Effects of the COVID 19 Pandemic on School Nurses' Resiliency and Ability to Cope: A Mixed Methods Study in the State of Hawaii

Expert school nurses' experiences of reopening schools during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND

There is limited information about expert school nurses' experiences regarding the reopening of schools in the school setting during the COVID-19 pandemic.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to explore the views and experiences of reopening schools among expert school nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

We conducted semi-structured interviews with five focus groups of 24 school nurses. A grounded theory methodology was used to analyze emergent concepts, categories, and themes.

DISCUSSION

We identified five themes related to the experiences of expert school nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: unprepared response system, fighting alone, centering the response system, redefining roles, and together against.

CONCLUSION

Despite the high workload of school nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic, the expert school nurses led to clarification and expansion of the role of the school nurse role, and highlighted the relationships among school staff who were essential participants of the school health team during the pandemic.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

It is imperative to shift the perception that school nurses are health professionals who play key managerial roles with collaboration within and beyond the school.

The impact of COVID-19 on school nursing: A qualitative survey of stressors faced by school nurses

BACKGROUND

As students returned to school, school nurses were responsible for infection control, communication, and the preparation of supplies and facilities. School nurses in the Pacific Northwest US demonstrated a higher prevalence of mental health symptoms in the years since the pandemic began, suggesting that their experience may have been unique.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the stressors of school nurses in the Pacific Northwest at two time points.

DESIGN

This study is a qualitative, descriptive analysis of anonymous survey responses collected in June of 2021 (n = 333) and between October and December 2021 (n = 284).

SAMPLE

Self-identifying school nurses working in K-12 schools in Washington State were invited to participate.

MEASUREMENTS

Participants completed open-ended survey questions designed to elicit their experiences during the pandemic.

RESULTS

Four themes emerged from the data: (1) isolation from administration and the school community, (2) COVID-19-related workload, (3) disorganized and inconsistent communication, and (4) concern for students, themselves, and others.

CONCLUSIONS

School nurses played a vital public health role during the pandemic. However, their effectiveness may not have been fully utilized and sometimes undermined. Lastly, our findings highlight the difficulties encountered in implementing the changing scientific and public health guidance during the pandemic.

A qualitative study of school nurses' moral distress related to COVID-19

OBJECTIVE

To understand school nurses' perceptions and experiences of moral distress related to COVID-19 case management in the school systems.

DESIGN

A descriptive qualitative study guided by Braun and Clarke's reflexive thematic analysis.

SAMPLE

Twelve school nurses practicing in Colorado from December 2021 to January 2022.

MEASUREMENTS

Semi-structured interviews about school nurses' experiences of COVID-19. Investigators utilized an iterative reflexive thematic analysis process engaging the participants' and researchers' subjective experiences.

RESULTS

Four themes were created: (1) keeping kids and the community safe, (2) caught in the middle of the "tug of war" between health and politics, (3) distress amid an ocean of COVID-19 uncertainty, and (4) visibility as a bright spot shining through the COVID-19 cloud.

CONCLUSIONS

Two research questions examined school nurses' experiences of moral distress and their role and scope of practice that affected their relationships in the educational and public health systems. The results of this study confirm the important role of school nurses and interprofessional case management in school environments in the fight against infectious diseases and pandemics. Building stronger relationships between school nurses and public health is imperative for future collaborative and cohesive public health responses to pandemics.

Burnout and Mental Health and Well-Being of School Nurses After the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A National Cross-Sectional Survey

The aim of this study was to examine the associations between job stressors, COVID-19-related concerns, burnout, and mental health and well-being among school nurses, and whether any of these associations are mediated by burnout. Based on stratified proportional sampling, data collection was conducted by an online questionnaire distributed to 600 school nurses in Taiwan. A total of 256 participants aged between 27 and 62 years (mean = 47.08; standard deviation = 7.28) returned questionnaires. Results showed that burnout was the main mediating variable that fully mediated the relationship between COVID-19-related concerns and mental health and well-being. The effects of job stressors on mental health and well-being included direct negative effects (β = -.29) and indirect negative effects (β = -.67) through mediating factors. School health managers should be more aware of burnout and mental health and well-being among school nurses under the impact of COVID-19.