FAQ

If you’re hoping to find out who your child’s school nurse is, one of our Regional Directors would be happy to help. Click here to identify your region and the best point of contact for your Regional Director.

Unlike professional school nurses, health aides are not licensed health professionals. With minimal training from the health department, they work under the direction of the Public Health Registered Nurse who is often assigned multiple schools, each of which can have thousands of students.

A licensed practical nurse (LPN) is a nurse who cares for people who are sick, injured, convalescent, or disabled. LPN training programs typically take up to two years to complete and an extensive exam is required before the student can receive their license. LPNs work under the direction of physicians and registered nurses. 

A registered school nurse is a nurse who specializes in nursing that protects and promotes student health, facilitates optimal development, and advances academic success. They have also graduated from a nursing program and met the requirements outlined by the state’s licensing body to obtain a nursing license. Registered school nurses, grounded in ethical and evidence-based practice, are the leaders who bridge health care and education, provide care coordination, advocate for quality student-centered care, and collaborate to design systems that allow individuals and communities to develop their full potential.

Professional school nurses are essential in identifying and addressing health issues which impact school performance. There is a plethora of evidence and case study data proving that the work of dedicated, on-site registered school nurses increases attendance and instructional time, promotes safety, decreases emergency and crisis management response times, and provides so many additional health and educational benefits. Learn more on our Value of a School Nurse page.

No, but it’s our vision to ensure that every K-12 school throughout Virginia employs at least one registered school nurse.

Currently, school nurses are not built into Virginia’s Standards of Quality and are not defined by legislation, which is one of the things that VASN is trying to establish. A school can technically hire a nursing assistant or a [licensed practical nurse] and call that person their school nurse.

Yes. The National Board for Certification of School Nurses (NBCSN) develops and implements the voluntary certification process of school nurses. NBCSN is an independently incorporated organization.

School nursing is a specialized practice of nursing that protects and promotes student health, facilitates optimal development, and advances academic success. School nurses, grounded in ethical and evidence-based practice, are the leaders who bridge health care and education, provide care coordination, advocate for quality student-centered care, and collaborate to design systems that allow individuals and communities to develop their full potential.