The Children’s League joins the demand of the Austrian Children’s Nursing Professional Association for the Austria-wide rollout of the successful Vienna pilot project “School Nurses”.
Vienna (OTS) – The Austrian League for Child and Adolescent Health (Children’s League) supports the call for the Austria-wide rollout of the “School Nurses” pilot project, which the Professional Association of Children’s Nursing Austria (BKKÖ) – member organization of the Children’s League – formulated at a press conference on June 20, 2024. Based on the results of the scientific support of the City of Vienna’s “School Nurses” pilot project by the Center for Public Health at the Medical University of Vienna, the BKKÖ and the directors of the pilot project schools formulate the following recommendations, which the Children’s League fully supports:
- Gradual nationwide rollout of school health nurses in compulsory schools
- Sustainable funding of the School Health Nurse
- Anchoring the school health nurse in the federal and state target management commission
- Connection of the school health nurse to the state health authority
- Addition to the School Education Act §13 to include the term “school health team” with an exemplary list, e.g. school health nurses, school psychologists, school social workers, occupational therapists,…
The pilot phase of the “School Nurses” project, which has been running at six schools in Vienna since May 2022, has shown that school nurses have an indispensable place in school health care that goes far beyond medical care. “The consistently positive experiences of the “School Nurses” pilot project in the pilot schools and the results of the scientific support make it clear that the school location is relieved and enriched by an additional professional group, nursing. School nurses make an important contribution to the healthy growth of children in the school environment. We therefore support the call for a gradual rollout of the project throughout Austria
“says Dr. Caroline Culen, clinical psychologist and executive director of the Children’s League.
The Children’s League repeatedly highlights deficiencies in the care, especially for children with chronic and rare illnesses. For many of these children, regular participation in lessons and school events is not possible. School nurses take on an important role in looking after these children and thus also relieve the burden on teaching staff.
The school nurse can also make an important contribution to the well-being of children. “Physical complaints such as stomach ache or headache are often a symptom of emotional stress. School nurses can play an important role in the assessment and either become active in nursing or set the course for medicine and psychology
“, so Culen.
The assumption of health-promoting tasks by school nurses could also be of great importance. The school nurses provide health prevention directly where children and young people are.
Questions & Contact:
Verena Bittner Call
presse@kinderjugendgesundheit.at
+43 650 7101373