Medical Terminology Classroom Organization

School Nurses Are Educators, Too

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Helpful School Nurse Tip: One of the most overlooked parts of school nursing is that we're educators. Every day, we teach students, staff, families, and one another.

Beyond the Nurse's Office

Since 2015, I've had the opportunity to teach healthcare courses in addition to serving as a school nurse.

Today, I teach Dual Credit Medical Terminology at the same high school where I'm the school nurse, allowing students to begin exploring healthcare careers while still in high school.

I've also taught healthcare courses through my local community college, and every class reminds me how much school nurses have to offer beyond the walls of the health office.

School Nurses Teach Every Day

You don't have to stand in front of a classroom to be a teacher.

Think about everything you teach during a typical week.

• Students how to manage chronic health conditions.

• Families about medications and follow-up care.

• Teachers about emergency action plans.

• Staff about seizures, diabetes, allergies, asthma, and CPR.

• New school nurses through mentoring.

• Community members through health education.

Teaching is already one of the biggest parts of the nursing profession.

Please consider saying yes, If your school ever asks you to...

• Present during Career Day

• Visit an elementary classroom

• Teach a health lesson

• Mentor a nursing student

• Speak at staff development

• Help with CPR instruction

You never know whose life you might influence.

You might inspire the next school nurse.

Staying Organized

Originally (back in 2019), I was teaching in-person classes at both the local community college and at the high school where I’m the school nurse. I taught a college-level Medical Terminology course for students interested in future careers in healthcare. And honestly, I’ve loved every minute of it.

"I was awed by what school nurses knew, the fact that they teach AND practice medicine to hundreds of students, staff, and visitors." (Sarah Matacale BSN, RN, 2018)

That quote really stuck with me. It’s true—we do a lot in our role. And being able to bring that knowledge into a classroom just feels like a natural extension of what we already do every day.

What I Use to Stay Organized

These are the products that help me stay sane and organized while planning out each 16-week course:

🗓️ House of Doolittle Lesson Plan Book
I’ve used this for three years and still love it. It's simple, inexpensive, and easy to customize with markers (Crayola, of course!). The M–F vertical layout is perfect since I’m planning just one course. I pencil in dates and daily plans one week at a time so I can easily update as things shift. More detailed outlines and resources go into a Google Drive folder organized by book chapter.

🖍️ Crayola Markers – Because planning is just more fun in color!

✏️ Pencils – Gotta be able to erase and adjust, right?

💛 Yellow Highlighters – My go-to for highlighting key chapters or major due dates.

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I also use the free version of Quizlet for my students. Check it out HERE.

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Getting Organized With A Document Sorter

Organize all the piles of paper with this DOCUMENT SORTER!

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Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip:  I had no idea how much paperwork would be involved when I started this school nursing journey!  Read on if you can relate.

My all time favorite office supply!

If you've ever been overwhelmed by all of the piles of papers cluttering your office, then this document sorter might be for you!  If you know me at all, then you know I love Amazon! 

Thankfully, my school district appreciates Amazon too!  In fact, my school district (and many others) have tax-exempt business accounts set up. Ask whoever is in charge of ordering your supplies if this is an option for you too.  I create a shareable Amazon list to share with the district person in charge of ordering and once my request for items is approved then it is super easy for her to order the requested items!  Shipping is usually fast and free which are added bonuses!

Busy school nurses understand the value of time!

Filing is something that we know needs to be done, but it will have to wait until we have a few "extra minutes", right?!  

Instead of just creating stacks of papers and forms that are waiting to be filed, you can at least organize them by last name. This makes searching for that one piece of paper you know is in the pile, but you don't know where!  

If you use the document sorter as a holding space until you have time to file then referencing that one paper is much easier when you can search by last name. You'll actually save yourself time :) 

You can also use this hand device to organize papers by grade level, first name, specific health conditions, or form type (vision/dental) to quickly find important information when needed.

I use this item every.single.day in my office!

I purchased this document sorter / paper organizer years ago with my own money and it is one of the best office purchases I've ever made! It is a must have for all those paper piles collected at the beginning of each school year, the middle of the year, and even the at the end of each school year!

worth all of the pennies!

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