Meeting the Health Care Needs of Students With Severe Disabilities in the School Setting: Collaboration Between School Nurses and Special Education Teachers

Abstract

The number of students with special healthcare needs (SHCN) and severe disabilities in public schools in the United States has steadily increased in recent years, largely due to the changing landscape of public health relative to advances in medicine and medical technology. The specialized care required for these students often necessitates complex coordination amonga large number of medical and educational service providers. While collaboration is critical in promoting appropriate academic progress for these students, school nurse reductions coupled with minimal teacher training in healthcare procedures leads to role confusion as school personnel attempt to meet the increasing demands of students with SHCN. Thus, this study examined the collaboration between the two most critical members of the team: the school nurse and the special education teacher. A 45-item survey on this collaborative partnership was completed by 76 school nurses working in public school settings. Results were consistent with existing literature, suggesting there are noteworthy aspects of the partnership between school nurses and special education teachers that are described as positive by school nurses; however, there are also many barriers that persist, resulting in fractured care for students with severe disabilities and SHCN. Recommendations for future collaboration and research are provided. C 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Teacher education for inclusive education: a framework for developing collaboration for the inclusion of students with support plans

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“…Collaboration among the student, their family, school officials, and health care professionals is necessary to ensure a smooth transition back to school, with school nurses at the forefront of implementing those health care accommodations within school premises. Many chronically ill students have legally enforced school accommodations that require the school nurse's regular and substantial involvement, but this involvement is also necessary and valuable in cases without Individualized Education Plans . Thus, school nurses' roles and responsibilities have evolved significantly to accommodate these students and their individualized education plans, with increased expectations to evaluate, treat, and manage new and complicated cases previously managed outside of school.…”

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“…School support for students with chronic health conditions is a relatively new and thus continuously evolving topic, given that decades ago, considerations for students with health conditions were largely deemed unnecessary due to low survival rates and poor long-term outcomes associated with most serious pediatric conditions (Pufpaff, McIntosh, Thomas, Elam, & Irwin, 2015). In a span of 34 years, however, several factors have shifted the dynamics associated with school for students with chronic illness.…”

“…Despite the increased prevalence of students with a chronic health condition (or history of), the education field has been slow to catch up with the ever-growing demands of this student population (Pufpaff et al, 2015). Given the known implications associated with chronic illness (including compromised academic, social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes), it is widely understood that these learners warrant unique and specialized supports in the school setting, though research is limited in evidencing best practice and interventions most effective for students with a history of chronic illness (Roberts, 2006).…”