“Bridging the Gap”: School Nurse Experiences Providing Care for Transgender and Gender Diverse Students and Their Parents/Guardians

School systems are often not set up to support transgender and gender diverse (TGD) students, which results in unsafe and unsupportive environments and other institutional barriers to helping TGD students thrive. An important factor to students' feeling safe and supported in schools may be thei...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of school nursing 2023-10, Vol.39 (5), p.377-384
Main Authors: Neiman, Tammy, Sieve, Laurie, Stenberg, Louise, Molesky, Nicole, Nic Rider, G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Barriers
Competence
Confidentiality
High Schools
Interpersonal Relationship
LGBTQ People
Middle Schools
Parent Attitudes
Parent School Relationship
Role
School Nurses
School Safety
Student Diversity
Student Needs
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Summary:School systems are often not set up to support transgender and gender diverse (TGD) students, which results in unsafe and unsupportive environments and other institutional barriers to helping TGD students thrive. An important factor to students' feeling safe and supported in schools may be their relationship with school nurses. The purpose of this study was to describe school nurses' experiences working with TGD students and their parents/guardians, their role in working with this community, and the challenges nurses face when trying to serve TGD students. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 23 school nurses across a Midwestern state. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes: gender-affirming education and interpersonal collaboration, bridging the gap between TGD youth and parents/guardians, gender-affirming care and confidentiality, and navigating parental acceptance and gender-affirmation. School nurses expressed a strong desire to support TGD students but lack the structure and training within schools.
ISSN:1059-8405
1546-8364
DOI:10.1177/10598405211025442