FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 9, 2025 NASSNC NEWS & VIEWS Link
CONTACT: Karen Robitaille, MBA, MSN, RN, NCSN
NASSNC President
president@schoolnurseconsultants.org
Telephone: 781-675-0463
NASSNC Reports State School Nurse Consultant
COVID-19 Pandemic Leadership Roles that
Crosswalk Education and Health Agencies
The Study Reveals the Hidden Role of State School Nurse Consultants Who are in Positions to Help Address Measles Outbreaks
[Massachusetts] — A new study published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing reveals the critical role of State School Nurse Consultants (SSNCs) during the COVID-19 pandemic as they worked behind the scenes to keep schools safe and connected amidst chaos. SSNCs stand ready to apply the same policy and communication strategies to address measles outbreaks.
Titled “Walking in Two Worlds: State School Nurse Consultants’ COVID-19 Pandemic Roles and Experiences,” the study sheds light on how SSNCs served as essential links between public health and education systems — advocating for students and school nurses, developing workable safety guidelines, and helping interpret fast-changing policies for frontline professionals.
"The aim of the study was to explore State School Nurse Consultants’ pivotal position during the COVID-19 pandemic to shape school policy and support frontline school nurses," said lead author Ruth Ellen Luehr, an independent school nurse consultant and former SSNC at the Minnesota Department of Education.
Conducted by researchers from Minnesota State University Mankato and the National Association of State School Nurse Consultants (NASSNC), the qualitative study interviewed SSNCs across the country. It found that, while working largely out of public view, these consultants were crucial to creating consistent, effective responses across states.
"State School Nurse Consultants walk in two worlds, bridging health and education," said Karen Robitaille, NASSNC President. "We built collaboration and trust and functioned as interpreters and gatekeepers. State consultants were resources, advocates, and supports for school nurses and witnessed and experienced trauma. Highly contagious measles is the exact situation where our work is essential to ready schools to manage outbreaks – from communicating about risks to helping school nurses protect children who are not yet vaccinated.”
Among the study’s findings:
- SSNCs played key roles in translating public health guidance into practical school policies.
- They became vital communication hubs, rapidly relaying information to school nurses across districts.
- They faced moral distress and public criticism, often seen as the “face” of unpopular mandates.
- Their national network, NASSNC, became a lifeline for sharing resources and problem-solving under intense pressure.
The authors argue that the lessons learned from SSNCs' experiences during the pandemic should shape future policy. They call for stronger, clearer infrastructure connecting education and health agencies, better support for school nurse mental health, and formal recognition of SSNCs as essential to public health systems.
“State consultants advocated for school nurses, students, and school staff, whose needs were not well understood by public health or education leaders,” said co-authors Kelly Krumwiede, Tammy Neiman, and Joseph Visker, faculty members at Minnesota State University Mankato.
“System-wide leadership at regional, state, and national levels ensures school nurses benefit from shared resources, reduces duplication, and strengthens school health services,” the researchers conclude.
NASSNC President Robitaille maintains, “Absent SSNC leadership, school nurses’ workload expands exponentially. This solo approach risks duplication of effort, inconsistency and confusion from school district to district, and error. SSNCs provide credible resources; communicate with speed and efficiency; and support school nurses in managing major health challenges that impact children’s lives and future.”
The study concludes that state school nurse leaders strive to transmit information and resources that are medically correct; based on sound public health, legal, and civil rights principles; necessary, effective, and efficient; and benefit students and school staff.
The full study is available via library systems at https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.16990.
Article citation:
Luehr, R. E., Krumwiede, K. A., Neiman, T. J., & Visker, J. D. (2025, April 29). Walking in two worlds: state school nurse consultants’ COVID-19 pandemic roles and experiences. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1-18. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.16990
Contact for Media Inquiries:
Ruth Ellen Luehr, corresponding author
Independent School Nursing Consultant, School and Community Nursing Services, Roseville, MN | reluehr001@gmail.com | cell 612-328-3942 |
ABOUT NASSNC
The National Association of State School Nurse Consultants supports the role and work of State School Nurse Consultants across the nation. State School Nurse Consultants serve as the liaison between national, state, and local health and education agencies, engaging all school nurses within states to support clinical school health services and school nursing practice through consultation and technical assistance, continuing education, and support for best practice in the schools. This engagement fosters healthy students, keeping them safe in school, and focused on learning, growing, and development.
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