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Strengthening Your Leadership Presence and Management Practices
This 3-month virtual course has been designed to meet the professional development needs of experienced, new, and aspiring school nurse leaders. Our expert faculty and collaborators will challenge and support you in enhancing your skills and building your identity as a leader.
You play a vital role in ensuring the health and wellness of your entire school community. As a participant in this course, you will develop competencies and strategies to expand your personal leadership and management skills, ensure equitable care, and advance student achievement and health—all within the context of increasingly multicultural communities.
Rose O. Sherman's The Nuts and Bolts of Nursing Leadership & Gallup's CliftonStrengths will be provided to registrants!
Note: Enrollment in The Essentials of School Nurse Leadership (eLearning) is required to be able to register for this cohort course (additional fee*).
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*If you are unable to afford the cohort course fee, please email us at shieldlm@bu.edu. The inability to pay the fee will not automatically bar you from joining the course. Requests for waivers will be handled on a case-by-case basis. For other questions, check out our FAQs, email shieldbu@bu.edu, or call 617-358-5005.
Target Audience
- New School Nurse Leaders
- Aspiring School Nurse Leaders
- Experienced School Nurse Leaders who would like to improve their leadership and management skills
Note: This course assumes the learner is familiar with the fundamentals of school nursing practice, and is designed for school nurses who are leading a team. However, it may also be valuable for a school nurse who leads an entire program by themselves (such as a charter school).
Learning Objectives
After completing the training, the learner will be able to:
- Learn and apply core leadership and management skills required to be successful school nurse leaders in your buildings, districts, and beyond, including skills needed to lead yourself, others, and organizations
- Develop regional and state-wide networks to build relationships and collaborations with other school nurses and school nurse leaders
- Describe your personal strengths and ways you can use these, and your new leadership knowledge, to promote health and wellness in the school environment
- Identify school/district vulnerable populations and work collaboratively within your organization to enhance equity for student and community health
- Collect, analyze, display, and communicate data to influence stakeholders and generate public awareness for resources that adequately support the nursing team and the health/wellness/academic success of students
Please note that attendance at each live webinar is required. Due to their interactive nature, we do not offer webinar recordings as a substitute for attending the live sessions.
| Activities | Estimated Time to Complete |
|---|---|
Introductory Webinar Tuesday, March 4th, 2025 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm ET | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Month One: Leading & Managing Self | |
| Month One Activities (self-paced activities: videos, readings, assessments, and reflections) | ~ 2 hours 30 minutes |
Month One Webinar Tuesday, March 18th, 2025 | 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm ET | 2 hours 30 minutes |
| Month Two: Leading & Managing Others | |
| Month Two Activities (self-paced activities: videos, readings, assessments, and reflections) | ~ 2 hours 30 minutes |
Month Two Webinar Tuesday, April 8th, 2025 | 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm ET | 2 hours 30 minutes |
| Month Three: Leading & Managing Within the Organization | |
| Month Three Activities (self-paced activities: videos, readings, assessments, and reflections) | ~ 2 hours 30 minutes |
Month Three Webinar Tuesday, April 29th, 2025 | 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm ET | 2 hours 30 minutes |
| Wrap-Up Activities (self-paced activities: videos, readings, assessments, and reflections) | ~2 hours 30 minutes |
Wrap-up Webinar Tuesday, May 13th, 2025 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm ET | 1 hour 30 minutes |
Disclosure Policy
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine asks all individuals involved in the development and presentation of Accredited Continuing Education activities to disclose all financial relationships with ineligible companies. This information is disclosed to all activity participants prior to the start of the educational activity. Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine has procedures to mitigate all relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies. In addition, faculty members are asked to disclose when any unapproved use of pharmaceuticals and devices is being discussed.
In accordance with the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education, all relevant financial relationships that faculty, planners, authors, and anyone who may be in control of content have with ineligible companies have been mitigated.
None of the speakers or planners or anyone in control of content for this accredited continuing educational activity have any relevant financial relationships since the content does not relate to any products or services of an ACCME-defined ineligible company; therefore, there are no relevant financial relationships to disclose or mitigate.
