School nurses and health education : The classroom experience.

Abstract

Objective:
The aim of the study is to explore school nurses’ experience of health education.

Design:
A qualitative approach; phenomenology was used to answer the question.

Method:
Sixteen participants were recruited through purposeful and snowball sampling. Participants undertook an audio-recorded interview which was transcribed and analysed.

Results:
Five themes represent school nurses’ experience of health education. Within these five themes, three issues were identified by the participants as having a negative impact on their experience of health education.

These were:
(1) feeling unwanted by the school;
(2) not supported by the school hierarchy; and
(3) a lack of role definition.

Conclusion:
These three issues provide important insight into school nurses’ experience of health education and have implications for other school nurses and professionals in the school environment.