Hello, my friends, join me on Monday, June 29, 2:30 PM - 3:45 PM for Breakout session: The Healthy Nurse Blueprint: Functional Medicine and Root-Cause Wellness for School Nurses
You became a school nurse because you care about people.
Every day you are managing medications, responding to emergencies, supporting student mental health, coordinating care, educating staff, and helping students navigate everything from headaches and stomachaches to chronic illness and crisis situations.
You spend your day taking care of everyone else. But somewhere along the way, many school nurses stop taking care of themselves. Maybe you're running on coffee and determination. Maybe you're skipping lunch because there simply isn't time. Maybe you're exhausted by the time you get home, but still wake up at 3 AM thinking about tomorrow's to-do list. Maybe you've noticed that your patience is shorter, your energy is lower, and recovering from stress isn't as easy as it used to be. If any of that sounds familiar, you're not alone.
The National Academy of Medicine has identified burnout, chronic stress, and inadequate recovery as significant threats to healthcare professionals. Yet many nurses continue to push through exhaustion believing that feeling depleted is simply part of the job ((National Academy of Medicine, 2022).
What if it isn't?
What if fatigue, brain fog, poor sleep, irritability, cravings, and chronic stress are not signs that you're failing—but signals from your body that something needs attention?
That's where the Healthy Nurse Blueprint comes in. This presentation introduces a practical, science-based framework designed specifically for busy school nurses. Rather than adding another task to your already full plate, you'll learn how small, strategic changes can have a powerful impact on energy, resilience, focus, and recovery.
Together we'll explore:
- Why chronic stress affects far more than your mood
- How sleep, nutrition, movement, and recovery influence multiple body systems at once
- The hidden factors that impact nurse resilience
- How social determinants of health affect our ability to care for ourselves
- Simple strategies you can implement immediately without adding more burden to your day
By the end of this session, you will be able to:
- Describe three physiological effects of chronic occupational stress
- Explain core principles of a systems-based wellness model
- Identify two social determinants of health factors influencing nurse resilience
- Select one strategy you can implement in practice immediately
Most importantly, you'll leave with a new perspective on your own health and practical tools you can use to support both yourself and the students you serve.
Because the most important resource in your health office isn't the AED, the vision screener, or the medication cabinet.
It's you.
And when nurses thrive, schools thrive.
Join me on Monday, June 29: 2:30 PM - 3:45 PM
References
Booker, L. A., Magee, M., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., Sletten, T. L., & Howard, M. E. (2023). Individual vulnerability to insomnia, excessive sleepiness, and shift work disorder among healthcare workers. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 67, 101716.
Lianov, L., Johnson, M., & Frates, B. (2024). Lifestyle medicine as a foundation for healthcare professional well-being. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 18(1), 25–34.
National Academy of Medicine. (2022). National plan for health workforce well-being. National Academy of Medicine.