Released in June 2019, the revised National School Nursing Standards for Practice: Registered Nurse, will benefit school nurses, other members of the school community including parents and children, education sector employers and bureaucrats, and, nursing and midwifery colleagues working in health care in general.
These national standards clearly articulate best practice for nurses working in the school setting. They should be used in conjunction with the professional practice framework, mandated by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, for all nurses.
We encourage the use of these revised national standards by nurses working in schools, to enable them to work to their full scope of practice, for the betterment of the health and well-being of children and young people in Australia, and, for building a healthy nation for future generations. As the majority of nurses working in school settings are registered nurses these standards are focused on the independent role of the registered nurse.
Thank you to all those school nurses who generously gave of their time to review and provide comment on draft documents during consultation on these standards. Your contributions were invaluable and ensured the national standards reflect and promote the important role of school nurses.
The previous National School Nursing Professional Practice Standards (2nd Edition) developed in 2012 are also still available to view.