Nursing Practice Framework. Mean practice scores (4.66/6) were consistently lower than importance scores (4.90/6; p < .001), with the largest gap in care coordination. Lower practice scores were associated with more than 15 years of experience, bachelor's degrees from coverage of two or three schools, and higher numbers of medically complex students. Male nurses reported higher scores for leadership and standards of practice. These findings point to role strain and systemic barriers, including split-site coverage and weak interprofessional integration. Clearer role definitions, targeted training, balanced workloads, and stronger coordination systems may enable nurses to practice at full scope.
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