NR 443 Week 4 Assignment – Community Settings and Community Health Nursing Roles

There are many methods and resources that we, as community health nurses, can use to identify, assess, advocate, and intervene for students whom we suspect are victims of bullying. We can start by noticing. Common clues that indicate certain health risks, such as depression, that can lead to bullying (Loftus, 2013). It is also important to be aware of common victims, which can be LGBT teens, ethnic minorities, teens with learning disabilities, and teens with physical limitations (Loftus, 2013). Antidiscrimination and anti-harassment policies can be put in place that include LGBT and ethnic diversities to help establish a societal norm, which in turn can change a student’s perceptions (Loftus, 2013). We as community health school nurses, must also make sure we utilize specific interventional strategies to identify the root of the issues (Loftus, 2013). Additionally, these policies must be consistently implemented to foster a supportive and protected environment (Loftus, 2013). It is a good idea to raise awareness and gather input from teachers as well as other classmates who are more likely to witness such behavior. As school nurses, we are in a unique position to gain the trust of adolescents. Students know we will not be handing out a grade and remain neutral. While bullying has been and will always be a natural course of nature for some, there are still ways to end this cycle. Some online resources include www.stopbullying.gov, www.pacer.org, www.stompoutbullyingorg, and www.anitbullyingnetwork.net.

References:

Fujikawa, S., Ando, S., Shimodera, S., Koike, S., Usami, S., Toriyama, R., & … Nishida, A. (2016). The Association of Current Violence from Adult Family Members with Adolescent Bullying Involvement and Suicidal Feelings. Plos One, 11(10), e0163707. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0163707