Embrace the Frequent Flyer

FFP : Frequent Flyer Program

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Helpful School Nurse Tip:  Yes, even in the school setting you will encounter frequent flyers. Learn to embrace them early on- you'll thank yourself later!

Embracing the Frequent Flyer

Embracing the “frequent flyer” is a conscious goal of mine every school year. And every year, I’m reminded of an article I read a long time ago- one that stuck with me and still shapes how I approach these visits. It was written by the original school nurse blogger (and my personal inspiration), Gerri Harvey.

Gerri had a detailed and one-of-a-kind website called School Nurse Perspectives. It was packed with everyday tips and real-world insights that spoke directly to the heart of our work. I read her posts over and over again. Though Gerri has since retired- and retired her blog- I’m lucky to still keep in touch with her through the gift of social media. Her wisdom continues to inspire me both professionally and personally.

One of Gerri’s posts that never left me was about “frequent flyers.” She reminded us that there’s always something more behind these visits. I believe that wholeheartedly.

What Gerri Said

On her blog, Gerri talked about those students we often call "frequent flyers"—the ones who show up day after day. She reminded school nurses that there’s almost always something more going on beneath the surface. I believe that too. After all these years, I’ve seen it time and time again.

Frequent Flyer Goal

With Gerri’s reminder in mind, try looking at your frequent flyers through a different lens. Instead of feeling frustrated when Student Idee shows up again, pause and ask yourself: What’s bringing them here today?

Is there an unmet need they’re trying to meet by coming to your office so often? Maybe it’s comfort, connection, or just a few quiet minutes in a safe space. When you take the time to build trust and relationships, you’ll start to uncover what they really need—and why they keep returning.

So here’s the challenge: learn to welcome those visits. You might just surprise yourself and miss them when they stop visiting so often.

School Nurse Resources

All Nurses: https://allnurses.com/frequent-flyers-t693690/

Minority Nurse: https://minoritynurse.com/school-nursing-more-than-band.../

Higher Ed:  https://tinyurl.com/32r5xedl

Go See The Nurse: http://goseethenurse.com/2018/10/22/school-nurse-fakers/

  

    

What Does A School Nurse Do?

School Nurses

Making a Difference One Student At a Time

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Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip: Sometimes, it can be challenging to articulate the duties and responsibilities of school nursing. Leveraging existing resources and information can help clarify these roles. Start with this article for guidance...

Charting Nursing’s Future
A publication of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

I first heard about this article from School Nurse Sue Dillon-

you can read the 2010 article here.

This is a great article full of research and statistics related too.

School health services have been described as a “hidden system” of health care by Julia Graham Lear, PhD, founder of the Center for Health and Healthcare in Schools at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. Lear notes that school health services are largely unfamiliar to health policy decision makers— even though tens of thousands of counselors, nurses, psychologists, and social workers and smaller numbers of other health professionals are caring for children’s physical and emotional needs in schools.

School nurses reside at the core of this enterprise. They play diverse roles (see “What School Nurses Do,” below) and collaborate with other health professionals to serve the needs of all students. Some schools also offer expanded health services through school-based health centers staffed by nurse practitioners (see page 6).

Escalating health care costs and the failure of recent educational reform initiatives to significantly improve student performance are prompting many reformers in both these arenas to examine the connection between health and learning and to reconsider the potential of school nurses to keep children healthy, in school, and ready to learn. 

To achieve their goals, reformers will have to confront a range of challenges, including a lack of federal policy and a patchwork of state and local policies regarding school nurse staffing and practice (see pages 4–5) and the financing of school health services (see page 7). Despite these challenges, some state and local policy initiatives offer promising models (see pages 4, 5, and 7), and opportunities for greater federal support of school nursing may be gaining traction (see page 8). 

“Unlocking the potential of school nursing:
Keeping children healthy, in school, and ready to learn.” 

                 

The article also helps answer the question-

What does a school nurse do?

 

I’ll mention a few things school nurses do according to the article here. You can add many more too!

SCHOOL NURSES:

1. Provide episodic care
2. Manage chronic conditions
3. Track communicable diseases
4. Promote healthy behaviors
5. Connect children with insurance and healthcare providers
6. Handle emergency situations
7. Handle life-threatening allergy and asthma events
8. Respond to student's physical and emotional concerns
9. Connect students with substance abuse treatment and mental, behavioral, and reproductive health services
10. Screen for conditions that impair learning, such as poor vision and hearing
11. Educate children about healthy lifestyles
12. Ensure immunization compliance
13. Develop health plants for students with disabilities
14. Prepare for school wide and community emergencies
15. Administer medication and provide first aid
16. And so much more!

Really, there is so much more. According to a research article I recently read, there can be up to 80+ duties for a school nurse! Comment what would you add to this list?

click the images below to read these other related school nurse blog posts

Check out these other popular DOASN blog posts & product links.

 

The Lunch Lady

Original Post 9/8/2011

Update Post 5/22/2023

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Lunch Lady Appreciation Poem

Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip: The school year is full of recognition days. It is nice to feel remembered and appreciated. Use this poem to help celebrate School Lunch Hero Day!

The following poem was written many years ago by a former student who promises

 (or threatens, I'm not sure... ha ha) he'll return one day to be the boss!

This poem shows how much our lunch ladies (and gentleman) are appreciated!

School Lunch Hero Day is each year on the first Friday in May.

Celebrate your cafeteria crew the first Friday in May. 

With them, millions of American students have warm meals and yummy snacks to eat throughout the school year.

lunch lady appreciation poem 5x7

https://amzn.to/3tYjxJ6

PSA on Concussions

"Heads Up" on Concussions for The School Nurse

Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip: Each year thousands of student athletes are diagnosed with a concussion. These blog posts were written to help the school nurse help those students.

Concussion Facts

• 135,000 sports/recreation-related TBIs, including concussions, among children ages 5 to 18 are treated in US Emergency Rooms each year. (MMWR July 2007)

• Athletes who have ever had one concussion are at increased risk for more concussions.

• Children and teens are more likely to get a concussion and take longer to recover than adults.

FREE resources from the CDC...click here

The CDC has created free tools for youth and high school sports coaches, parents, athletes, and health care professionals that provide important information on preventing, recognizing, and responding to a concussion.

FREE Heads Up Online Training...click here

click here for another post on concussions in the classrooms

See below (or click HERE) for a $5 Concussion newsletter option.

Originally Written July 2011

Glucagon Training Items

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Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip: School nurses need to be prepared for a variety of medical emergencies on any given day. One of those potential emergencies might be related to a severe hypoglycemia episode. Are you prepared?

School Nurse Emergency Prep

I usually try to use my summer time to prepare for a great start for the upcoming school year. This summer I've put together a training sequence for all of our bus drivers on common medical emergencies. Very exciting; all of the bus drivers will receive a basic first aid power point presentation- complete with handouts and instructions on how to handle different health/medical situations that may occur during their bus route.

Also, there are a handful of drivers with students who have Type 1 Diabetes on their bus.  Those drivers are getting a more in depth education on how to treat severe low blood sugar.  In doing my research I've found some very useful tools that I wanted to share with the rest of you....

For a free Glucagon training kit you can call Lilly @ 1-800-545-5979.  

 

More Glucagon from Lilly Information Available Here 

https://www.lillyglucagon.com/taking-glucagon/glucagon-kit-expiration-date       

Below links updated in June 2023

   

School Nurse Poem

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Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip: I read an article once that employees who feel appreciate will do more than expected. Do you think that is true?  I know I felt appreciated when I received this poem from one of my favorite school counselors- LAS.

school nurses are poem