ABSTRACT
School nursing practice establishes itself in the midst of both education and nursing philosophies, ethics, standards, laws, and regulations. Treading these two worlds is difficult at times and requires that a school nurse possess a strong foundational knowledge base, seek professional collaboration, and navigate conflicting professional demands in order to promote student and public safety. This article is Part 4 of a four-part series that recounts the inspiring story of a school nurse, Ellen Johnsen, who did just that back in the 1980s in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Part 4 offers lessons to be learned by reflecting on Ellen Johnsen's experience when she challenged the illegal and unsafe medication administration policy in the Broken Arrow Public Schools. The purpose of this series is to enhance understanding of the legal parameters governing school nurse practice, provide examples of ethical decision making, and review the challenges associated with serving as a leader.
Subject(s)
School Nursing/history , History, 21st Century , Humans , Leadership , Oklahoma , Practice Patterns, Nurses'ABSTRACT
School nursing practice establishes itself in the midst of both education and nursing philosophies, ethics, standards, laws, and regulations. Treading these two worlds is difficult at times and requires that a school nurse possess a strong foundational knowledge base, seek professional collaboration, and navigate conflicting professional demands in order to promote student and public safety. This article is Part 3 of a four-part series that recounts the inspiring story of a school nurse, Ellen Johnsen, who did just that back in the 1980s in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Part 3 describes the publication of the Attorney General's opinion validating the illegality of the school district's medication administration policy, the lawsuit Ellen brought against the Broken Arrow Public Schools, and the appeal of the final decision in that lawsuit. The purpose of this series is to enhance understanding of the legal parameters governing school nurse practice, provide examples of ethical decision making, and review the challenges associated with serving as a leader.
Subject(s)
School Nursing/history , History, 21st Century , Humans , Leadership , Oklahoma , Practice Patterns, Nurses'ABSTRACT
School nursing practice establishes itself in the midst of both education and nursing philosophies, ethics, standards, laws, and regulations. Treading these two worlds is difficult at times and requires that a school nurse possess a strong foundational knowledge base, seek professional collaboration, and navigate conflicting professional demands in order to promote student and public safety. This article is Part 2 of a four-part series that recounts the inspiring story of a school nurse, Ellen Johnsen, who did just that back in the 1980s in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Part 2 describes how Ellen's actions led the Broken Arrow Public Schools to revise its unsafe and illegal medication administration policy, which brought the policy into partial compliance with the nurse practice act but culminated in Ellen losing her job. The purpose of this series is to enhance understanding of the legal parameters governing school nurse practice, provide examples of ethical decision making, and review the challenges associated with serving as a leader.
Subject(s)
Leadership , Medication Systems/legislation & jurisprudence , Medication Systems/standards , Practice Patterns, Nurses'/legislation & jurisprudence , Practice Patterns, Nurses'/standards , School Nursing/legislation & jurisprudence , School Nursing/standards , History, 20th Century , Humans , Nurse's Role/history , Oklahoma , Practice Patterns, Nurses'/history , School Nursing/historyABSTRACT
School nursing practice establishes itself in the midst of both education and nursing philosophies, ethics, standards, laws, and regulations. Treading these two worlds is difficult at times and requires that a school nurse possess a strong foundational knowledge base, seek professional collaboration, and navigate conflicting professional demands in order to promote student and public safety. This article is Part 1 of a four-part series that recounts the inspiring story of a school nurse, Ellen Johnsen, who did just that back in the 1980s in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Part 1 describes the upbringing and early career experiences that molded Ellen into a courageous and tenacious child advocate who rose to the challenge when she found herself in a school setting where tradition and policy were at odds with the nurse practice act and professional standards regarding medication administration. The purpose of this series is to enhance understanding of the legal parameters governing school nurse practice, provide examples of ethical decision making, and review the challenges associated with serving as a leader.
