FAIRBORN — School nurses around the country will be celebrating National School Nurse Day Tuesday, May 9 created in 1972 by the National Association of School Nurses to recognize and acknowledge the role that school nurses play in the educational setting.

The theme this year is: “School Nurses: Advocates for 21st Century Student Health.” Here are some of the contributions that your school nurse makes on a daily basis which help to improve the safety, health and academic success for all of her students:

– They are involved is establishing district and state policies including safe medication administration and storage, high nutritional standards for school meals and appropriate physical education and recess times.

– Students with chronic and acute health conditions may attend school because their school nurse has advanced training in clinical assessments and emergency treatments; and she creates health care plans for those requiring special health care while at school.

– Individuals are involved in school attendance teams; helps to combat school and community health barriers by partnering with local and state organizations which can become referral agencies for those families not having a medical home base; she has been trained to recognize and understand the social determinates of health and their impact upon the most vulnerable populations.

In Ohio, to become a School Nurse one must be a Registered Nurse with a bachelor of science degree and through the Ohio Department of Education receive an Ohio Department of Education Professional Pupil Services School Nurse license.