Every school needs at least one full-time nurse, the American Academy of Pediatrics says in a new policy statement. But in many cases, reality falls far short of that recommendation.
The policy position is an update from a 2008 statement, when the organization supported a ratio of 1 school nurse to 750 students in the healthy student population, and a 1-to-225 ratio for student populations with greater health-care needs.
According to the National Association of School Nurses, just 45 percent of public schools have a nurse all day, every day. Another 30 percent have a nurse who works part time.
