Health services, often nursing, have always had a presence in schools although these services have often been sporadic. Little is known about the roles, responsibilities and education of current school nurses.
This study explores the role of the school nursing services, to identify the range of services provided and by whom, and to identify some of the issues for nurses in schools.
Purpose
A report by the Health Services Research Centre: Nursing Services in New Zealand Secondary Schools (Buckley et al 2009) aimed to explore the range of nursing services in New Zealand schools, seeking to answer the questions:
- Which nursing services are provided in secondary schools?
- How are these services funded?
- How do they link to other health services?
- What are the professional issues for nurses working in schools?
The report had three main data sources:
- a literature review exploring New Zealand school health services, adolescent health and health needs, barriers to youth accessing health care and models of youth health care (see section 3, pg 6 of the full report)
- qualitative interviews with 16 nurses working in secondary schools or youth centres and one interview with a school counsellor
- two surveys: a short web-based survey of 154 secondary school principals and a survey of 235 nurses who work in secondary schools.
This document summarises the findings in Nursing Services in New Zealand Secondary Schools, generally focusing on the answers to the questions above.
Key Results
- Approximately 75% of schools have some level of nursing available. The amount of this service, the qualification levels of the nurses, the funding sources and the services they provide vary considerably.
- About half of all nurses employed in schools are directly employed by schools. Almost all others are employed by district health boards, about half of these through public health units.
- Nurses provide a range of services including personal health, referrals to other providers, first aid, health assessments, health education and health promotion.
- There is no direct relationship between the deprivation rating of the school and the services pro