Welcome, Candidates!
My name is Alana Parker and I am thrilled to welcome you to our online NCSN study group. Fall 2026 group!
Thinking of testing this Fall? Be sure to review the key dates:
Visit www.nbcsn.org to begin your application and download the Candidate Handbook.
Not ready to test yet? NBCSN has testing windows three times per year!
Exam applications will not be visible/available until the registration window opens.
Updated Exam Content Outline – Summer 2025 and Beyond
As a result of the 2023 Job Task Analysis (JTA), the NBCSN streamlined and reorganized the Exam Content Outline (ECO) beginning with the Summer 2025 exam. The exam still covers the same essential content, just better organized into four updated domains:
New Exam Content Domains & Number of Questions
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New Domain
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# of Questions
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Health Appraisal & Nursing Practice
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52
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Health Promotion/Disease Prevention
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41
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School Health Practice Considerations
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32
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Professional Responsibility
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50
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Content Overview – Week 1
This week introduces the purpose of national certification and the foundations of school nursing practice from You will explore how certification supports professional growth, credibility, leadership, and quality care, while also reviewing core concepts in child development, family systems, and how children's health and learning are shaped by their home, school, and community environments.
Reading – Week 1
School Nursing Certification Review Book – Selekman & Knox, 2025
School Nursing: A Comprehensive Text - Shannon & Yonkaitis, Fourth Edition, 2025 Chapters 1-5, 9-10 -Highly recommend this updated version!
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School Nursing: A Comprehensive Text - Shannon & Yonkaitis,Fourth Edition (2025)
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School Nursing: A Comprehensive Text- Janice Selekman; Robin Adair Shannon; Catherine F. Yonkaitis, 3rd Edition (2019)
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Chapter 1 Historical Perspective in School Nursing
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Chapter 1 Historical Perspective in School Nursing
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Chapter 2 Population Health and School Nursing Practice
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Chapter 4 Frameworks and Models of School Nursing Practice
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Chapter 3 Specialty Practice of School Nursing
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Chapter 5 School Nurses Role as Health Educator
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Chapter 4 School Nurses Role as Health Educator
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Chapter 6 School Nurses Role in Evidence Based Practice
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Chapter 5 Evidence-Based School Nursing Practice
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Chapter 11 Growth and Development Prek -Adolescence
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Chapter 9: Growth and Development Preschool Through Adolescence
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Chapter 13 Cultural Congruence in School Nursing Practice
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Chapter 10 Cultural Effective School Nursing Care
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Things to think about:
The history of school nursing developed from the work of pioneers such as Florence Nightingale, Lillian Wald, Mary Seacole, Adah Thoms, Lina Rogers, and others, with early nursing efforts emphasizing sanitation, disease prevention, rural care, and access to health services. The Red Cross and Frontier Nursing Service expanded nursing services in rural communities, while school nursing evolved from treating illness to promoting prevention, health education, individualized care, wellness, and student learning. Important developments over time included school health programs in France and England which evolved to changing educational and certification requirements for school nurses. Over time the development of the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) and modern frameworks such as Coordinated School Health and the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model has truly shaped school health.
Key ideas to Ponder:
School nursing focuses on assurance, policy development, systems thinking, social justice, and health equity to ensure students receive safe, fair, and effective care.
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School nurses work with stakeholders, community partners, and multidisciplinary teams to address student needs and the social determinants of health, using the Social Ecological Model to understand how individual, family, school, community, and policy factors affect health.
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Healthy People initiatives and the Health Impact Pyramid guide health promotion and prevention, while primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention help prevent illness, identify problems early, and manage existing conditions
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Culturally congruent practice promotes respectful, culturally sensitive, and individualized care. Culturally effective nursing promotes cultural competence, humility, safety, health equity, and awareness of bias, racism, stereotypes, and disparities, using models such as Purnell and Cross to provide respectful, individualized care.
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The ANA and NASN Codes of Ethics guide professional, ethical, equitable nursing practice, while evidence-informed practice combines research evidence, clinical expertise, and student/family preferences to improve health outcomes.
Chapters 3–5 and 9–10 focus on the school nurse's role in student wellness, education, evidence-based practice, growth and development, and culturally responsive care.
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School nurses follow professional standards, licensure requirements, health frameworks such as WSCC and Danielson, and use individualized healthcare plans, health literacy, teaching strategies, and quality improvement.
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Evidence-based practice includes the nursing and research processes, PICOT questions, EHRs, data collection, partnerships, and clinical guidelines.
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Developmental care addresses growth, nutrition, sleep, safety, brain and language development, puberty, mental health, sexual/gender identity, athletics, and technology, using theories from Piaget, Erikson, and Kohlberg.
Weekly Assignments
Reflection Prompt
Why are you pursuing school nurse certification, and how do you hope it will strengthen your practice with students, families, and the school community?
Challenge Questions
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The NASN School Nurse Practice FrameworkTM includes layers of support for Care Coordination, Community Public Health, Quality Improvement and Leadership. Which of the following answers best describes the framework's usage?
- Direct health services in schools fall within quality improvement.
- Care Coordination includes support for health screenings.
- The framework provides graphic illustration of the key principles of school nurse practice.
- Connecting students and families to available resources is included in leadership.
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The care of the school age child involves the school nurse's awareness of the child's growth and development. Considering you are an elementary school nurse, which of Erik Erikson's Theory of Psychosocial Development stages would be most beneficial in understanding the elementary school child development?
- Identity vs. Role Confusion.
- Concrete vs. Formal Operations.
- Initiative vs. Guilt.
- Industry vs. Inferiority.
Please share your responses to the reflection prompt and challenge questions on this week's discussion thread! Answers and rationale will be shared on Monday.
Study Resources Overview
No Cost
Purchase Through NBCSN
For Purchase
Let's Collaborate!
Have a question about the content? Post it in the discussion! Refer to questions by chapter, number, and letter (e.g., Chapter 2, Question 4, Answer C).
Please do not copy questions or answers verbatim due to copyright.
Final Thoughts – You've Got This!
Take a deep breath and get started. As we begin this journey together let's utilize all of our incredible resources to ensure you can study and retain this incredible content that will truly influence greater school nursing practice. Remember: you're not alone. Whether this is your first time preparing for a certification exam or a return to formal study, know that this process is a powerful step forward in your professional growth.
This isn't just about passing a test-it's about strengthening your ability to support your students, advocate for health equity, and shine in your role as a leader in school nursing. Stay curious, stay committed, and lean on each other throughout this journey. Share your ideas of how you are studying, ask questions, form online study groups and discussions. I'm here to support you every step of the way.
Let's get this done!
Alana Parker, MSN-Ed, RN, NCSN💛
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Alana Parker MSN-Ed, BSN, RN, NCSN
Mesa, AZ United States
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