President's Message
Not long ago, I read a quote by Margaret Atwood- “In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” This made me stop and think of all the miraculous things that happen in life if we just roll up our sleeves and dig in. No doubt she is referencing working in the garden- weeding, cultivating, planting. We may not see the end result at the end of the day, but that smell of dirt is a reminder of wonderful things to come.
Our lives, personal and professional, are very much like working in a garden. Nothing is going to change in a positive way unless we dig in - weed, cultivate, and plant. Everything we do each day will touch the future.
We are now at a point in the school year where we may be counting the days until we are out for summer. Just make sure that you are making the days count. Don’t forget to keep weeding, cultivating and planting. And, hopefully, at the end of the day, we all “smell like dirt.”
Sláinte (health) to you,
Lisa Sicilio, MEd, BSN, RN, NCSN
NASN Position Statements
Position Statements are evidence-based papers summarizing the historical, political, and/or scientific aspects regarding a topic related to school nursing, school health services and/or NASN about which NASN should take a stance. It is the official position of the organization that can be shared with members, community media and legislators.
Below are the 8 most recently adopted position statements in January 2018. To access the entire list, go to NASN Position Statements.
Healthy Communities - The Role of the School Nurse (Adopted January 2018)
IDEIA and Section 504 Teams - The Role Nurse as an Essential Team Member (Adopted January 2018)
Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents in Schools - The Role of the School Nurse (Revised January 2018)
Reimbursement for School Nursing Services (Revised January 2018)
School-located Vaccination (Revised January 2018)
School-sponsored Trips - The Role of the School Nurse (Revised January 2018)
School Violence - The Role of the School Nurse (Revised January 2018)
Skin Cancer, Prevention of due to Ultraviolet Ray Exposure - The Role of the School Nurse (Adopted January 2018)
Social Media
We have integrated social media into our daily lives as a source of entertainment and information. It also has the potential to advance your career as a nurse and the nursing profession in general.
On a professional level, it has many important benefits: from the collaborative exchange of ideas or discussion of health issues; to the invaluable promotion of nursing and better health and health care for all.
American Nurses Association (ANA) has created a set of principles to guide us when using social media, allowing nurses to get the best out of it while safeguarding themselves, the profession, and their patients (see principles attached below)
May is Mental Health Month - Tool Kit Now Available
The theme for May is Mental Health Month in 2018 is Fitness #4Mind4Body. Information will focus on increasing understanding of how the body's various systems impact mental health based on recent research. From food to fitness to gut flora, we will be diving into the elements that make up personal wellness. Topics will include:
- The connection between gut bacteria/flora and mental health;
- The role of stress and inflammation in the development of mental health disorders;
- The preventative and recovery promoting aspects of physical activity;
- The importance of sleep; and
- How nutrition and food can affect mental performance and mood.
NASN Election 2018 - Still time to Vote!
NASN elections- Voting through April 15, 2018.
To vote online, follow these easy steps:
- Go to the online election system.
- LOGIN
- Select the VOTE button -- if you do not see the VOTE button, you need to login.
- Complete the online ballot.
NASN News
The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) in conjunction with Diane Davis, (DNP student at Georgetown University), has launched a survey to all school nurses regarding scope of school nursing practice. The survey closes this Friday, April 6th. Please forward this survey to your colleagues. Upon completion of the survey you will be eligible to enter a random drawing for a $25 gift card. The data is important in moving school nursing forward. You can find the survey here. If our state gets 30% participation of our members in the Scope of SN survey we will receive our state's results for our own planning and insight. Again, this survey is open through April 6th (this Friday). The survey is for frontline school nurses (NASN members or NOT).
Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) and Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) introduced the Nurses for Under-Resourced Schools Everywhere (NURSE) Act in both the Senate and House. The bills numbers respectively are S 2532 and HR 5251. For more information on the NURSE act, please find it here. Now is the time to reach out to your state representatives and ask for their support on behalf of 5.3 million students in Texas (Texas Education Agency, 2017) and 50.7 million students in the United States (National Center for Education Statistics, 2017). Let’s get someone from Texas to co-sponsor this bill in recognizing the vital role of school nurses in providing healthcare so students can be safe, healthy and ready to learn.
President's Challenge $50 for 50 Years
By Nina Fekaris, MS, BSN, RN, NCSN
I would like to challenge every school nurse to step up to this year's President's Challenge $50 for 50 Years of NASN! Contributing $1 for every year NASN has been serving the needs of students and school nurses.
Monies raised will provide the needed financial boost to conduct research; research that will provide evidence showing the positive impact of school nurses on student outcomes. ALL of your President's Challenge monies goes into the NASN Endowment Fund, which is used to support research and NASN special projects. This research will move school nursing forward.
