February 24, 2017
Dear Colleagues,
For those of you who had time off during the February vacation break, welcome back! Hope you had some time to relax and renew your energies for the remainder of the school year! Perhaps our spring-like weather will continue and snow days are at an end! Attending programs where there is an opportunity to learn, network and grow in your profession is another means to giving yourself some inspiration for the difficult work you do every day! This email update is chock full of upcoming programs and announcements of opportunities for professional development of school health personnel.
Please see the MA Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (MCAAP) Newsletter, the Forum, that contains an article related to our December 2016 meeting with school physicians at: http://mcaap.org/wp2013/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/261823MS_Forum_Winter2017_interactive.pdf This newsletter highlights the importance of school health and the collaboration among school nurses and school physicians.
And please note that registration is now open for the March 16th statewide school nurse leader meeting that is being held in Marlboro at the Holiday Inn. We have invited our school health colleagues who work with us on a daily basis to deliver mental health services to this meeting. Much of the meeting is being devoted to the collaboration between our school professionals to better serve our students. Please register – and have your guest register – for this daylong event at BU SHIELD at www.shield-bu.org Click on Nurse Leader Meetings under Live Programs to reach the registration site.
Thank you for all you do to care and protect the students we serve!
Mary Ann, Janet and Carol
“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” –Warren Bennis, organizational consultant
School Nurses in the News:
Congratulations to Doreen Crowe, the Director of Nursing Services for the Wilmington Public Schools, who has recently been appointed as the NASN Director from Massachusetts! https://wilmingtonapple.com/2017/02/19/wilmingtons-doreen-crowe-named-national-association-of-school-nurses-director/ We know she will carry out this role as a very capable and professional representative of Massachusetts School Nurses!
From Elms College:
Elms College School of Nursing Adds MSN Track, Graduate Certificate in School Nursing. See: https://www.elms.edu/graduate-studies/master-of-science-in-nursing/msn-in-school-nursing/
CHICOPEE, Mass. — To expand opportunities for school nurses to fulfill Massachusetts state education requirements, the School of Nursing at College of Our Lady of the Elms has announced a new master of science degree and a graduate certificate in school nursing.
In Massachusetts, school nurses are required to earn a board certification in school nursing or a master’s degree within five years of starting employment — but there is currently only one school-nursing-focused graduate program in New England.
“The addition of the school nursing track to our MSN program demonstrates Elms College’s commitment to addressing the needs of the surrounding communities, as well as the needs of nurses to continually develop themselves as professionals,” said Cynthia L. Dakin, Ph.D., RN, director of graduate nursing studies at Elms.
School nursing is a multifaceted role that includes assessment; diagnosis; outcomes identification; planning, implementing and coordinating care; health teaching and health promotion; and consulting. The school nurse must work with school physicians, licensed practical nurses, health aides, counselors, and psychologists. School nurses often oversee the health of a large group of students with vastly different needs, and these students are sometimes spread over several schools.
The new school nurse track at Elms College will comprise the college’s current MSN curriculum components, with a special focus on school nursing: four courses in the graduate nursing core; three courses in the direct-care core; four courses in functional area content (in this case, courses focused on content specific to the role and practice of the school nurses, as defined by professional standards, plus two courses related to technology and informatics); and two school nurse practicum courses.
The graduate certificate in school nursing will be similar to the certificate programs Elms offers for the other MSN tracks. It will not fulfill the state American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) board-certification requirement, but will benefit nurses who have completed a graduate degree in another area or discipline and want to update their knowledge base specifically related to school nursing.
All bachelor’s-level nurses will be eligible to enroll in the graduate certificate in school nursing. This program will consist of 12 credits, with four functional-area courses and one direct-care course from which the student could choose to complete the 12 credits. This track will offer multiple class options over the course of study: traditional classroom attendance, livestream, and archived videos.
