Mapping the policy landscape of school nurse practice laws in the United States

IF 3.7 2区医学 Q1 NURSING

Nursing Outlook Pub Date : 2026-05-01 DOI:10.1016/j.outlook.2026.102762

April J. Ancheta PhD, MSHP, RN , Mayumi A. Willgerodt PhD, MPH, RN, FNASN, FAAN , Catherine F. Yonkaitis DNP, RN, NCSN, PHNA-BC, FNASN , Eileen Moss DNP, RN, PEL-CSN, NCSN

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

State-level regulations governing school nursing licensure, certification, and employment vary widely across the United States, creating inconsistencies in minimum practice qualifications and implications for student health and workforce stability.

Purpose

To systematically map U.S. school nursing practice laws and assess the strength of regulatory environments.

Methods

Using a systematic, web-based search and abstraction tool, we collected data on four domains: school nurse title protection, requirements to be called a school nurse, mandated employment, and certification/endorsement availability. A composite policy score (0–4) quantified regulatory strength.

Discussion

Most states protected the school nurse title (41+DC) and had minimum requirements (39+DC), though qualifications varied substantially. Twenty states mandated school nurse employment, and 27 offered certification/endorsement. States with strongest policies were concentrated in the Northeast and Midwest.

Conclusion

Findings reveal a fragmented policy landscape with substantial opportunities to standardize educational/licensure requirements, strengthen employment mandates, and support a qualified school nursing workforce.

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绘制美国学校护士执业法的政策景观

管理学校护理执照、认证和就业的州一级法规在美国各地差别很大，造成了最低执业资格的不一致，并影响了学生健康和劳动力稳定。目的系统地绘制美国学校护理实践法律，并评估监管环境的强度。方法使用系统的、基于网络的搜索和抽象工具，我们收集了四个领域的数据：学校护士职称保护、被称为学校护士的要求、强制性就业和认证/背书的可用性。综合政策得分（0-4）量化了监管力度。大多数州保护学校护士头衔（41+DC），并有最低要求（39+DC），尽管资格有很大差异。20个州规定学校护士就业，27个州提供认证/背书。政策最强硬的州集中在东北部和中西部。结论：研究结果表明，在规范教育/执照要求、加强就业要求和支持合格的学校护理队伍方面，政策格局存在很大的机会。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Nursing Outlook 医学-护理

CiteScore

6.20

自引率

7.00%

发文量

109

审稿时长

25 days

期刊介绍： Nursing Outlook, a bimonthly journal, provides innovative ideas for nursing leaders through peer-reviewed articles and timely reports. Each issue examines current issues and trends in nursing practice, education, and research, offering progressive solutions to the challenges facing the profession. Nursing Outlook is the official journal of the American Academy of Nursing and the Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science and supports their mission to serve the public and the nursing profession by advancing health policy and practice through the generation, synthesis, and dissemination of nursing knowledge. The journal is included in MEDLINE, CINAHL and the Journal Citation Reports published by Clarivate Analytics.