The stories you tell about how you helped a child get the glasses they need to see and learn, helped a family get medications for a child, showed a community that a healthy diet and daily exercise will help improve their lives, provided the necessary personal touch are wonderful. NOW, we need the data to back up our stories!
Help make an impact today by contributing $50 to celebrate 50 Years of NASN, and show us you care about student health and learning!
In your service,
Francis Luna, BSN, RN, NCSN
NASN-TX Director
National School Nurse Day is May 9th!
MORE to come in the MAY Newsletter- including the Governor's Proclamation!
Time to Recognize Excellence
Do you know a great nurse? Share all that she (he) does for students, faculty, and community by nominating that nurse for Texas School Nurse of the Year. One applicant per region, must be submitted through the Region President. For application go to: http://www.txsno.org/abouttsno/awards/schoolnurseoftheyear
Is your School Nurse Administrator head and shoulders above the rest? Do you want to recognize him or her for their leadership in school health? Then recognize them for the School Nurse Administrator of the Year award. For more information go to: http://www.txsno.org/tsno/abouttsno/awards/schoolnurseadministratoroftheyear
Applications due by June 15th.
Texas Health Steps Online Provider Education
Healthiest Nation 2030
Meningococcal Disease Statistics and Disease Facts
- Approximately 600 – 1,000 people contract meningococcal disease in the U.S. each year.*
- Of those who get meningococcal disease 10-15 percent die.
- Among those who survive, approximately 1 in 5 live with permanent disabilities, such as brain damage, hearing loss, loss of kidney function or limb amputations.
- 21 percent of all meningococcal disease cases occur in preteens, teens and young adults ages 11–24.
- 1 in 5 U.S. teens have not yet received their first dose of the meningococcal vaccination against serogroups A, C, W and Y and remain unprotected.
- Less than one-third of first dose recipients have received the recommended booster dose.
- Many teens have not received the meningococcal serogroup B vaccine since it was just permissively recommended by CDC in 2015.
Upcoming Professional School Nurse Networking and Learning Opportunities
April:
4/7/18 Region 10 ESC 31st Annual School Nurse Conference Endocrinology Essentials sponsored by Children's Health
4/28/18 TSNO Region 19 Mini-Conference School Nurse Update: The Power Within the School Nurse to Enhance Student Health
May:
5/3/18 Region 6 ESC School Nursing Conference Session ID: 315912
June:
6/6/18-6/7/18 Scott and White School Nurse Conference
6/7/18-6/8/18: School Nurse Conference Region 17
6/10/18 - 6/12/18: Texas School Nurse Administrator Association Conference
6/11-12/18 Region 12 Collaboration with Ascension Health
6/14/18 Cook Children's School Nurse Symposium
6/21/18 Region 13 School Nurse Conference , Session ID SU1838884
6/30-7/3/18 NASN 2018 Baltimore, MD
July:
7/13/18 Cook Children's School Nurse Symposium
7/25/18 Belle Blackwell Conference, Houston ISD
August:
8/2/18 Region III ESC School Nurse Conference Session ID #165765
8/8/18 Region 20 Back to School Nurse conference Session ID # 44614
TSNO Executive Committee
ELECTED OFFICERS:
PRESIDENT Lisa Sicilio - Region 6
PRESIDENT-ELECT Lisa Formby - Region 16
TREASURER Aida Salazar - Region 19
Secretary Adalia Del Bosque - Region 1
NASN DIRECTOR Francis Luna - Region X
NOMINATIONS COORDINATOR Laurie Smith - Region 8
STANDING COMMITTEE CHAIRS:
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Sarah Batson - Region 17
ADVOCACY CHAIR Chanthini Thomas - Region IV
SCHOOL HEALTH ISSUES Karen Schwind - Region 13
MEMBER SERVICES Sara Koenig - Region 20 sarakoenig.tsno@gmail.com
APPOINTED COORDINATORS:
Membership Coordinator Linda Howard - Region 8
REGION PRESIDENTS Coordinator Deana Bunting - Region 5 deanabunting.tsno@gmail.com
EXHIBIT LIAISON Amy Huey - Region X ahuey.tsno@gmail.com
EXECUTIVE BOARD LIAISON/ WEBSITE & MARKETING COORDINATOR Kara Delay - Region 8 kdelay@atlisd.net
Email: lsicilio.tsno@gmail.com
Website: txsno.org
Location: Richardson, Tex, United States
Phone: (979) 764-5540
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Texas.School.Nurses.Organization
Twitter: @TxSchlNurses