Nursing Shortage Affecting Utah Health Department

Utah State Office of Education budgeted a $1,000,000 Incentive Fund with the purpose to fund more school nurses. The school districts could apply for a portion of this funding based upon their commitment to hire school nurses.

During the 2006-07 school year, school nurses in Utah County served six to eight schools and an average of over 6,000 students. This Incentive Grant money will mean that three new school nurse positions will be added to work in Utah County schools.

"We are excited for this new funding for school nursing because we will better be able to serve our schools," said Margie Golden, bureau director of school nursing at the Utah County Health Department (UCHD). "The population of school age children continues to grow in our county and our nurses have been spread way too thin. Often the present school nurses can only visit each of their schools for just a half day a week, and they are constantly being pulled from one school to another by the needs of students and staff."

Golden explained that in Utah County school nurses are hired and supervised by the health department and the costs for the nurses are shared with the school districts which contract for their services. This arrangement has benefitted both the schools and the health department. Many of the schools' health concerns are shared by the health department, such as the need for communicable disease prevention and control and for immunizations.

In addition, school nurses perform vision and scoliosis screenings in the schools, teach health topics in the classrooms, teach staff CPR and first aid skills, ensure the safe administration of medications during school hours, and develop care plans for students with special health needs.

The Utah County Health Department also has other job openings for RN's and LPN's in various clinics such as the immunizations and cancer screenings, and Baby Your Baby and Welcome Baby home visitation programs. Golden states that "though it is difficult to match the salaries offered to nurses in hospitals or other settings, the health department offers family friendly work hours for the nurses and excellent medical and retirement benefits."

"We never have to work 12 hour shifts, and very rarely weekends or holidays," said Golden.