School nurses are an integral part of any educational institution. They provide invaluable support to students, especially in promoting and maintaining student health and well-being.
In order to provide the best care possible, nurses need to establish SMART goals. Here are 13 examples of SMART goals applicable to school nurses to better serve their students and schools.
What is a SMART Goal?
The SMART system will enable school nurses to establish practical goals for success. SMART is an acronym for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based.
Need more clarity? Here is a deep dive into each SMART component:
Specific
When you have well-defined goals in mind, you will be better equipped to prioritize your workload and make progress toward reaching those goals.
Whether you focus on improving student health outcomes or working more closely with teachers and administrators, having a precise target will help guide your efforts.
Of course, setting specific goals isn’t always easy—it takes time and careful consideration to figure out exactly what you want to achieve. But the more thought you put into this process, the better positioned you’ll succeed as a school nurse.
Measurable
Measurable goals allow school nurses to evaluate their effectiveness and make adjustments where necessary. For example, suppose a nurse aims to “reduce the number of asthma attacks among students by 30%.”
In that case, they can track the number of attacks before and after implementing interventions. Without this SMART criterion, it becomes difficult to determine whether efforts have succeeded.
Attainable
When setting goals, you must ideally be as realistic as possible. Consider the resources available to you and your limitations as a school nurse. Try not to set goals that are impossible or too difficult to achieve within your current means.
Relevant
You will feel more inspired to reach your ideal destination if you meaningful have goals that reflect your values. When times get difficult, your core values will serve as a guidance system, allowing you to stay committed to your path.
Time-Based
Having a robust time frame will encourage you to remain organized and focused on accomplishing your goals. After all, success takes a lot of hard work and dedication over time. It isn’t something that can be attained overnight.
13 SMART Goals Examples for School Nurses
You can read more for 13 examples of SMART goals for school nurses:
1. Boost Student Health Outcomes
“I want to improve the overall health and well-being of students. For this semester, I’ll create a working plan involving teachers and parents, including health initiatives tailored to each student’s needs.”
Specific: This goal is explicit because it outlines a plan that focuses on the individual health needs of students.
Measurable: You can track the progress of the health initiatives and assess any improvement in student health outcomes.
Attainable: The goal is feasible because the school nurse has identified a clear plan to improve student health outcomes.
Relevant: Improving the overall health of students is relevant to school nurses.
Time-based: Success should be completed by the end of the semester.
2. Improve Communication With Parents
“To better support school health needs, I’ll try to reach out to parents within two weeks of each child’s start of school. I will also send a monthly newsletter with relevant health topics and contact information for the school nurse’s office.”
Specific: The SMART goal is clear and specific about what needs to be done.
Measurable: You could measure success by following the number of parents who have been contacted, as well as the newsletter’s reach.
Attainable: This is achievable and realistic, as the time frame for contacting parents is two weeks.
Relevant: This goal works to improve communication with parents about important health topics.
Time-based: You have a two-week timeline for goal achievement.
3. Maximize Efficiency of Reports
“Within 6 months, I’ll better organize student health records for easy access by ensuring all reports are filed in the appropriate student folders. I want to reduce unnecessary stress for myself and other school nurses so our work can happen quickly and accurately.”
Specific: The goal is clear and concise, specifying the exact action that needs to be taken.
Measurable: By organizing the student health records, the efficiency will be measurable in terms of time saved.
Attainable: This statement can be accomplished with enough effort and organization.
Relevant: Organizing records is vital to ensure that information is securely stored and easily accessible for school nurses.
Time-based: There is a 6-month end date for completion.
4. Strengthen Partnerships With Teachers
“I aim to build better relationships with teachers and staff by regularly attending relevant meetings and events for three months. I hope to develop a more comprehensive healthcare plan for students, including their teachers, parents, and other stakeholders.”
Specific: You will attend relevant meetings and events regularly.
Measurable: Record how many meetings you attend within the specified period.
Attainable: Assuming that you put in the right amount of effort, this is a reasonable goal.
Relevant: Building better relationships with teachers will help create a healthcare plan for students.
Time-based: You should expect this goal to be achieved over the next three months.
5. Increase School Health Awareness
“I will develop and launch a comprehensive awareness campaign about the school health services provided by our office after 6 months. That will include direct contact with parents, teachers, and students plus a web presence on our school website.”
Specific: The goal includes developing and launching a comprehensive awareness campaign.
Measurable: You can quantify the number of contacts, web posts, etc.
Attainable: Creating an awareness campaign is achievable within the time frame given.
Relevant: Raising awareness about school health services will make accessing them easier for students and parents.
Time-based: Goal completion is anticipated after 6 whole months.
6. Upgrade Technology Integration
“I’ll research and evaluate technological solutions that improve the efficiency of nursing practice and patient care in school settings within 9 months. I plan to purchase and integrate new technology into our practice that will improve patient outcomes.”
