Elections are online this year!  Current CASN members should look in their inbox for an email invitation to vote this week.  The secure online elections are provided by ElectionBuddy.com.  You DO NOT need to create an account with Election Buddy to participate in the election.  The election is scheduled to run February 15, 2012 12:00 p.m. through March 01, 2012 12:00 p.m.  If you would like to review the job descriptions for board positions you can do so here.

Once you receive an email invite look for the link to the election contained in your email, which is specific to your voter key, once used, the vote is counted and you cannot vote again.  Unless you completed your vote, this link should be valid still.  If you are a CASN member and you do not receive an email invitation to vote, please check in your junk mail or deleted items folder.  Below is a screenshot to assist you, click to enlarge it:

Come to our Colorado Association of School Nurses (CASN) Spring Workshop March 10th at the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind down in Colorado Springs.
You can download the Registration form here.
Cost: Members: $50-  Non Members $75.

• Do you want to know more about assessment and management of common injuries in preschool and school aged children which will also includes the systematic assessment of injuries and appropriate triage to other levels of care?
• Did you want to hear more from Ann Peterson Smith, PhD, RN, CPNP-AC? (who spoke at our Fall Conference)
• Have you identified a school health problem and have a strategy for addressing it, but cannot take action because you are missing a critical piece…adequate funding?
• If you have never written a grant proposal and are intimidated about the process, or if you have written grant proposals in the past, but are a bit rusty and want to enhance your capacity to write a successful grant proposal…

The Spring CASN Workshop is for you! Get your registration form now!

• Also included… a tour of the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind to increase of knowledge of the facility and services they provide.

Congratulations to these 15 Colorado school nurses who passed the National Certification of School Nurse’s Test during 2011.  We now have 60 school nurses who are nationally certified.

Have you considered taking the test to be a Nationally Certified School Nurse (NCSN)?

This certification represents a national standard of preparation, knowledge, and practice. School nurses who are NCSN’s say it is a validation of their knowledge and expertise in school nursing.
The dates for 2012 test windows for the NCSN exam are:

2/18/2012 – 3/3/2012 (deadline to submit the application is December 31, 2011)

7/21/2012 – 8/4/2012 (deadline to submit application is 5/31/12).

The cost of the test is $325 and is given at various sites all over the state.

A school nurse is required to have her BSN or bachelor’s degree in a health related field.

The National Board for Certification of School Nurses web site will give you more information: http://www.nbcsn.com

If you have specific questions about whether you qualify to take the exam or have other questions, go to their FAQ page: http://www.nbcsn.com/faq.htm. This page includes college degrees accepted to sit for the exam. Please call 888-776-2481(toll free) for specific questions.

The NBCSN site suggests three years experience as a school nurse. Studying for the exam is different for everyone depending on your experience. Some school nurses form study groups. NASN sells an excellent preparation book for this exam called School Nursing Certification Review by Dr. Janice Selekman & Linda Wolfe. The cost is $39 for NASN members, $49 for non members.

I would like to encourage school nurses throughout Colorado to consider becoming a nationally certified school nurse. According to a study by the American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS), NCSN’s are recognized as leaders in their school(s) and among other school nurses.  Become recognized for your knowledge and expertise!

Teresa Ross MSN, RN,NCSN

Colorado NCSN Liaison & CASN President Elect

This application is for CASN members* only. The application is for a partial scholarship, which provides credit for the cost of the basic conference registration fee. This does not include the cost of pre/post conference fees, meals not covered by basic conference registration, transportation or lodging.  CASN Conference Scholarship Application

CASN SPRING WORKSHOP
SATURDAY- March 10, 2012

Colorado School For The Deaf and The Blind
33 North Institute Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
More information to follow
For questions please contact: Meredith Urbani at mereurbani@yahoo.com

Come to our Colorado Association of School Nurses (CASN) Spring Workshop March 10th at the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind down in Colorado Springs.
You can download the Registration form here.
Cost: Members: $50-  Non Members $75.

• Do you want to know more about assessment and management of common injuries in preschool and school aged children which will also includes the systematic assessment of injuries and appropriate triage to other levels of care?
• Did you want to hear more from Ann Peterson Smith, PhD, RN, CPNP-AC? (who spoke at our Fall Conference)
• Have you identified a school health problem and have a strategy for addressing it, but cannot take action because you are missing a critical piece…adequate funding?
• If you have never written a grant proposal and are intimidated about the process, or if you have written grant proposals in the past, but are a bit rusty and want to enhance your capacity to write a successful grant proposal…

The Spring CASN Workshop is for you! Get your registration form now!

