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The Ready‐to‐Learn Program: A School‐based Model of Nurse Practitioner Participation in Evaluating School Failure
Author(s) -
Adams Eleanor,
Shan Amy R.,
Dworkin Paul H.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of school health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.851
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1746-1561
pISSN - 0022-4391
DOI - 10.1111/j.1746-1561.1996.tb06278.x
Subject(s) - variety (cybernetics) , medical education , program evaluation , perspective (graphical) , school nurse , medical school , nurse practitioners , medical diagnosis , nursing , medicine , psychology , computer science , health care , artificial intelligence , political science , economics , economic growth , public administration , pathology
The Ready‐to‐Learn program, a school‐based initiative begun in 1994 in three inner‐city elementary schools in Hartford, Conn., provides medical input and medical‐educational collaboration in the evaluation and treatment of children experiencing learning and behavior problems. The program is staffed by two specially trained nurse practitioners, with consultation provided by pediatricians and a child psychologist. During its first year of operation, pediatric assessment was performed on 57 students at all three schools. Data analysis indicates that children were referred to the program for a broad range of concerns, that assessments were completed in a timely fashion, and that a variety of diagnoses were identified. Feedback from school personnel and parents suggests that the program offers a unique and valued pediatric perspective to the evaluation of school failure. Future plans include a more formal evaluation of the program's cost and effectiveness.