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School nurses, in collaboration with primary care providers (PCPs), can work to better manage asthma by using the Asthma Action Plan (AAP) with peak flow monitoring. The aim of this pilot study was to determine the effectiveness of an intervention to increase the number of AAPs in schools for students with asthma by having school nurses provide the students' peak flow measurements to their PCPs with a request for an AAP. The study found a significant increase in AAPs when school nurses provided PCPs with accurate peak flow data and requested an AAP from the PCP than when school nurses requested an AAP via the students' parents and did not provide peak flow data to the PCP. This study provided data on the importance of collaboration with PCPs in order to affect better care for children with asthma. (Contains 3 figures.)

The purpose of this study was to explore Kanter's Theory of Structural Power in Organizations, using school nurses and to answer the research question of whether there is a relationship between empowerment and autonomy in school nurses. This study found a positive relationship between the nurses' perceptions of empowerment and autonomy. The school nurses surveyed perceived themselves to have a high degree of autonomy and a moderate degree of empowerment, and they reported that their access to informal power structures was higher than their access to formal power structures in their school systems. School nurses can benefit by understanding factors that can increase their empowerment in the workplace. They need to understand the organizational structure of their workplace to increase their effectiveness and job satisfaction. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)

This article describes the recently established Massachusetts School Nurse Research Network (MASNRN) which has a mission of establishing a practice-based research network (PBRN) comprised of a representative, collaborative group of professional school nurses, nurse academicians, and other interested parties for whom school health is a priority. MASNRN represents a unique partnership of the Massachusetts School Nurse Organization (MSNO), the Boston College Connell School of Nursing (BCCSON), and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health School Health Unit (MDPH-SHU). Its members believe that students need and deserve high-quality school nursing care to help them to attain their full academic potential. This requires that school nursing embrace evidence-based practice (EBP). The concept of PBRNs may easily apply to other school health and education disciplines who practice in settings removed from one another. These may include health coordinators, school psychologists, physical educators, and other specialists who require EBP. PBRNs focusing on primary care originated in the late 1980s by community medical providers interested in studying questions pertinent to their practice rather than those relating to hospital settings. The PBRN is defined as a group of practices that primarily provide patient care but also affiliate with each other to explore and study clinical problems and practice patterns. Consistent with this model, MASNRN conducts research and uses translational research to support and improve student health outcomes and the efficacy and efficiency of school nursing care.

It is the position of the National Association of School Nurses that the registered professional school nurse (hereinafter referred to as the school nurse) is a crucial member of the team participating in the prevention of bullying in schools. School nurses are the experts in pediatric health in schools and, therefore, can have an impact on the health and safety of all students, including students who bully, students who are bullied, or students who both bully and are bullied by others (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2011a, 2011b). The school nurse role includes the prevention of bullying and the identification of students who are bullied, bully others, or both. The school nurse has a significant leadership role in the implementation of bullying prevention policies and strategies.

It is the position of the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) that the safe and effective management of allergies and anaphylaxis in schools requires a collaborative, multidisciplinary team approach. The registered professional school nurse (hereinafter referred to as the school nurse) is the leader in a comprehensive management approach that includes planning and coordination of care, educating staff, providing a safe environment, and ensuring prompt emergency response should exposure to a life-threatening allergen occur. Furthermore, NASN supports, in states where laws and regulations allow, the maintenance of stock nonpatient-specific epinephrine and physician-standing orders for school nurses to administer epinephrine in life-threatening situations in the school setting. School districts must have a clear, concise, all-inclusive policy in place to address the management of allergies in the school setting that should be reviewed annually (National School Boards Association [NSBA], 2012). This policy shall be consistent with federal and state laws, nursing practice standards, and established safe practices in accordance with evidence-based information and include development of a developmentally appropriate Individualized Healthcare Plan (IHP) and Emergency Care Plan (ECP).

School nurses have demonstrated a keen interest in research and the research process with the purpose of generating evidence that supports their practice and increases the value of school nursing services. This article will help school nurses to formulate research questions and to identify the components of the research question that delineate the next steps in the development of a research study from such questions. School nurses benefit from collaborating with experienced nurse researchers in order to gain competence in defining research questions.