Content Information
The school nurse selects an answer in the template under the importance rating scale of the goal or outcome with active communication from the student or family. In the communication with the family, the school nurse should ask how important is the goal to them.
An essential component of writing a nursing-led outcome or a student-led goal is establishing meaningful criteria for a successful outcome that is student-centered, which should be agreed upon with the student or family before implementation of interventions associated with the goal starts so that everyone has a realistic expectation of what will likely be achieved and the student and family agrees that the goal is worth striving for.
The best practice would be for the school nurse to communicate with the parent and student (if applicable) on the importance rating scale when the IHP is developed, when there is a change to an IHP intervention, and whenever the school nurse completes the evaluation.
Communication formats between the school nurse, student and family includes, but are not limited to: in-person, telephonic, written, or electronic format.
Goal-setting discussions and determining the importance rating are most successful when the student or family has a trusting partnership with the nurse. School nurses who are communicating with the student or parents can actively listen for cues that indicate a readiness to set goals, such as excitement about a topic related to skill or health knowledge acquisition, comments related to cultural beliefs and practices, reflections on the past experience with healthcare, and the beginning of identifying possible post-secondary healthcare expectations.
Students and families tend to speak about what is essential in their lives, including their goals in a results-oriented process that is focused on assisting the student’s movement from school to post-school living, learning, and working environments.
The following are five questions for the school nurse and student or family to consider when determining importance:
- Can the student manage their health needs on their own?
- Can the student make health decisions safely?
- Does the student have the basic understanding of medical terms and procedural skills acquisition to manage their own healthcare needs at school or home?
- What additional skills does the student or family envision the student needing for safety at school, in the community, on their post-secondary path, or in adulthood?
- Are there cultural belief and practice considerations?