Health Education Training and Experiences of School Nurse Teachers

School Nurse Teachers (SNT) play an essential role in providing ongoing health education, health instruction, and health services through the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model (WSCC). SNT completed an online survey regarding their current job responsibilities, proficiency and confidence in teaching health education lessons, and professional training. In total, 107 surveys werecompleted for a response rate of 45%. Half (51%) of the participants reported teaching health education lessons in a classroom. Confidence levels ranged from 34-53% in SNT who were very confident in implementing National Health Education Standards (NHES) into their lessons. Recommendations to better prepare future SNT included: strategies to engage learners (65%), assessment skills (54%), and pedagogical skills (53%). The majority (92%) requested professional development that focused on pedagogy. While not all SNT teach health education classes, they could be called upon by the administration to do so during the school year and provide health education to students, families, and the community. This data will help align curricula for preparing qualified SNT, professional development for practicing SNT, and applied to places in the United States and beyond where school nurses may be asked to advance students’ health and academic success through various health education efforts.