Will there be a nurse at your children's school? The 20 euros some regional governments "want to save"

The Nursing Union ( SATSE ) has denounced the fact that the new school year is getting "poor marks" from the Education and Health departments because " a large majority of children and adolescents will return to school starting September 8 without a school nurse ."

The union believes that the autonomous communities have not responded to the "progressive increase" in all types of health problems and risky behaviors among children and youth by adding a nurse to each school .

SATSE explains that the role of the nurse is to care for students in the event of chronic illness or any other incident, as well as to educate and inform students so they acquire healthy lifestyle habits and avoid behaviors that could put their health at risk.

The Union points out that there are an increasing number of studies concluding that the current environment and social pressure are leading children and young people to face numerous problems ( mental health, bullying, addictions , suicide attempts, obesity, sexually transmitted infections) that require prevention, care and follow-up in different areas, one of which is the school setting.

For this reason, SATSE criticizes the fact that the Education and Health departments remain "blind" to this reality and fail to transform educational centers into health-producing environments "thanks to the work of these healthcare professionals in coordination with teachers and the rest of the educational community ."

Another aspect highlighted by the Union is that, "in the current context of overcrowded and understaffed hospitals and health centers ," the work of school nurses in schools and colleges would contribute to improving this situation , avoiding unnecessary consultations and interventions. "Our health and education leaders lack a vision for the future and are overly short-sighted," she adds.

"These healthcare professionals cannot fully develop their potential in prevention , care, and health promotion if they are based in their healthcare center and only dedicate a few hours of their work to visiting their assigned schools and institutes ," she emphasizes.

SATSE is committed to a school nurse who is integrated into the corresponding health service and can be a true interlocutor and facilitator of schoolchildren's health care .

Finally, the Union emphasizes that, while families will spend an average of 500-600 euros on the return to school program, government agencies are unwilling to invest between 16 and 20 euros per inhabitant per year to ensure that all students have access to a nurse. This is an "irrelevant" amount that would make it possible to care for and look after children and adolescents during their time in schools and colleges, which constitutes a large part of their daily routine, it concludes.

Likewise, and unlike what some autonomous communities are doing, such as Andalusia , Murcia or Catalonia , among others, the Nursing Union demands that school nurses work full-time and with full dedication in the educational center itself.

For its part, the General Nursing Council (CGE) is also urging regional governments once again this year to support the school nurse , "an essential figure " for the care of the entire educational community and "fundamental" for educating children about healthy habits from childhood.

“We are all aware that children spend many hours in schools , colleges and nursery schools . If we add to that the need for them to be safe during this time, we have no choice but to focus on the figure of the school nurse , a professional who is responsible for safeguarding the daily lives of these little ones , even more so when it comes to minors with pathologies such as asthma , diabetes , allergies , epilepsy ... I doubt there is a single mother or father who is against their children having the best care while they are at school ,” they assure.