The Journal of School Nursing2022, Vol. 38(6) 500–501© The Author(s) 2022Article reuse guidelines:sagepub.com/journals-permissionsDOI: 10.1177/10598405221123231journals.sagepub.com/home/jsn
Throughout our nursing education and careers, we have an ever-evolving relationship with nursing research. The pendulum swings from feeling baffled and overwhelmed to feeling empowered and exhilarated by the power of data to tell our story and shape our daily practice. As school nurses, we can grow from reading and understanding research articles published in The Journal of School Nursing to contributing our own school nursing research to the publication and shaping the future of research that depicts, supports, elevates, and informs school nursing practice.
Each year, the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) embarks upon a process to review, refine, and release its research priorities. This process identifies gaps in school nurse knowledge, skills, and practice and provides direction for future research and evidence-based practice (EBP) efforts. These efforts include an evaluation of our specialty’s research, education, and practice needs, as well as the needs of the larger health care and education landscapes. Because school nurses support both health and academic outcomes for students, highlighting the intersection between health care and education through research is critical to advancing school nursing practice.
Two pivotal guidance documents released during the past year have shaped the most recent NASN research and research implementation priorities. First, the National Academy of Medicine’s Future of Nursing 2020–2030 report provided a roadmap of research priorities elevating the impact all nurses can and should have on health equity. This report repeatedly highlighted the role school nurses play in supporting health equity and addressing social determinants of health and learning (National Academy of Medicine, 2021). Second, the National Institute for Nursing Research (NINR) released its 2022–2026 strategic plan with a framework emphasizing policy, practice, and research involving prevention, treatment, and holistic care provided by nurses working in schools and community settings. The NINR encourages research supporting optimal health and quality of life, including addressing conditions where children learn, play, and live (National Institute of Nursing Research, 2022).
In alignment with the marching orders from these and other guiding documents, NASN champions robust research that addresses the following priorities:
In addition to research projects that examine the roles and value of school nurses, EBP strategies, and outcomes of school nurse interventions, NASN encourages systematic literature reviews that synthesize current school nurse evidence and identify gaps to guide future research and EBP projects. NASN is eager to better understand strategies that accelerate school nurses’ adoption of EBPs, especially those highlighted in NASN-developed toolkits and clinical practice guidelines, as well as translation of research into school nursing education, practice, and policy.
School nursing research, education, and practice are dependent upon each other. To better address NASN’s drive to accelerate translation of research into practice, a new staff position, Research Education and Practice Director, was created. This role is held by Kim Stanislo, DNP, APRN-CNP, LSN, CPNP-PC. Dr. Stanislo’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree equips her to translate nursing research into school nursing practice, measure outcomes related to school nursing practice, and transform school nursing practice through EBP guidelines, education, leadership, and policy implementation. Dr. Stanislo’s work is supported through a collaborative partnership with NASN Consulting Research Strategist, Andrea Tanner, PhD, RN, NCSN. Dr. Tanner’s educational background as a PhD-prepared nurse equips her as a scientist to develop new knowledge regarding school nursing practice and outcomes. This DNP-PhD partnership model emphasizes NASN’s commitment to advance school nursing practice through the creation of knowledge and the translation of knowledge into practice to improve student outcomes.
NASN’s holistic approach to research, through the DNP-PhD partnership, aims to make data and research accessible and applicable to every school nurse. It is essential that school nurses at all levels of education and practice understand, utilize, and contribute to school nursing evidence. As school nurses, we have a responsibility to continue building the knowledge base that guides our practice, informs advocacy, and shapes policies.
The 2022 National Association of School Nurses Research and Research Implementation Priorities can be found at https://www.nasn.org/research/research-priorities. The priorities provide the focus we need to ensure the blocks of knowledge gained through research are stackable, growing our profession in breadth and depth of understanding. We invite you to join us in our efforts to transform school nursing practice, elevate its value, and improve outcomes for all students.
Andrea L. Tanner, PhD, RN, NCSN and Kimberly Stanislo, DNP, APRN-CNP, LSN, CPNP-PC
National Association of School Nurses,Silver Spring, MD, USA
Andrea L. Tanner https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2965-7749
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2021). The future of nursing 2020-2030: Charting a path to achieve health equity. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25982.
National Institute of Nursing Research (2022). National Institute of Nursing Research 2022–2026 Strategic Plan. ninr.nih.gov/sites/files/docs/NINR_One-Pager12_508c.pdf
