School Nurses: Still in Short Supply, But Earning Their Keep

A program to add more registered nurses in Massachusetts public schools more than justified its costs by reducing medical costs and the need for parents to stay home from work, according to a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics.

CDC researchers found that $2.20 was saved for each dollar invested in the school nurse program.

The study appears at a time when school districts nationwide have been cutting back on nurses rather than adding them.

In addition, a recent report commissioned by the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health found that health services for California students with special health care needs vary greatly by school district, are provided by a variety of school staff, operate under a confusing patchwork of regulations, and are often underfunded.

In California, there is one full-time equivalent nurse for every 2,815 students, well above the CDC-recommended ratio of one nurse for every 750 students. In one county, only one nurse serves more than 13,000 students.

See more data on school nurses in California:

Number of School Nurses, By County

Ratio of Students to School Nurses, By County

Related Content:

Cost-Benefit Study of School Nursing Services, JAMA Pediatrics, May 19, 2014

The ‘Hidden Health Care System’ in California Schools and Children with Special Health Care Needs

Posted by Barbara Feder Ostrov

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