Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Saturday, September 16, 2017

I have a quick question...

How many times have you received a phone call

from one of your school nurse partners who has a quick question?

How many times have you been swamped at that time

and haven't been able to respond or ask as many questions as you've wanted to?

I'm guilty of that :(

I get phone calls and emails with specific questions and

because I want to reply quickly I feel like I don't take quality time

to respond with more substance.... Just enough time for the basics.

What if in the future we were able to have an uninterrupted conversation?

What's that you say? An uninterrupted conversations?! It's a crazy concept :)

What questions would you ask me?

What would you want to know?

What questions do you think I would ask you?

I would LOVE to get ten comments with questions...

please comment & share with your school nurse friends too:)

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SHOP THE SCHOOL NURSE AMAZON STOREFRONT HERE

Friday, July 21, 2017

New School Nurse, New School Year- Now what?

Have you ever heard a nurse say something like this...

"I was hired to work in a school for next year and I'm so excited, but I have no idea what to do."

+ this post contains affiliate links +

Feeling a little lost in the world of school nursing can be very common.
School nurses are viewed as the medical experts in buildings full of educators. Many school nurses function alone with few supplies compared to the medical world.

This interactive toolkit from NASN might be a super helpful resource for you.

Below I'll list my top 3 tips for the new school nurse planning for a smooth start to a new school year.

1. Organize Your School Nurse Office

Take time to organize your office! Think about the space you have and try to make the most of it. Try making work stations in your space. Consider a "treatment" area where you will help students, an area to organize your supplies, a desk area for paperwork (there will be mountains of paperwork!), maybe you're lucky enough to have a rest/quiet area too? Having your items organized with designated areas in your office will help define the spaces for you, or students and staff too. I really enjoy decorating my office space! You can see a few pictures on The School Nurse Instagram Page and shop some school nurse office decoration ideas on The School Nurse Amazon Storefront Page!

2. School Nurse Summer Work Days

Before the first day of student attendance you will want to take time to review health folders/charts and make a list of students who have health concerns. Consider using excel or google docs (my preference) for your list making. You might want to start writing things with pen and paper, but using a computer will be more beneficial in the long term. I keep my lists on google docs for easy access and updating. I always make a copy and rename it for the next school year- this way all I have to do is remove those who no longer attend and add the new students. By making a copy thought I still have all previous years for reference if needed. Read these other blog posts for additional help: School Health History Form, Emergency Bag for School Nurses, and Health Information- Digital Teacher Tips Cards.

3. State School Health Requirements

Figure out how you'll want to track your state health requirements! Good record keeping in this area will save you time in the future! I use google sheets for this one! My columns include: name, grade, date of entrance, date due, what items are needed and a comment area to document when I've mailed letters or talked to parents/students etc. I delete names as items are turned in unless it is information I need to report to the state later in the year- if that is the case then I move the info down on sheet :) View a variety of digital school nurse resources on The School Nurse Teachers Pay Teachers storefront.

What did I miss?
What are some tips you have for a smooth start to a new school year?
Please share your ideas in the comments or email me

theschoolnurse@diaryofaschoolnurse.com

School Nurse Resources

The School Nurse Amazon Storefront

Illinois link for School Health Issues

Friday, May 12, 2017

May 2017

Every month I have the best intentions to write the best school nurse blog post.

It would be funny, informative, and offer a helpful hint for running your office.

However, I have trouble finding the time to make that a reality :(

So, here it is May and I am trying to play catch up with my blog posts.

You forgive me though, don't you?

Enjoy the fast approaching end to another great school year!

-Elisabeth, The School Nurse

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Who remembers Gerri Harvey's school nurse blog/website- School Nurse Perspectives?

It was love at first read for me!

I absorbed her words and advice and still remember much of it to this day.

Gerri's blog/website actually sparked the idea of Diary Of A School Nurse!

Anyway... years ago her blog went "under construction" which gave me chills

because I envisioned Gerri (whom I've never met in person) revamping

her blog and updating all of her great information just for me.

Over the years I would continue to check on a regular basis to see

if the "construction" was finished and sadly there was never an updated version.

So.... last month I remembered the vast world of FB and decided to search for Gerri :)

I found her & she kindly responded to my message!

Even though her blog isn't available anymore she still values the time & relationships

she made when she worked as a school nurse!

I would love to invite Gerri to write a guest post for me....

What do you guys think?

Also... since it is Dr. Seuss week I thought sharing this poem was highly appropriate!

Taken from http://thespeechladies.blogspot.com/

Friday, February 3, 2017

Another January Post...

PS I started writing this in January, but didn't actually post it until February :(

Sometimes it is the thought that counts :)

It's never too early to start preparing for the next school year!

I was pleased to see (on my IG account) that many of you have online access to immunizations.

They aren't always the most up-to-date, but when they are it feels like you've own the lottery, right!?

I wish IL would include the most recent physical exams too :)

Here are a few things we are working on in our office ....

1. Reviewing MCV4 shots for next school year

2. Getting dental clinic permission forms completed

3. Updating the letters I mail home during the summer months

What projects are you working on in your office? I would love to hear :)

Do you work in IL & want to apply for your own I-Care account?

Learn More About Illinois I-Care Here

Monday, January 23, 2017

January 2017

I've written posts about the Moms Who Care (MWC) program at my high school,

but it is such a great program I want to mention it again.

I'm hoping there are some Moms out there who are looking for a volunteer program

to start that can make a HUGE difference for the children in their community!

The only requirements are a couple of Moms Who Care &

a school willing to let you volunteer with students at the school!

Moms Who Care Mission Statement...

to help students achieve success by meeting essential needs such as: clothing, hygiene products, school supplies, and after school snacks.

They also help with proper interview clothes and required job attire and have coordinated
with a local hair stylist to provide free haircuts for students in need.

As a school nurse, I have seen first hand many students come to the office with a variety of different physical complaints (headaches, stomach aches, general ‘not feeling well’).

It becomes concerning when I'm not able to come up with a reason for the complaints-

especially if the complaints are happening on a regular and sometimes daily basis.

Once I decided to focus on the whole student, it became easier to find that the physical complaints were many times related to the student not being prepared for class. Maybe they didn’t have the proper shoes for PE, didn’t have the right type of calculator for math, or didn’t have shampoo or soap for a shower, etc.

This is where I started to understand the positive impact our MWC program could make with many of our "frequent flyer" students....

Our typical MWC shopper qualifies for the free/reduced meal program and is between the ages of 14-18; some live on their own and/or might even be homeless. Other scenarios include families who are in a financial transition period (parents divorcing, parent unemployed, etc).

The MWC program is an extension to the services available through the nurse's office; a way to treat and support the student as a whole person. The mission of Moms Who Care is to help students achieve success by meeting essential needs such as: clothing, hygiene products, school supplies, and after school snacks; but they do so much more too!

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