ERIC Number: EJ1392342
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Oct
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1059-8405
EISSN: EISSN-1546-8364
The Frontline Health Care Workers in Schools: Health Equity, the Distribution of School Nurses, and Student Access
Gratz, Trevor; Goldhaber, Dan; Willgerodt, Mayumi; Brown, Nate
Journal of School Nursing, v39 n5 p357-367 Oct 2023
The extent to which observed disparities in access to primary pediatric care are mirrored in student access to school nursing services is unknown. Using school employment records, we linked 1,346 nurses to school districts serving 1,141,495 students in Washington state. The percentage of students who are Black is negatively associated with the student-to-nurse ratio, while the percentage of students eligible for free-or-reduced-price lunch is positively associated, and relative to urban districts, rural districts have higher student-to-nurse ratios. Disparities in access to school nursing services mirror access gaps for pediatric care along socioeconomic status and geography. The increased number of nurses working in districts with more racial/ethnic minority students may play a protective role and ameliorate access gaps observed in pediatric primary care. States can likely use existing employment and licensing data to understand where school nurses work and therefore guide resource allocation decisions.
Descriptors: School Nurses, Access to Health Care, Racial Differences, African American Students, Low Income Students, Rural Urban Differences, Pediatrics, Socioeconomic Status, Geographic Location, School Districts, Minority Group Students, Ethnicity
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Washington
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A