The Journal of school nursing : the official publication of the National Association of School Nurses
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If special educators cannot identify pain in students with intellectual disability (ID), students cannot be referred to the school nurse for assessment and management. The purpose of this study was to examine how special educators identify pain in the school setting. ⋯ Special educators welcome opportunities to learn more about pain in children with ID. Teachers, nurses, and other professionals should share knowledge about and experiences of working with students in pain to improve practices.
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Anxiety disorders are common in youth. Because somatic complaints are a hallmark feature of anxiety, these students frequently visit their school nurse, creating an ideal opportunity for nurses to identify and assist them. In an effort to better understand current practices, we surveyed a large sample ( N = 93) of school nurses. ⋯ Moreover, the majority of nurses reported that they did not use any formal screening tool or intervention protocol and stated wanting to expand their training in anxiety intervention. These data suggest that school nurses identify anxiety as a top problem but do not receive adequate training to address it. Data from this survey may be used to plan how best to fill gaps in nurse training and practices that can enhance nurses' capacity to optimize outcomes for anxious students.