Page 97 - MMP-N-NJ CCN 21st Century School Nurse Leadership Book

IDEA #2: SCREENINGS/REFERRAL/FOLLOW-UP
GET ASSISTANCE TO COMPLETE SCREENINGS:
VISION SCREENING REFERRALS AND FOLLOW-UP

Idea:

Screenings, referrals, and follow-up activities are secondary prevention strategies that
detect and treat health concerns in their early stages often before signs and symptoms
appear—and modify, remove, or treat them before the health concerns become serious

The Story:

School nurse Rosario has a large workload and worries every year that she has little
time to follow up on the referrals she has sent home to determine if the students have
received the services they require. In addition, she would like to screen more students
earlier in the school year to identify students who fail vision or hearing screening. This
year as part of her district professional development plan she decides to focus on vision
screenings and improving follow-up on students who fail vision screenings in grade 4
and grade 6.

Objectives:

• Implement school nurse comprehensive referral follow up for grade 4 and grade 6 students based
upon suggestions from (Neville, Radii, & Velmer, 2015).
• Implement use of Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CBVI) for grade 4 and
grade 6 vision screening. (http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/cbvi/services/prevention/)
• Implement use of parent volunteers to assist with escorting students.
• Contact local eye vision professionals to reference recommendations for vision failures.
• Dedicate time to telephone parent/guardian regarding vision referral follow up.
• Locate financial resources locally and through professional organizations.
• Explore funding sources to purchase handheld autorefractor vision screener.

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