As I sit here reflecting on the journey of The Relentless School Nurse blog, I’m filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude and amazement. Eight years ago, I embarked on this adventure with a simple goal: to share my experiences and insights as a school nurse. Little did I know that this platform would grow into a vibrant community, touching the lives of so many dedicated professionals in the US and abroad! I always credit the amazing
In these eight years, we’ve achieved milestones that once seemed unimaginable. This includes nearly 500,000 views of the close to 1200 blogs published where readers sought information, inspiration, and connection. That’s half a million opportunities to make a difference, to spark a conversation, or to offer support to a fellow school nurse facing similar challenges is what drives me to continue to write.
With almost 1,200 blog posts published, we’ve covered a vast array of topics crucial to our profession. From managing chronic conditions, gun violence prevention, and addressing mental health concerns to advocating for better recognition of our role, each post has been an effort to define the scope of our practice and the challenges we face. These articles represent countless hours of research, writing, and heartfelt sharing of experiences from the frontlines of school healthcare.
What is most important is the community we’ve built together. Your comments, emails, and guest posts have enriched this blog beyond measure. You’ve shared your triumphs and struggles, offered words of encouragement, and engaged in thoughtful discussions that have broadened our collective understanding of school nursing.
This journey hasn’t always been easy. We’ve navigated through public health crises, combated disinformation, and continually advocated for the recognition of school nursing as a vital, specialized practice. We are, after all, the Chief Wellness Officers in our building, even if we do not have that official title! Yet, through it all, this community has remained resilient, supportive, and committed to the well-being of our students.
As we celebrate this 8th anniversary, I’m reminded of why I started this blog in the first place. It was born out of a desire to break through misconceptions about school nursing and to elevate our profession. Today, I can confidently say that together, we’re making strides in that direction.
Looking ahead, I’m filled with excitement for what the future holds. The Relentless School Nurse will continue to be a platform for sharing knowledge, fostering advocacy, and building connections. Your voices and experiences will always be at the heart of this blog, shaping its direction and impact.
To every reader, contributor, and supporter of The Relentless School Nurse, thank you. Your engagement has made this journey truly rewarding. Here’s to eight years of relentless advocacy, learning, and community-building. And here’s to many more years of championing the crucial role of school nurses in promoting student health and well-being.
This is a reprint of one of the very first blogs I published! Endless thanks to Margaret Cellucci, former National Association of School Nurses (NASN) Communication Director who led a blogging workshop that started my journey. I also want to acknowledge past NASN Presidents, Beth Mattey and Nina Fekaris who inspired me to find my voice as a school nurse through their leadership and vision for what is possible in school nursing.
The Relentless School Nurse: Will You Be One Too? (originally published 7/2017)
I named this blog the Relentless School Nurse because that is what I think it takes to be successful in our profession. We have to challenge ourselves to be relentless. Relentless school nurses break through perceived barriers and look for solutions, often long after the school day is over. We seem to always be thinking of the next steps for a project, wondering about outcomes for a student sent out for medical evaluation, or concerned about a family.
Relentless school nursing calls us to expand our practice beyond the walls of our health offices and into the community. We understand the connection between home, school, and the health office. You cannot separate the impact on a student’s presenting complaint in our health offices because our work is on a continuum. Relentless School Nurses are leaders in their school communities, they are vigilant about safety, proactive about prevention, and called upon as a resource by those they serve.
Nina Fekaris, our new NASN President spoke of the importance of School Nurses finding our voices, telling our stories, and sharing our impact. This is my first attempt at blogging, but I have had the title of my blog in the back of my mind for some time. Thanks to Margaret Cellucci, NASN’s Director of Communications, I learned some great tips from her conference breakout session about blogging.
I decided after the NASN 2017 conference that I would also be relentless about attending future conferences. I understand the value of sharing an intensive learning experience with 1000 school nurses from the US and beyond. Our annual gathering is necessary, rejuvenating, and reignites the reason we do this very complex work. This was my 3rd conference and I finally understand the flow, and recognize the unique traditions that belong to NASN like the affiliate rally!
My first conference was in Philly, my hometown, in 2015. The next year, in Indianapolis in 2016, I presented a poster and in 2017 I presented several workshops, collaborating with dear colleagues to create memorable learning experiences for our School Nurse attendees. When I think about my own personal and professional growth since 2015, I believe it is because I am a Relentless School Nurse. Relentless in advancing the practice of school nursing and am both humbled and honored to be recognized for my contributions.
Are you a Relentless School Nurse? Would you join me in exploring what that means? Consider commenting on this blog and start a discussion about what it means to you to be relentless in your practice.
Relentlessly yours,
Robin