Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pennsylvania School Nurse Management of Student Immunization Requirements

School nurses play a significant role in the coordination of school-entry immunization requirements across the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic changed the school landscape and introduced additional responsibilities to a school nurse's workload. We conducted a cross-sectional survey with <i>n</i> = 110 Pennsylvania school nurses to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on school-entry immunization compliance management. Qualitative and quantitative data indicated increased difficulty obtaining school-entry immunization data (<i>n</i> = 52) and reduced school-level enforcement of immunization compliance (<i>n</i> = 30). We also observed increases in the percentage of students enrolled with an immunization exemption in Kindergarten, 7th, and 12th grades between the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years. However, few respondents (15%) offered school-located immunization clinics (SLIC) for school-entry-required immunizations. While the benefits of SLICs are documented, the capacity required to execute recommended actions may be limited among school nurses-particularly post-COVID-19 pandemic. School nurses may need additional support to address these gaps.

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Publication Details

Journal
The Journal of School Nursing
Published
2024-09-26
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/10598405241280413
Citations
1
Primary Topic
School Health and Nursing Education
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.87

Funders

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article

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pennsylvania School Nurse Management of Student Immunization Requirements

Erika VanDyke, Alicia M. Hoke, Deepa L. Sekhar, Janine Strick et al.
1 citations
The Journal of School Nursing
School Health and Nursing Education
0.87
article

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pennsylvania School Nurse Management of Student Immunization Requirements

Erika VanDyke, Alicia M. Hoke, Deepa L. Sekhar, Janine Strick, Elle Mellott
article en
1 citations

Abstract

School nurses play a significant role in the coordination of school-entry immunization requirements across the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic changed the school landscape and introduced additional responsibilities to a school nurse's workload. We conducted a cross-sectional survey with <i>n</i> = 110 Pennsylvania school nurses to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on school-entry immunization compliance management. Qualitative and quantitative data indicated increased difficulty obtaining school-entry immunization data (<i>n</i> = 52) and reduced school-level enforcement of immunization compliance (<i>n</i> = 30). We also observed increases in the percentage of students enrolled with an immunization exemption in Kindergarten, 7th, and 12th grades between the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years. However, few respondents (15%) offered school-located immunization clinics (SLIC) for school-entry-required immunizations. While the benefits of SLICs are documented, the capacity required to execute recommended actions may be limited among school nurses-particularly post-COVID-19 pandemic. School nurses may need additional support to address these gaps.

The Journal of School NursingVol. 42(2)
Pennsylvania State University (US), Pennsylvania Department of Health (US), Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center (US)
Children's Miracle Network Hospitals
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 21%
School Health and Nursing Education
0.87
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