School Health Alert Blog

Delegating Diastat

Administrator — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 22:22:37 +0000

Delegating Diastat

A recent article from California discusses the state Board of Registered Nursing issuing a directive last September advising school nurses statewide not to train teachers and other laypeople to administer the anti-convulsion medication Diastat. According to the state Nurse Practice Act, this medication is not delegatable. The state is set to issue a legal opinion on the policy by the end of this month. Tell us what you think.

Submitted by the editors of schoolnurse.com

School Nurse Gems

Administrator — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:32:42 +0000

Many school nurses have touching, funny or unique stories to tell - little “gems” about their students or their careers, some that make us laugh- others that touch our hearts. Please contribute your “gem” for others to enjoy. School Nurse Digest will feature one in the Digest each week. Thanks!

Posted by the editors of schoolnurse.com

H1N1 Challenges

Administrator — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:32:43 +0000

As the news is highlighting the work of school nurses in battling and preparing for H1N1 this fall, what have been some of your biggest challenges as a school nurse? Do you feel you’ve recived sufficent information to address H1N1? Are students less ill or more ill than you expected thus far? Will you be giving flu vaccine in your school? Let us know and continue the fine work that you do!

Posted by the editors of schoolnurse.com

School Nurse Image

Administrator — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:46:02 +0000

School nurses are evaluating their image in the media. At the National Association of School Nurses annual conference this year in Boston, MA (June, 2009), keynote speakers addressed the subject. Take a look at a recent article from the Examiner.com on Schools 101: elementary school staff — what do they do? The article states “School nurse: Though most schools can’t afford a full-time nurse, school nurse attend to minor injuries and illnesses, distribute health information, screen for lice and teach health and nutrition.” While school nurses were mentioned, is this the image school nurses wants the public to have of them? Tell us what you think and what you think can be done to update the school nurse image.

Posted by the editors of schoolnurse.com.

What Do You Think of a Nurse in Every School?

Administrator — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 18:43:08 +0000

A recent article in the Magic City Morning Star (TN) entitled A Nurse in Every School is a Sick Idea, contends that legislation introduced by the TN legislature to put a nurse in every school makes no sense. The author feels it is too expensive, not necessary and “there will be a significant increase in the number of students who claim sickness so they can go home and play video games.” What’s your opinion? Read the article and weigh in on this issue by posting a repsonse.

Posted by the editors of schoolnurse.com

Are Schools Overreacting to Nut Allergies?

Administrator — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 14:34:48 +0000

Time magazine recently published an article which questions whether schools are overreacting to children who have nut allergies. The article states” Recently, a Massachusetts school district evacuated a school bus full of 10-year-olds after a stray peanut was found on the floor. Do these safeguards seem a little, well, nuts? Harvard professor Dr. Nicholas Christakis thinks so. One of Christakis’ children attends school in the district that ordered the bus evacuation, and the episode prompted the physician and social scientist — best known for his work on the social ‘contagiousness’ of characteristics such as obesity and happiness — to write a commentary, published in the British Medical Journal, questioning whether these so-called precautions are snowballing into something more like a societal hysteria.” Read the full article here and then tell us how you feel?

Posted by the editors of schoolnurse.com

Reactions - Insulin Administration in Schools

Administrator — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 11:10:18 +0000

This blog posted an article that summarized a recent CA decision that supported the administration of insulin in schools by RNs as per the Nurse Practice Act of that state (see below). Response has been widespread - on both sides of the issue. A recent article from a pediatric endocrinologist called support for the premise that “insulin in schools must be given by qualified personnel” “balderdash”. Read the article here. Tell us what you think.

Posted by the editors of schoolnurse.com.

Using Volunteers as School Nurses

Administrator — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 01:21:55 +0000

Sioux Falls Catholic School System has never had a school nurse until recently. They have begun a pilot program that has placed 17 volunteer nurses in their schools. The school system has recognized that “there’s a crying need for a school nurse in every school.” The 17 volunteer nurses are not getting paid for their time, but rather are “getting continuing education hours to maintain their nursing license.” The coordinator was quoted in a local paper as saying “We’ve got several who are stay-at-home moms who haven’t worked in several years and don’t want to lose their license. So they are able to log their hours here.” To see the article click here. What do you think of this approach to acquiring school nurses?

Posted by the editors of schoolnurse.com

School Nurse Office - a Safe Haven?

Administrator — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:48:50 +0000

Recently a 14-year-old girl left her baby in a Phoenix middle school trash bin. She had seen the school nurse indicating she was ill but not pregnant. The student could have legally “given the baby to an adult to be taken to a safe haven location. That is a ‘no questions asked site’ like a hospital or fire station. The safe haven law says an unwanted newborn can be dropped off at a fire station, police station, hospital or church within 72 hours of giving birth without fear of prosecution.”

Some are wondering if the law should be amended to include a school nurse’s office as a no questions asked drop off site?

See the article here.

What do you think?

Posted by the editors of schoolnurse.com

Low pressure job?

Administrator — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 20:24:29 +0000

A recent article tells of one school’s partnership with a health system to provide school nurses in every elementary and middle school in the district beginning at the start of the next school year in August. The Superintendent of Schools said the program would be extremely beneficial to students and parents throughout the district without any financial obligation. He also said “that there should be good competition for the school nurse positions, since they are relatively low-pressure jobs during normal business hours.” (See story here.)

The superintendent’s comment regarding recruiting school nurses should be competitive because of the hours and the “low pressure” of the job is one that we have heard many times. Do you think the hours help in recruiting school nurses? Is it a low pressure job? Did you come to school nursing from another arena of nursing practice? What surprised you? Or was it what you thought it would be?

Let us know.

Posted by the editors of schoolnurse.com