Specific: The goal is clear. You want to research and evaluate technological solutions that improve the efficiency of nursing practice and patient care in a school setting.
Measurable: Ensure you research and evaluate a technological solution for 9 months.
Attainable: This statement is definitely possible with the right resources and deadline.
Relevant: The goal relates to your desire to upgrade technology integration in your practice.
Time-based: Nine months are required to accomplish success.
7. Track Clinical Data More Efficiently
“Over the two months ahead, I’ll create a standardized process for documenting and tracking clinical data. I want to help streamline our processes, reduce errors, and ensure that the data we collect is accurate, reliable, and secure.”
Specific: You want to create a standardized process for tracking clinical data.
Measurable: Determine the success of implementing a new system within two months.
Attainable: Given the right resources and dedication, creating a system within two months is doable.
Relevant: Tracking and documenting data are essential to nursing, so this goal is appropriate.
Time-based: The deadline for this particular goal is two whole months.
8. Decrease Chronic Absenteeism
“I want to reduce chronic absenteeism in the school by 10% from baseline over the school year. I will collaborate with school administrators to implement a system for tracking attendance and interventions to identify the root cause of absenteeism.”
Specific: The goal is clear and detailed—reducing chronic absenteeism by 10%.
Measurable: Track the baseline data before and after implementing interventions to measure the program’s success.
Attainable: This is attainable if the school nurse works with administrators and other faculty to develop strategies to reduce absenteeism.
Relevant: Decreasing absenteeism is vital for any school nurse as it can affect student learning.
Time-based: The statement should be met by the end of the school year.
9. Reduce Injury Incidents
“By educating and training staff on how to prevent injuries, I will be able to reduce the number of injury incidents in school by 10% within 8 months. I’ll also ensure that all staff knows the risks associated with certain physical activities and how to avoid them.”
Specific: The goal is clearly defined as reducing the number of injury incidents by 10%.
Measurable: You count and record the number of injuries before and after training the staff.
Attainable: This goal is achievable with proper education and training.
Relevant: The nurse can directly impact reducing injury incidents in the school.
Time-based: Eight months are needed to reach goal completion.
10. Develop Emergency Plans
“I’ll work with the school district and community resources to develop emergency plans for natural disasters, pandemics, and other emergencies in three months. I hope to ensure that we school nurses can respond quickly and appropriately to emergencies.”
Specific: This talks about developing emergency plans with the school district and community resources.
Measurable: The number of emergency plans should be documented to ensure they are adequately created.
Attainable: This is attainable within the given timeline because it doesn’t require the person to put in relatively too much effort.
Relevant: The goal is appropriate because it makes sure that school nurses are well-prepared to handle emergencies.
Time-based: Anticipate success over the next three months.
11. Optimize Care Resources
“I want to optimize our school nurse staff and resources to provide the best possible care for students. In four months, I will review our current systems and procedures, identify any areas of improvement, and implement those changes.”
Specific: The goal states the objective, what will be done to achieve it, and the timeline.
Measurable: You could track changes in resources and staffing levels.
Attainable: This statement is possible because it can be done within the allotted time frame.
Relevant: This SMART goal is essential to ensure students receive the best care possible.
Time-based: You have four whole months to accomplish the goal.
12. Implement Disease Prevention Programs
“To promote the health of students and staff, I plan to implement disease prevention programs after 8 months. These programs should include hand hygiene, influenza vaccination, and stress management. I hope to make the school a healthier environment for everyone.”
Specific: The goal is well-defined, detailing the objective and how it will be reached.
Measurable: By implementing disease prevention programs, the school can track its effectiveness in improving health.
Attainable: This is feasible by working with health professionals to develop and implement the programs.
Relevant: This goal is relevant to health and wellness, as it seeks to promote a healthier environment in the school.
Time-based: There is an 8-month timeline for implementing the programs.
13. Expand Health Education Accessibility
“I’ll work with school administrators to increase the accessibility of health education in our classrooms and community for one year. I want to research and implement health curricula, find external resources, and train teachers on how to cover relevant topics.”
Specific: This outlines what you need to do (research and implement health curricula, find external resources, and train teachers) and how long you need to do it (for one year).
Measurable: You can track the number of health curricula implemented, external resources obtained, and teachers trained.
Attainable: The statement is doable with the proper resources, dedication, and time.
Relevant: This goal is directly relevant to health education accessibility.
Time-based: Goal completion should take place within one year.
Final Thoughts
School nurses have the ability to create SMART goals for any level of care. These goals will help improve students’ health and safety and provide a more efficient system for managing health concerns.
The SMART method makes sure that school nurses meet their objectives and provide quality care. With well-defined goals, you can focus on proactively creating a healthier learning environment.
