NASN Radio- National Association of School Nurses

The idea that immunizations can cause autism has long been debunked and rejected by health professionals. However, the belief still persists among many parents. In this segment we provide the research, sources, tools and communication strategies to help you handle this concern with parents.

Dr. Deborah Wexler, a physician, an executive director of the Immuinization Action Coalition. Lynda Boyer-Chu, RN, MPH Wellness Center Nurse/Tobacco Outreach Coordinator, George Washington High School, San Francisco Unified School District.

We are well into flu season, so it's "all hands on deck" when it comes to limiting the outbreak of the flu in schools. In this segment we look at ways to extend flu prevention practices beyond the school nurses office, into classrooms and the homes of your children.

Anna Post is the great-great-granddaughter of Emily Post, and a co-author of the 18th edition of Emily Post's Etiquette (William Morrow, October 2011). A modern etiquette expert, Anna is a popular source for national media outlets such as The Today Show and The New York Times. Susan J. Rehm, M.D., Medical Director for the National Foundation for Infectious Disease, has been a staff physician at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio since 1983, and serves as vice chair of the Clinic's Department of Infectious Disease.

In part two of this series, we look at some of the additional ways infections spread in schools and discuss ways to prevent or contain the risk to children and staff.

Tia Campbell, MSN, RN, NCSN provides technical assistance and training to 132 school divisions as School Health Specialist at the Virginia Department of Education. Tia serves as Vice President of NASN. Chuck Gerba is a professor in the Departments of Soil, Water and Environmental Science (College of Agriculture), and Epidemiology and Biostatistics (College of Public Health) at the University of Arizona.

In this segment we review the basic prevention techniques for the five most common infections that keep students out of school. We then cover a few added measures school nurses can take to provide the best conditions for students to be healthy and ready to learn.

Carolyn Duff, MS, RN, NCSN is President-elect of the National Association of School Nurses. A school nurse for fifteen years, she is a Nationally Certified School Nurse employed as an elementary school nurse in Columbia, South Carolina. Chuck Gerba is a professor in the Departments of Soil, Water and Environmental Science (College of Agriculture), and Epidemiology and Biostatistics (College of Public Health) at the University of Arizona.

There has never been a book published specifically dedicated to the unique needs of school nurse administrators until now. In this segment the editor explains why this new text book is an invaluable resources for school nurses, how it will save you time, give you confidence and help you avoid the big mistakes as you manage your school nurse program.

Carol C. Costante, MA, BSN, RN, NCSN, FNASN, is currently an independent consultant in school health with more than 33 years in the field, 25 of which were as Supervisor of Health Services, Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS), Maryland. She is a past NASN President and currently serves on the National Board for Certification of School Nurses.

Unidentified speech issues in students cam have a profound impact on their literacy and ability to succeed academically. School nurses are a in key position to spot students who need special attention in this area. In this segment we talk about common speech issues and how to identify them.

Nancy Carrera RN, is lead nurse at a special needs school with a mixture of medically fragile and developmentally delayed students and a mother of a multi-handicapped 20 year old daughter who attends the school. Deborah Adamczyk Dixon, M.A. CCC-SLP, Director, School Services, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). She also served as a member of ASHA's Legislative Council, the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) and on various ASHA committees.

Back to school is an exciting and stressful time of year for school nurses.There is much to do in a very short time. To assist we invited some experienced school nurses to put together a back- to -school check list, to help you start the new school year right.

Judith Morgitan has been a Pennsylvania certified school nurse for approximately 25 years. She is currently employed as Coordinator of Perkiomen Valley School District Health Services. Linda Davis-Alldritt, MA, BSN, RN, FNASN, FASHA, is President, National Association of School Nurses and a School Nurse Consultant California Department of Education.

Across the nation school budgets are in crisis and cuts are being made at every level. In this segment we ask two experts to share with us what their research shows about the chances that your school nurse job may be cut. We also look at how school administrators are thinking about the priority of school health in their budget, trends being explored for funding school nursing and practical steps you can personally take ensure that school health gets funded.

Dan Domenech is executive director of Association of School Administrators (AASA). Nicole Fauteux writes about health policy and the health professions. As a senior researcher and writer with Spann Communications, she has authored policy briefs in the Charting Nursing's Future series.

Today we pause to celebrate school nursing and school nurses by taking a look at the new opportunities before us, as well as the peculiar challenges.

Linda Davis-Alldritt, MA, BSN, RN, FNASN, FASHA, is President, National Association of School Nurses and a School Nurse Consultant California Department of Education. Nicole Fauteux writes about health policy and the health professions. As a senior researcher and writer with Spann Communications, she has authored policy briefs in the Charting Nursing's Future series.

In a school emergency or crisis building evacuation, school nurses need to be able to get out fast and bring along what is essential to continue to respond to student needs. In this segment our guests offer a well consider plan for creating an emergency "grab-and-go" bag.

Cynthia Devore, MD, is a pediatrian and a fellow in the America Academy of Pediatrics who has dedicated her career to school health and sports medicine in New York State. Gail Wold is the coordinator for New York state school health services center where she works on school health topics.