Fast Facts for the School Nurse: What You Need to Know

Praise for the Second Edition:

“[This resource] will direct school nurses to the answers for many questions and to wiser counsel when a dilemma seems unsolvable. It is authored by a school nurse of publicly acclaimed distinction who brings a lifetime of experience to these pages.”

—Lucille A. Joel, EdD, RN, FAAN, Distinguished Professor, School of Nursing Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

This time-tested reference provides quick access to information busy school nurses need to practice competently and efficiently. Written for both new and experienced school nurses, it delivers consistently organized information in bulleted format. The third edition has been substantially revised with expanded coverage of first aid, depression screening, drug use, and adolescent sexuality.

Authored by a nurse with over 25 years of school nursing experience, this resource offers clear guidelines to a full range of daily tasks and nursing responsibilities. It provides clinical protocols for safe management of common childhood illnesses, accidents, and emergencies, along with advice on legal and ethical considerations, documentation, and high-risk areas of school nursing practice. Also covered are the delivery of culturally appropriate care, screening tools, wellness strategies, individualized healthcare plans, and childhood obesity. The guide is also useful as a supplemental text for certification exam study.

New to the Third Edition:

• New information on adolescent sexuality and gender identity
• Expanded coverage of first aid, including when to call 911
• Depression screening, immigration laws, ethical dilemmas, and school shootings and gun control
• Use of medical marijuana, OTC drug use and abuse, opioid addiction and overdose treatment, and vaping

Key Features:

• Addresses the five content components included in the National Certification Examination for School Nurses
• Covers guidelines, management protocols, and care plans for childhood disorders, accidents, and emergency situations
• Prioritizes responsibilities with a handy month-by-month task calendar
• Provides quick reference for health office setup, recommended immunizations, and national health observances
• Presents a technology chapter with information on reporting, software, and confidentiality issues

Janice Loschiavo, MA, RN, NJ-CSN, is currently an adjunct instructor in William Paterson University's Graduate Nursing Division, taught at Caldwell University and served as a field supervisor for New Jersey City University. She had 26 years of experience as a school nurse before retiring from that position in 2007. Ms. Loschiavo has received recognitions for excellence both in teaching and as a school nurse, including the New Jersey City University's Distinguished Alumni Award (2014), the Governor's Teacher Recognition Award (2006-2007), the nomination for Disney Teacher of the Year (2002), the New Jersey State School Nurse of the Year (1994-1995), the Bergen County School Nurse of the Year (1994-1995), and the state nomination for National School Nurse of the Year (1994-1995). While working as a school nurse, she was responsible for participating in Child Study Team meetings; maintaining health records; conducting health screenings; providing first aid to students; teaching health classes; conducting faculty in-service training (anaphylaxis, child abuse, and first aid); organizing health fairs; running workshops for teachers and parents. . Ms. Loschiavo contributed to the book Health Counseling: A Microskills Approach for Counselors, Educators, and School Nurses, Second Edition, edited by Richard Blonna. ADVANCE for Nurses published her article, "Considering School Nursing?," in January 2013. In 2016, Ms. Loschiavo wrote and published Life's Lessons for Children, which provides character education lesson plans for students K to 12. In 2020, she wrote and edited the text School Nursing: The Essential Reference. She contributed articles for Today's School Nurse: the Marginalized Child Speaks, Meeting the Challenge -- Prevention Strategies for Controlling COVID-19 were published in 2021 in The Journal of Nursing. Ms. Loschiavo has also delivered numerous webinar presentations reaching hundreds of school nurses.