School staff's satisfaction with school health services

Abstract

The School Nurse Impact Committee of the Columbus Public Schools in Columbus, Ohio, initiated a survey to determine staff satisfaction with the delivery of health services. School nurses need the cooperation and support of the staff to successfully deliver school health services, therefore, the staff's satisfaction with school health services is crucial to the school nurses' ability to fulfill their role. The objectives of the survey were to (a) determine staff satisfaction with school nurse interventions, (b) determine staff satisfaction with the effectiveness of interventions, (c) identify areas of health service delivery which may need improvement, and (d) determine areas of school health services where school nurses may need to more effectively communicate their involvement. Critical elements of school nurse practice included staff health, safety and environment, classroom education, medication, school system collaboration, and program management. Several key issues were identified through the survey. School system collaboration issues need more school nurse involvement. School nurses also need to improve their visibility regarding school system collaboration, and in classroom and individual pupil education. Traditional school nurse functions were adequately covered. Results indicate that staff would be more satisfied if they had more nursing support in the classroom and more nurse time in their building.