Tasks Currently Faced by Yogo Teachers in Japan

Abstract

The Yogo Teacher in Japan is equivalent to the role of school nurse in the US. The purpose of the research is to clarify the duties facing school nurse teachers working in elementary schools in Japan, the knowledge and skills required for coping with them, and their training needs. We surveyed 536 nursing teachers nationwide. 1) Job difficulties confronted by Yogo Teachers include collaboration (19.2%), which includes collaboration at the school and with family members. 2) The knowledge and skills necessary for Yogo Teachers included Self-Education Ability (24.3%), and mainly required communication skills and coordination ability. 3) In training needs, Psychology and Psychiatry (22.0%) were uppermost, and improvement of counseling skills and ability was required. It is important to build a system that enables Yogo Teachers to educate themselves in collaboration techniques and theories, and to practice supervision by mental health specialists.