The Role of School Nurses in Australia

<p> This paper aims to clarify the role of school nurses in the state of New South Wales (NSW) in Australia by comparing the job duties of school nurses in NSW with those of Yogo teachers in Japan. The questionnaire survey was conducted in 2006 and the subjects were 44 school nurses at private schools in NSW and 22 Yogo teachers at private schools in Prefecture A in Japan. The findings show that the school nurses were aware of the following two job duties： 1) first aid in the school and 2) management of the school health room. In private schools in NSW, not only school nurses but also school counselors, health agencies, contractors, and pertinent guardians are involved in promoting healthcare in the school. On the other hand, in addition to first aid in the school and management of the school health room, Yogo teachers in Japan were aware of several additional job duties such as health education, health counseling in the school, etc.</p><p> A comparison of the findings showed that the school nurses in NSW played the role of nursing professionals, but unlike Yogo teachers in Japan, they were less involved in additional job duties such as health education and health counseling in the school. In conclusion, school nurses in NSW in Australia play a more singular but significant role as nursing professionals, while Yogo teachers function more as members of the teaching staff who are responsible for all types of activities related to children's health.</p>