Page 33 - MMP-N-NJ CCN 21st Century School Nurse Leadership Book

• Identify potential solution/intervention/initiative based upon scan of literature and
relevant sources of information.
School Nurse Office: Mental health screening tool – obtain and use consistently. Develop a
checklist, or documentation to record uses of the room, reasons, interventions, outcomes,
and any other issues that may be shared by the student. Contact, use of outside resources
such as the calming room ideas website.
Determines who uses the tool, be sure it is a consistent tool across other support personnel
(i.e. guidance, social work, psychologist).

2. Form a powerful guiding coalition.

• Who are my partners? Establish your team and get buy-in for the project. These are individuals
with shared commitment and power to lead. For this project, you would want to have team
members from guidance, social work, school psychiatrist, teachers, administration, district
superintendent, parents, mental health providers from the community, psychiatric hospital
or psych ED providers, local law enforcement, and faith-based organizations.

3. Create a vision.

• Use SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic/Relevant and Time Bound Goals)
goals to develop performance and measurable objectives and outcomes. The who, what,
where, when, why. See Appendix B for SMART goals development template.
• Deming’s Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle, a four step model for carrying out change (https://
healthit.ahrq.gov/health-it-tools-and-resources/evaluation-resources/workflow-
assessment-health-it-toolkit/all-workflow-tools/plan-do-check-act-cycle#h=plan-do-
check-act)
• Include as part of annual professional development goals, or Student Growth Objectives
(SGOs).

4. Communicate the vision.

• Use every avenue/vehicle possible to communicate: Faculty meetings, PTA meetings,
Robocalls, flyers, student poster contest, school district website, school newsletters, and
professional organizations.

5. Empower others to act on the vision.

Remove or alter systems or structures undermining the vision. Can you locate a space to
put the calming room in the building? Do you need to purchase items? Can volunteers and
volunteer funding initially support the development?

• Ask questions and include parents/guardians in understanding challenges and barriers in
pediatric/adolescent mental and behavioral health.
• Create interest/buy-in to promote the safe space as an avenue to promote quality, safe
care that respects the needs of all students.
• Encourage classroom teachers and other school colleagues to contribute to the project.
• Donations from local businesses (i.e. providing carpet, chairs, furniture for the space).

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