Beverly Heinze-Lacey, MPH, BSN, RN
SHIELD Director
Subject Matter Expert (SME)
Nurse Planner, Course Director
Kathleen MacVarish, MS
Instructional Designer, Associate Professor of the Practice, Environmental Health Professor of the Practice, Environmental Health
SME
Reviewer
Susan Franchi, DNP, FNP-C, RN
SHIELD Course Development and Nurse Training Specialist
SME
Reviewer
Erin Sivak, MSN, BSN, RN
SHIELD Assistant Director
SME
Reviewer
Katie Davis, MPH
SHIELD Education Program Manager
Reviewer
Rashmi Paudel, DrPH(c), MPH, B.Sc Nursing
SHIELD Leadership Course Developer
Reviewer
Lesly Zapata, MPH
SHIELD Senior Program Manager
Advisory Board
Pennie Theodorou, DrPH, MPH
Our advisory board was led by Boston University School of Public Health's DrPH student, Pennie Theodorou, DrPH, MPH. She is currently SHIELD's Strategy and Implementation Manager.
View our advisory board (new window) that was active in 2021 to provide SHIELD with guidance for the design, development, and implementation of a school nurse leadership program that enhances the ability of school nurses to act as leaders and change agents for advancing the health of communities and school-aged children.
Meet Our School Nurse Leadership Experts
Barbara Singer, MSN, RN, NCSN
Barbara is a master’s prepared nationally certified school nurse with extensive experience in critical care and school health specialties. Barbara worked at all grade levels in schools and also held the position of Director of School Health Services until 2021. Currently, she mentors school nurse leaders in obtaining their DESE Supervisor/Director license, as well as mentoring new school nurses. Barbara is a consultant with Professional Software for Nurses Inc. (PSNI) providing Electronic Medical Record (EMR) training to nurses nationwide. Barbara has written numerous grants, has published in the Journal of School Nursing, and has worked with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MA DPH) regarding the education of Epinephrine auto-injectors and life-threatening food allergies. She received the William P. Doran Award for excellence in school nursing and is a member of the National Association of School Nurses and the Massachusetts School Nurse Organization. In her free time, Barbara loves to spend time with her family in the White Mountains of NH and loves to hike, ski, and bike.
Doreen Crowe, MEd, BSN, RN
Doreen Crowe, MEd, BSN, RN, obtained her Master’s in Education from Cambridge College and her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from Boston College. She’s been a Registered Nurse for over 30 years, and has several years of experience as a School Nurse Administrator implementing a Comprehensive School Health Services program. Her main areas of interest include school wellness for students and staff; and substance use education and prevention. She holds the distinction of being a Johnson & Johnson Health Leadership Fellow; is a member of the Medical Reserve Corp, and National Association of School Nurses, and Past-president of the Massachusetts School Nurse Organization.
Linda Corridan, MEd, RN
Linda Corridan has 47 years of nursing experience, including acute and intensive care, occupational health, nursing education, and hospital administration. The last 23 years of her career were spent in school health services. Linda served in school nurse leadership positions for 16 of those years, ending her career as Director of Nursing for the Wellesley Public School District. In 2020, she received the Massachusetts School Nurse Administrator Award. She is the mother of three grown children and has five grandchildren.
Margaret (Meg) Burch, MS, RN, NCSN
Meg Burch is a Regional School Nurse Consultant for the Western Region with a primary focus on providing support to school nurses in Berkshire and Franklin Counties. She provides ongoing support and professional development opportunities to school nurses in the entire Western Region. Prior to serving as a Regional School Nurse Consultant, Meg was a school nurse and district nurse manager for the Frontier Regional and Union #38 School District. During the pandemic, Meg worked as a Public Health Nurse for the Cooperative Public Health Service as part of the SARS-CoV-2 response team. Meg has been a guest lecturer for Greenfield Community College’s Nursing program, was a member of the Nursing Advisory Board, and is a member of the BU SHIELD Leadership Advisory Board. Meg is the recipient of the 2022 GCC Distinguished Alumna Award. She is a nationally certified school nurse.
Prior to her nursing career, Meg worked as an epidemiologist conducting a quality-based critical review of literature, litigation support, and occupational research. When not working, Meg can be found on her bicycle, practicing tae kwon do, dancing, or spending time outdoors.
