A plan for the delegation of epinephrine administration in nonpublic schools to unlicensed assistive personnel.

Abstract

Professional nurses in nonpublic schools address variables in their practice that are different from nurses in a public school setting. These may include lack of funds for full-time nursing, different educational requirements, incorporation of religious beliefs into the social milieu, and inadequate peer or union support. These variables are problematic when public law health statues require change in school/parent/student relationships. New Jersey's Public Law 1997, Chapter 368 (N.J.S.A. 18A:40-12.5 and 12.6), hereafter referred to as P.L. 1997, c. 368, was enacted because school nurses may not always be available to assess students who are experiencing severe allergic reactions. Since allergies in the school population are common and can lead to anaphylaxis which is life threatening (Smith, 1999), P.L. 1997, c. 368, requires each educational board or chief school administrator/principal of public and nonpublic schools to develop a policy governing epinephrine administration. This article describes how public health nurses, the director of public health nursing, and a faculty consultant in the Bergen County Department of Health Services worked together to produce strategies for the safe implementation of this law. These strategies may provide a template for consideration by other public health nurses who serve the student population.