Prof¹s school nursing book is triple winner

11:06 a.m., Feb. 5, 2007--School Nursing: A Comprehensive Text, edited by Janice Selekman, UD professor of nursing, earned the American Journal of Nursing 2006 Book of the Year Award in three separate categories--Advanced Practice Nursing, Maternal-child Nursing and Childbirth and Continuing Education.

“Receiving the award in three categories is a unique and special achievement, not only because School Nursing is a first edition work, but it's also the only book of its kind officially recognized and endorsed by the National Association of School Nurses (NASN),” according to the publisher, F.A. Davis. The book, which is being used nationwide, was published in February 2006 and went into a second printing in August.

Selekman said she wrote the book at the request of NASN. The book is designed for those learning to become school nurses, practicing school nurses and those preparing for national certification. Selekman wrote 12 of the 47 chapters and added to and edited the others.

The book covers such topics as the requirements, roles and functions of school nurses, legal concerns, wellness and illness issues of school children, high-risk behaviors and health services management in schools.

Selekman also has been instrumental in establishing a new school nurse certificate program in Delaware, working with alumna Linda Wolfe, a health services specialist with the Delaware Department of Education and past president of NASN. They mapped out a curriculum for certification focusing on the skills needed to be a school nurse, including screening, counseling, caring for special-needs students and other qualifications. All public school nurses in Delaware must be certified.

This past semester, Selekman has been on sabbatical, going around the country to visit practicing school nurses and to observe differences and issues among various states. She also has been speaking to several state school nurse associations.

Among her honors, Selekman received the Excellence in Education Award from the Society of Pediatric Nurses in August. Recipients must have demonstrated innovative teaching methods to educate target populations, producing identifiable, positive outcomes.

Selekman received her bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Pittsburgh and her master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. She has worked as a pediatric staff nurse, a clinical nurse specialist and pediatric nursing educator. She joined the UD faculty in 1991 and served as chairperson of the Department of Nursing for 10 years.

Article by Sue Moncure
Photo by Sarah Simon

E-mail this article

Subscribe to UDaily

Subscribe to crime alert e-mail notification