Nurse teachers are able to perceive the various signs of problems in students through their experience in recognizing students'individual background of poor physical problem.Health counseling by nurse teachers is assuming a more important role in serious contemporary health-related issues such as drug abuse,sexually deviant behavior,bullying and refusal to attend school.Thus,during in-service training for nurse teachers,MESSC hosts workshops and training seminars for school infirmary counseling to provide specialized knowledge and skills regarding care and instruction.Since FY1997,MESSC has expanded the duration of training for newly employed nurse teachers from9to27days,and has implemented new training for teachers with5,10or20years'experience,in order to improve their skills and abilities.In response to the July1997report of the Education Personnel Training Council,"How to Reform the Training of Teachers for the New Age,"and the December1997report"Development Curriculum for Nurse Teacbers,"amendments were made to the Education Personnel Certification Law and related Minishy Orders.Along with tbe amendments,a subject,"Theory and Methods for Health Counseling"was introduced in the training curriculum for nurse teachers,and nurse teachers with over three years'experience were enabled to supervise lessons in Health in the schools at which they work.In light of the continuous outbreak of knife incidents involving lower and upper secondary school students which had occurred since January1998,MESSC held the Mental Health-related Emergency Conference for Nurse Teachers in March1998in order to encourage children to confront health issues and visit school infirmaries."The Minister of Education's Emergency Appeal"at the conference encouraged nurse teachers to listen to children in order to foster an awareness of the upbringing of children.Information exchange and discussion into the state of children spending time in the school infirmary and present teaching conditions have also been conducted.
Using the supplementary budget for FY1998,MESSC subsidized setting up computers in consultation rooms such as"classrooms for easing children's minds,"which will be established in lower secondary schools,and surveys and researcb are currently being conducted concerning their use and efficiency.This was enacted due to a necessity to gather,from external organizations,topic-related advanced medical and scientific know-how,the present state of,appropriate treatments to,and instruction on health issues,and to provide students,parents and guardians witb a better consultation system.
