Citation

Shattuck D, Ramos MM, Richard BO, Hall JL, Sparks R, Willging CE. J. Sch. Nurs. 2024; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, National Association of School Nurses, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/10598405241265706

PMID

39042884

Abstract

In 2021, the National Association of School Nurses published an updated position statement affirming the unique position of school nurses to support the health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) students who are faced with a variety of health disparities rooted in experiences of stigma, discrimination, and bias. The 5-year cluster randomized controlled trial "Reducing LGBTQ+ Adolescent Suicide" leveraged school nurses as leaders to facilitate the uptake of six evidence-informed, LGBTQ-supportive practices in New Mexico high schools. We analyzed 5 years of interview data from 24 school nurses in 13 intervention schools to examine what factors impacted their ability to serve as an effective leader for this initiative. Several factors including job characteristics, leadership and organizational skills, relationships and reputation, and personal commitments emerged from analysis. Contextual factors, such as working in urban or rural school, and the size of the school also influenced nurses' leadership.

Language: en

Keywords

implementation science; LGBTQ+; leadership; health equity; school nurses