Texas School Nurses Organization

President's Message

It is hard to believe that the holidays are upon us. I hope you all take the time over Christmas break to relax and rejuvenate. I would also like for you each to think about what you love about being a nurse. The thing I love about being a nurse is I have the opportunity every day to impact the lives of the people I touch. What I love about being a school nurse is that I have the opportunity every day to impact the future of our great nation. That is powerful! There is no such thing as being just a nurse or being just a school nurse. You may be the only person a child sees in a day that smiles at them, says a kind word or gives them a hug. You may the one that keeps that child from being abused again, from being sexually assaulted again, that keeps a child from going to bed hungry or keeps that child from taking their own life.

There is a reason that the nursing profession has been ranked #1 in ethical professions for the past two years and has ranked in the top 22 professionals for the past 16 years. You are powerful and you can make a difference.

Nine years ago a very special nurse, Kathy Powell, asked me to become more involved with TSNO. Now look at me! It is still hard for me to believe. I am humbled and proud of the confidence you have shown in me to lead TSNO for the next two years. I won't be doing it alone, however, I have a great working executive committee and board to help me, along with each of you.

Take this as your invitation to get more involved. Take the initiative to stay up to date on the legislative issues before the house and senate that affect school nursing. Talk to the people that represent your area. Let them know how important you are to the future of Texas.

Merry Christmas,

Lisa Formby

Texas Department of State Health Services

Did you know that Texas DSHS has a whole page full of links and resources for school nurses?

Access that page here: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/schoolhealth/schnursnursingpractice.shtm

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/

Updated School-Mental Health Resource Guide Now Available

Unified Services for All Children (USAC), a collaborative group of state agencies, has released the second edition of its school-mental health resource guide.

"Advancing Behavior Health Collaborations to Ensure Student Success: School-Mental Health Resource Guide" was published in November.

The purpose of the guide is to provide information and resources for individuals working with school-age youth who have behavioral health needs.

For more information, visit mentalhealthtx.org.

Have you Claimed Your School!

I have, and it only took me minutes. NASN and TSNO strongly believes every child deserves a school nurse all day, every day! By using the NASN, my.nasn.org (my profile) you can input your place of employment under “Link Me to an Organization.” NASN will use this information to better target NASN’s recruitment and advocacy efforts: It will take all members to do our part in building evidence to transform school nursing for the future. I challenge you to take a few moments and act now. Follow this link to Claim your School today!

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

In your service,

Francis Luna, BSN, RN, NCSN

NASN-Texas Director

francisluna.tsno@gmail.com

The Principal and the School Nurse: Building a Culture of Health

https://www.pathlms.com/nasn/courses/9657

Implementing NASN's School Nursing Evidence-based Practice Seizures and Epilepsy Clinical Guideline

https://www.pathlms.com/nasn/courses/9476

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!