Hire, or contract with, a school physician who has training and/or experience in child, adolescent and/or school health, to work with school nurses and others on the health and safety team. The physician's function should be specified in a written agreement and may include support of school staff with health and safety roles, interaction with community health professionals, guidance of district policy, and/or specific clinical responsibilities.

A physician with interest and experience in school health and safety on the school's health and safety team can assist districts and schools to interact more efficiently with students' physicians and others on complex health and safety problems and help design ongoing communication systems between the school health office and primary care providers. Physicians need to acquire experience that is pertinent to schools in order to perform these tasks well and maintain quality of service delivery, particularly for schools that provide comprehensive clinical and support services.

Physicians can play many roles within a school district or school. Depending on the school district, the school physician may play a role in any or all of the components of a coordinated school health and safety program. In addition, the school physician may act as a liaison to community providers and participate on a school health and safety advisory council (Guideline 0-05). School physicians should be board certified in pediatrics or family medicine or have sub-specialty training in adolescent medicine. In a rural area where there is no physician with specialty certification in a medical field that includes child-specific training, a county public health physician is able to provide some school physician functions.

Depending on resources and need, physicians can be assigned to a school district for as little as several hours per year to as much as full-time. To locate a physician that is willing and qualified to work for or consult to a school or district, contact one or more professional physician associations, such as the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics, or multidisciplinary associations such as the Society for Adolescent Medicine and the American School Health Association. These national associations have many local affiliates that may be very helpful. Some professional associations also provide school physicians with continuing education on school health and safety issues.

American Academy of Pediatrics Section on School Health: Residency training and continuing medical education in school health. Pediatrics. 1993; 92(3):495-496.

American Academy of Pediatrics, Section on School Health and Committee on School Health. School Health Leadership Training Kit. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics; 1997. Available at: http://www.schoolhealth.org/trnthtrn/trainmn.html.

American Academy of Pediatrics Council on School Health.  Guidance for the Administration of Medication in School. Pediatrics. 2009;124:1244-1251.

Barnett S, Duncan P, O'Connor KG. Pediatricians' response to the demand for school health programming. Pediatrics. 1999; 103(4):e45.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Strategies for Addressing Asthma Within a Coordinated School Health Program. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion; 2006. Available at: www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/asthma/strategies.htm.

Fleming M, Allensworth D et al. How physicians work and how to work with physicians. Kent, OH: American School Health Association (no date).

Zenni EA, Sectish TC, Martin BN, Prober CG. Pediatric resident training in a school environment. A prescription for learning. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1996; 150(6):632-637.