Texas School Nurses Organization

President's Message

Fellow School Nurses,

I can’t believe that January is over and we are looking at 4 months until summer break. It will go so fast but not near as quickly as your summer.

I wanted to take this opportunity to explain a little about the rationale used in deciding our conference format. We had been told by many nurses that they can’t get their schools to let them off to come on Friday, and since the price was the same regardless how many days you came, they chose not to come. We felt by going to Saturday and Sunday we would have more nurses be able to attend. In reality, we had fewer nurses attend than when it was three days. The problem with this is we have to make hotel contracts several years in advance so for the next two conferences it will be the two-day format. We will make sure that you get at least 10 CNEs each year which will equal the 20 that are needed every 2 years. With the two- day contracts we also had a reduction in room space so we had to forgo the breakout sessions. The cost of paying speaker fees, their expenses and the AV for each room also made it more expensive than we could afford. We are trying to be good stewards of our money.

We will be sending out a survey in the near future to see if you want to keep it two days vs. three, have at a hotel or have at a school/conference center, not have conference and do webinars, etc. Hopefully, you will all take the time to answer the survey.

I hope this helps explain why the changes were made. If you have any questions do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Happy Heart Month,

Lisa

NASN2019 Justification Toolkit

NASN has once again developed an Annual Conference Justification Toolkit. You can use this toolkit to begin planning your trip to NASN2019 next summer in Denver, Colorado. The toolkit includes event details including registration fees, hotel rates, preconference fees, and an attendance rationale you can share with your employer. Currently, we are in the process of reviewing and finalizing general session speaker lineup, as well as determining the top workshops, breakout sessions, and exhibitors.

National Certification

The Nationally Certified School Nurse credential reflects competence and professionalism. To earn the NCSN a nurse must demonstrate a high level of education, clinical practice experience and knowledge.

To learn more visit https://www.nbcsn.org/

Have you had a chance to read the January issue of the Texas Board of Nursing Bulletin? It highlights a valuable new resource for Registered Nurse Delegation in the School Setting. Laurie Combe, NASN President-Elect, presented at an open forum at the Board of Nursing (BON) the mutual concerns from school nurses requesting further clarification in the guidance for nursing practice in the school setting. The BON collaborated with Laurie Combe, Anita Wheeler the School Nurse Consultant with DSHS, TSNO past School Nurse of the Year, Martha Anderson and me. The resource offers essential Algorithms with scenarios for determining the Registered School Nurse’s role in delegating tasks to unlicensed persons and supervising tasks delegated or assigned by others. This marks as another excellent example of the Power of the Voice in numbers! Advancing school health and school nursing practice speak to the mission and vision of TSNO so students can have access to health and learning. All day. Every day.

In your service,

Francis Luna

Are you a School Nurse?

Are you willing to participate in a research study to share your experiences and perceptions about working with children who are homeless?

You are eligible to participate if you:

· Have worked as a school nurse for a minimum of 1 school year and are currently providing direct nursing care to elementary school-aged children in grades PK-5

· Are English speaking

· Are computer literate with access to a computer with Internet service and email for electronic communications

· Are available to meet and complete semi-structured interview guide in person or by phone

If you are interested, please contact:

Michele Wilson MSN, RN

UTMB Doctoral Candidate

Email: mmwilson@utmb.edu

Phone: (512)789-4933

For each completed interview, you will receive a $10 gift certificate.

This study is under the direction of Yolanda Davila Ph.D., RN (409)772-8237

and has been approved by

UTMB Institutional Review Board.

All participation is voluntary.

New Membership Corner sharing segment!

Don't sit quietly, use your voice! Every month I will post a question, and will share your answers in next month's newsletter! Access the question of the month by clicking the yellow "Share your Story" link!