Amy Taldo, GCISD’s Director of Health Services, has been named by the National Board for Certification of School Nurses (NBCSN) as the 2021 National Certified School Nurse (NCSN) of the Year. With this award, she is recognized for her efforts to promote school nurse certification at the national, state, or local level, as well as enhance competency and expertise among school nurse professionals.
Taldo, who leads GCISD’s health services efforts, including supervising all of the District’s nurses, has been with GCISD for eight years and has been a practicing nurse for 26 years.
She has been the driving force behind an effort to encourage GCISD nurses to become Nationally Certified School Nurses, a distinction that requires at least three years of on-campus experience and passing the very rigorous NSCN exam. The exam is similar to those required to become a registered nurse, but it’s more tailored toward nursing in the school setting.
In January 2020, prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Taldo created a study group for those interested in becoming certified. The group met weekly at 5:30 a.m. to study together, then went to their campuses for their normal work day.
The District now has five Nationally Certified School Nurses, all led by the efforts of Taldo.
The presentation of this award typically takes place at the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) Annual Conference, however, with the transition to a virtual conference, the award was presented to Taldo virtually in July.