Introduction:

Educational institutions are spaces in which the incursion of the nursing professional is required to strengthen health promotion and disease prevention activities. Additionally, specific care assistance activities are included when schoolchildren with special needs are present.

Objective:

To analyze the need of nursing care in schoolchildren with special needs in an educational institution located in southern Chile, according to the self-care deficit theory of Dorothea Orem and nursing diagnostic taxonomies.

Methodology:

An anonymized registry containing the general and health characteristics of 35 schoolchildren with special needs was taken as a basis, in addition to the average care activities that were carried out for 6 months. The data were analyzed in a descriptive quantitative way, and through its relation to Dorothea Orem's self-care deficit theory, and nursing diagnostic taxonomies.

Results:

Different complex health conditions were evidenced in the students that mostly required partially or fully compensatory systems, as well as various unaddressed care needs facing real problems or risks.

Discussion:

The need for nursing professionals is evidenced to comprehensively address both students and the educational community.

Conclusions:

The presence of nursing professionals in educational establishments allows for the provision of complex, safe, and quality care, that are achieved thanks to the application of its disciplinary fundamentals.