Internationally and locally the role of the school nurse has become more comprehensive in order to meet the health care needs of students(1). In comparison with other developed countries the professional role of the school nurse in the Kingdom of Bahrain is poorly understood and underdeveloped by governmental agencies. This study used a qualitative research design to explore the role of Bahraini secondary school nurses. Following ethical approval from the RCSI, MOH & MOE a sample group of ten nurses were purposefully selected Data was generated through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using Burnardʼs four-stage framework(2). Two major themes comprising of several subthemes emerged from the data: (i) The role of Bahraini secondary school nurses and the need for nursing professional programs with improved organizational structure; and (ii) Role conflicts experienced by the nurses because of a lack of professional autonomy and collaboration and also high ratio of students to nurses. The implementation of a collaborative organizational structure between the two ministries (Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education) regarding school nursesʼ roles, polices and guidelines would facilitate and greatly enhance the current service, as would professional educational programs for the nurses working in these school settings.

Biography:
Miss Hassani has completed her MSc at RCSI Bahrain and studing Nursing PhD at RCSI Dublin. The first School Nurse specialist in Bahrain and doing her PhD thesis on “INVESTIGATING THE FACTORS INFLUENCING JOB SATISFACTION AMONG SCHOOL NURSES IN BAHRAIN – A MIXED METHODS STUDY”