Patricia (Patty) McCaffrey, MSN, BSN, RN
Patty is the Director of School Health Services at Waltham Public Schools. She received her BSN from the University of New Hampshire and earned an MSN from Boston College. She worked as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner for 7 years in New Jersey before transitioning to school health, which has kept her very busy for 23 years. Patty began as a substitute nurse in the Shrewsbury Public Schools, eventually becoming the Middle School Nurse, and then Lead Nurse. Looking to change things up, Patty served as the Metro-West Regional School Nurse Consultant before accepting her current role within Waltham Public Schools as the Director of Health Services. After her retirement in the fall of 2023, she continued to work in School Health as a consultant and served the Massachusetts School Nurse Organization (MSNO) as Co-chair of Region 9. Helping to keep kids healthy has been her passion throughout her career.
Patty is also a long-time cancer research supporter. She has run 4 Boston marathons as part of the Dana-Farber team (despite not really enjoying running) and cycled 192 miles with the Pan-Mass Challenge in 2022, with a repeat planned for 2023. In her spare time, she enjoys making “Mrs. Mac’s Doggie Snacks” as her fundraising mechanism. Patty lives in Central MA, and is the proud mom of Ryan and Meg.
Susan Franchi, DNP, FNP-C, RN
Dr. Susan Franchi is a course developer for SHIELD. Her specialty is school health. She has been a school nurse leader and graduate school professor, as well as a mentor to nurse practitioner students. She has worked as a family nurse practitioner at Mt. Auburn Hospital, Harvard University, the New England Conservatory of Music, and Regis College. When she isn’t working, reading, or taking a walk, she volunteers for the US Fish and Wildlife Services, as well as the Stone Zoo, spending time in nature.
In support of improving patient care, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Nursing Contact Hours: 20.50 contact hours, of which 0 are eligible for pharmacology credit.
SHIELD is a DESE-approved provider for PDPs. PDP certificates are issued for programs/series lasting 10 or more hours on a topic. CNE certificates are also issued for eligible courses. Learners may use CNE certificates toward PDPs.
Date of Enduring Material Release Date: 7/1/2023
Date of Enduring Material Reviewed: 7/1/2024
Date of Enduring Material Expiration: 6/30/2025
Available Credit
- 20.50 ANCC
- 20.50 Participation
Price
Note: Enrollment in The Essentials of School Nurse Leadership (eLearning) is required to be able to register for this cohort course (additional fee*).
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*If you are unable to afford the cohort course fee, please email us at shieldlm@bu.edu. The inability to pay the fee will not automatically bar you from joining the course. Requests for waivers will be handled on a case-by-case basis. For other questions, check out our FAQs, email shieldbu@bu.edu, or call 617-358-5005.
Disclaimer
ALL PROGRAMS, ACTIVITIES, AND MATERIALS PROVIDED BY Boston University CHOBANIAN & AVEDISIAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE BARRY M. MANUEL CENTER FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION OR ITS ASSOCIATES ARE PROVIDED ON THE CONDITION THAT THEY BE USED SOLELY FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES BY QUALIFIED HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS. IN NO EVENT SHALL BOSTON UNIVERSITY BE LIABLE FOR ANY DECISION MADE OR ACTION TAKEN IN RELIANCE ON THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAMS, ACTIVITIES OR MATERIALS. IN NO EVENT SHOULD INFORMATION IN THE MATERIALS REGARDING LAWS, REGULATIONS, OR LEGAL LIABILITY BE CONSIDERED LEGAL ADVICE OR USED AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR CONSULTING WITH AN ATTORNEY.
Special Services
Boston University strives to be accessible, inclusive, and diverse in our facilities, programming, and academic offerings. Your experience in this event is important to us. If you have a disability, require communication access services for the deaf or hard of hearing, or believe that you require a reasonable accommodation for another reason, please contact the BU-CCE office at least three weeks prior to the event to discuss your needs.
Copyright
This material is copyrighted by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH). MDPH grants permission for use of these materials for non-commercial educational use only, provided credit is given to the MDPH. Modification of content is permitted only with prior approval of the MDPH School Health Unit.