Bullying in Schools-What School Nurses Do to Prevent and Intervene~ Lessons Learned for Parents to Use

Beth Mattey, MSN, RN, NCSN is the newly inducted President of the National Association of School Nurses.

Background:

Beth of Wilmington, Delaware, began her school nursing career in 1987 in the Brandywine School District.  She has worked with elementary and high school students as well as with students with special needs.  Beth currently is the school nurse at Mt. Pleasant High School.  She has been a Nationally Board Certified School Nurse since 1990 and is an Instructor at the University of Delaware.  Prior to becoming a school nurse, Beth worked both as a staff nurse and supervisor at Marietta Memorial Hospital in Marietta, Ohio.

Beth graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Nursing.  She has authored a chapter in the award winning textbook, Selekman’s School Nursing:  A Comprehensive Text, as well as written several articles for professional publications.  She is a Past-President of the Delaware School Nurse Association and a Past Board Member of NASN.  As President-Elect, she was Co-Chair of the NASN Governance Strategic Planning Committee and was the NASN liaison to the Executive Committee on the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on School Health.  She also served as the liaison to the board for the National Board for Certification of School Nurses.

Overview:

Beth has dealt with bullying behavior over many years in school settings and describes how nurse play a key role in the identification, intervention, and prevention of this behavior. Her case studies illustrate how difficult it can be to detect and poses strategies that work based on a sensitive understanding of the dynamics of both the victim and the perpetrator. Lessons learned that can be used by parents are outlined.

3 Key Points:
1. Children can be the victim of bullies, either physically, verbally, or through cyberbullying
2. Indicators that a child is being bullied may be subtle
3. It is important that schools promotes a positive and supportive atmosphere where bullying is not tolerated and students are educated about preventing bullying behaviors

Date Aired: January, 2016
Radnor Studio 21 http://www.rs21.org/