The school nursing track is already enrolling students to start in required graduate core classes in fall 2017, and the first school nursing functional content courses will roll out starting in spring 2018. Elms College’s MSN program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). CCNE encourages and evaluates programs for high-quality educational programming that plans and delivers academic excellence and innovation while fostering partnerships within the diverse healthcare setting.
About Elms College
Elms College is a co-educational Catholic college offering a liberal arts curriculum that gives students multiple perspectives on life. Founded in 1928 by the Sisters of St. Joseph, Elms College has a tradition of educating reflective, principled and creative learners, who are rooted in faith, educated in mind, compassionate in heart, responsive to civic and social obligations, and capable of adjusting to change without compromising principle.
From the New England School Nurse Conference:
Announcement: NESNC Early bird pricing extended through Feb.24!!! It’s not too late to join your New England school nurse colleagues in Portland on May 6 and 7 at early bird prices now extended through February 24.
88 Spring Street
Portland, Maine
Looking forward to seeing you soon!
From the MDPH Suicide Prevention Program:
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health 16th Annual Suicide Prevention Conference Registration Before selecting your workshops please click the “Workshop Descriptions” tab to carefully view ALL workshop descriptions and agenda. Please check all tabs for information and register early as space is limited!
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The MA Department of Public Health Suicide Prevention Program presents the 16th Annual Suicide Prevention Conference: “Overcoming Challenges: Suicide Prevention Across the Lifespan” April 4, 2017 & April 5, 2017 The Sheraton Framingham Hotel & Conference Center Please Click Here to Register and View Brochure Please check all tabs for information! Before selecting your workshops please click the “Workshop Descriptions” tab to view ALL workshop descriptions and agenda carefully. NOTE: All are welcome to the workshops, but we have included “suggested audience” that would most benefit.
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Ounce of Prevention Conference 2017: For the agenda and more information: http://www.cvent.com/events/ounce-of-prevention-conference-2017/event-summary-7f3b93d5abf0425ab117e354b377f7e8.aspx
Sponsored by: The Massachusetts Department of Public Health
*To register for the event, please click on the “Register” button in the lower left hand corner of the page.
When
- Tuesday, March 28, 2017
9:00 AM – 3:30 PM - Where
- DCU Center
50 Foster St.
Worcester, Massachusetts 01608
508-755-6800 -
From the Parents and Professional Advocacy League (PPAL):
6th Annual Conference and Celebration: Save the Date!!
DATE: May 19, 2017
TIME: 8:30-3:00
LOCATION: Best Western Marlboro
Our keynote speakers are Linea and Cinda Johnson, authors of
Perfect Chaos, A Daughter’s Struggle to Survive Bipolar and A Mother’s Struggle to Save Her
11 morning and afternoon workshops
Youth Track
CEUs are in progress
Registration coming soon!
Summer Camp Positions:
As a favor to partners, below is a listing of summer camp job listings for nurses:
Type: Seasonal (Summer Camp)/residential – Franklin, MA
*Job Description: We are seeking a seasonal full-time nurse for our summer camp from June-August located in Franklin, MA. Salary ranges from $800-1,200/week depending on number of days worked and experience. Flexible schedule available with a minimum 4 day/night requirement, however we prefer a 6 day/night, full time nurse.
*Responsibilities Include:
-Monitoring overall well-being of campers and staff
-Capable of following health center guidelines including proper delivery of medications, accurate record keeping in our electronic medical dashboard, and good assessment skills for children and young adults aged 5 to 25.
*Requirements:
-RN
-Pediatric experience preferred, certified new grads welcome
-Strong interpersonal skills
-Must enjoy working with children, understanding a warm smile can be as important as medicine
-Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with campers, staff, directors and parents
-Ability to show initiative, work hard and increase work effort as necessary
-Housing in our health center and meals are included as living on our 100 plus acres is required.
*Job Location: Franklin, MA
*Required education: Bachelor’s
*Required license or certification:
-RN
-CPR