• Also included… a tour of the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind to increase of knowledge of the facility and services they provide.

CASN SPRING WORKSHOP
SATURDAY- March 10, 2012

Colorado School For The Deaf and The Blind
33 North Institute Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80903

For questions please contact: Meredith Urbani at mereurbani@yahoo.com

CASN Conference Scholarship Application

NASN Elections 2012

The following candidates are running for office:

VICE PRESIDENT:  Tia Campbell
NOMINATING COMMITTEE:  Linda Mendonca

All candidate data information and statement of views can be found in the January NASN School Nurse and NASN Web site at www.nasn.org.

This year, all votes will be cast electronically, unless a paper ballot is requested. If requesting a paper ballot, please send an e-mail to ddinkel@nasn.org or call 866-627-6767 and state your name, address, NASN ID, and that you are requesting a paper ballot.

Prepare for Upcoming Electronic Voting

Protect Your Privacy, Change Your Password

Protect your privacy and make sure that no one other than you can log in to access your NASN information by changing your password. You can change your password anytime and as many times as you want. By default, your username is your NASN ID and cannot be changed. Your password is your Last Name and CAN be changed. To CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD, follow these three easy steps:

Step 1: Go to ‘Change Your Password’ in the Member Center on NASN.org
Step 2: Login using your default username and password.
Step 3: Enter your new password in the boxes on the screen and click the submit button.  Make your password unique to help keep it safe.
Here are a few tips:
1.  Never tell anyone your password
2.  Think of a way to remember it so that you don’t have to write it down
3.  Change your password periodically
4.   Mix capital and lowercase letters
5.  Use a combination of letters and numbers

If you can’t remember your password, the NASN Web site will e-mail it to you!

Continue to check for updates in the NASN School Nurse, Journal of School Nursing, and NASN Web site, www.nasn.org.

The Mission of the Colorado Association of School Nurses (CASN) is to provide leadership in the delivery of quality health programs to ensure educational success of the school aged child and advance the practice of school nursing.

The CASN Board would like to know barriers that keep some nurses from attending our annual conference.  We are also exploring other options for the location of our CASN Conferences beginning in 2013. We value opinions of all school nurses in Colorado and would like to know your opinion about the conferences.

Please help us by completing this short survey by January 9th, 2012. We will let you know the collective results and keep you informed of future plans.

CSU Has a Department Related to Bed Bugs and More

Please go to this link to learn more about recommendations for School Nurses, Teachers and Administrators on Bed Bugs.

If bed bugs are found and identification confirmed, follow these steps:

• If bed bug is in clothes or belongings, notify parents.
• Provide educational materials and guidance if assistance is necessary.
• If bed bug is in classroom/environment, have trained staff or pest management professional in-spect room(s).

Learn More…

For more helpful resources for the School Nurse, please visit the CASN Resources page and links.

The topics you asked for!
What’s happening in Colorado School Nursing?
Exhibits, vendors and networking!
Answers to your questions!
Silent Auction Baskets!
We are excited to announce we will have two special guests join us: Chicken Soup for the Nurses Soul, Author Leann Thieman and Senator Jeanne Nicholson

Because of the generous sponsorship from CDPHE grant funds, we have been able to offer an outstanding program and banquet at the same low cost!
Don’t miss this once a year opportunity for personal and professional growth!
CASN 30th Anniversary Celebration will take place at the banquet Friday Night!!!!

Download and print the 2011 Fall Conference Registration Form

Upcoming Conference Committee and CASN Board Meetings have been posted to the CASN website.  For a single compiled list of meetings go here.  Don’t forget to choose one of the many “sharing” options at the bottom of the page so that you can send the info to other members who might need it.  There is also a map for directions to the meeting locations.

For a calendar view or to easily add meetings to your own Google calendar please visit the calendar widget located in the right-hand column of most of the coloradoschoolnurse.org pages.  It looks like this:

If you hover over a date, event/meeting details will display and you have the option to click into more details and even add the event/meeting to your own Google Calendar, if you have a free Google Account.