School Nursing Graduate Certificate Program

School nursing is a dynamic, complex, and evolving specialty practice. School nurses serve an essential role in assuring healthy equity and academic success for all children. They bridge the gap between health and education, ensuring that all children, regardless of their health, economic, or social status, have an opportunity for optimum wellness and educational achievement. School nurses provide health services, coordinate care for students with chronic or acute health conditions to minimize disruptions in learning, perform health screenings, conduct disease surveillance, and connect families with needed services. The school nurse’s effectiveness in meeting the needs of students and the school community are dependent on the nurse’s knowledge, skills, and resources, combined with his/her ability to effectively apply them in the school setting.

The primary goal of the School Nurse Certification Program at NJCU is to prepare registered nurses with the advanced nursing knowledge and skills required to care for diverse populations of students in the K-12 educational setting. Using the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Model (WSCC) (CDC & ASCD, 2015) approach, the program emphasizes graduate-level competencies identified in School Nursing Scope & Standards of Practice (ANA & NASN, 2017), and prepares nurses to apply principles of the Framework for 21st Century School Practice™ (NASN, 2016) in the provision of required school health services for students and families.

New Jersey City University has a proud and long-standing history of preparing nurses for this challenging, autonomous and multifaceted role. Previously located in the Health Sciences Department, the School Nurse Certification Program has recently undergone curricular redesign, and is now located in the Nursing Department. The new graduate-level nursing program builds on nursing baccalaureate education, by emphasizing evidence-based practice, leadership skills, and principles of population health. Designed for adult learners, the program provides seamless learning experiences and professional growth opportunities to support nurses’ career trajectories.

Upon successful completion of the above 15 credits students are eligible for the Non-Instructional School Nurse Certificate

*NURS 614 is a prerequisite for NURS 616

**NURS 616, NURS 600 and NURS 642 are prerequisites for NURS 672

***NURS 616 NURS 600 NURS 642 & NURS 622 are prerequisite for NURS 673

Upon successful completion of the above 21 credits students are eligible for the Standard (Instructional) School Nurse Certificate

 *Students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 to remain in the program.

Upon successful completion of this program students may apply for admission into the Master of Science in Nursing with a Specialization in School Nursing Degree Program. If accepted, all 21 credits taken in the certification can be applied to this degree

Program Learning Outcomes

Students who complete the School Nurse Specialization Program at NJCU will be able to:

1. Assimilate the role of the school nurse in schools and communities with diverse populations.
2. Demonstrate competencies in using evidence-based practice to design, implement, and evaluate nursing services and health education curricula in schools and communities.