Are you 'HI'- high?

Type 1 Diabetes in the School Setting

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School Nurse Tip: This post gives school nurses a few suggestions on how to be prepared to deal with Type 1 Diabetes in the school setting.

Are you high?

This was found floating around on Pinterest.

Have you seen it?

I'm sure we've all said that at one time or another to a student with diabetes! Then, as soon as the words leave your mouth, there is a student or staff member who looks at the both of you with the above expression!  Makes me giggle :)

This year only three of my students are diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. They are all able to independently care for their needs. However, they know (and their parents know) that the nurses are always available to them as needed and especially in an emergency situation. 

School Nurse Office Organization Stations

I have found having a well organized office makes life in the nurse's office easier!

One of the ways I organize the health  center is by grouping like items together.  Here are a few ways we've organized our diabetes supplies in order to make our office space work better for us:

T1D Suggestions from The School Nurse

1. Keep Hypo Supplies Handy: Display the standing orders for hypoglycemia and the treatment supplies together in an easy-to-reach spot.
2. Use Updated Forms: Make sure you're using the latest district DDMP (Diabetes Medical Management Plan) and 504 Plan documents.
3. Organize Care Plans: Group the completed forms in a folder labeled "Diabetes Care Plans." Stamp with COPY and file / scan original.
4. Daily Access: Store the "Diabetes Care Plans" in a 3 ring binder or folder, or in our daily med binder or scan and save. Attach a copy of each student's plan to their chart. (We use old-school 5x8 index cards for charting daily visits—works for us!)
5. Personal Supply Baskets: Give each student a basket for their diabetes supplies, which they can keep on a designated shelf or refrigerator in the office.
6. Convenient Testing Area: Have an clean, separate place in an area for supervision designated as the blood sugar testing area. Make sure the sharps container is here too.
7. Sharps Disposal Plan: Arrange with the local fire department to dispose of full sharps containers as needed throughout the school year.
8. Communicate: Follow your district guidelines as far as communicated your student's health needs with their teachers. Consider attaching a diabetes digital information card to an email or within your student electronic management system.

Join either group or both groups by answering all membership questions.

These are just a handful of ways I try to make my work life more organized and easier!
What are some of the things you've done? 
I would love to hear from you!

Check out these T1D digital forms; all available on TPT!

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Bullying & Physical Complaints of Students

BULLYING in SHOOLS

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Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip:  Do you think some of  your student's complaints can be related to a bullying issue? Sometimes students have psychosomatic issues and they don't realize why. Pay attention- this might be happening to one of your students too.

As a school nurse, you might be one of the first school employees to suspect or learn about an act of bullying.

Bullying which results in physical injuries can be some of the most obvious attacks.  

However, many forms of bullying cause emotional  and other health related complaints. The health related symptoms (psychosomatic symptoms) can go unrecognized for a long period of time until they are related to a bullying situation.

Health related complaints caused from bullying include, but are not limited to:

• stomach aches
• fatigue
• nausea
• sore muscles
• headaches
• depression
• anxiety
• shortness of breath
• dizziness
• tiredness
• drug/alcohol use/abuse
• back pain
• abdominal pain
• loss of appetite

Many times it is easier for students to ask to see the school nurse for these or similar complaints. If  you are the school nurse who realizes one of your students is being bullied then read on to see how you can help.

As a school nurse YOU CAN HELP!

1. Gather Information or Get School Admin to Gather Info:  Collaborate with other school employees (administration) to determine if the situation qualifies as a form of bullying (physical, verbal, cyber, social).

2. Be Supportive: Support the student being bullied and support all bystanders while the school administrators properly address the student bully according to school policy.

3. Educate: Help educate students and staff on bullying, prevention, and responding.

These steps are outlined in greater detail on the Stop Bullying website!.

List of online (anti)bullying resources:

PBS

Education

Stop Bullying

Stop Bullying Now DVD

Bullying

Kids Health

CDC

STRYVE

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How can school nurse properly dispose of full sharps containers?

COMMUNITY COLLABORATION

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Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip: Every school nurse should have a budget to run their office, although the amount can vary significantly between school districts. To make the most of your resources, consider establishing community collaborations to save money.

Looks like our sharps container is FULL!

When I first started at this school, the district spent hundreds of dollars each year on proper sharps container disposal. Those costs added up quickly, putting a strain on our limited budget. To save money and increase my school nurse supply budget, I sought a cost-effective solution. I knew that finding ways to reduce expenses without compromising on safety or quality was key to effectively managing the school health office.

About seven years ago, I approached our local fire department, including firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics, to see if they could dispose of one full sharps container for free each year. Thankfully, they agreed and have continued to provide this invaluable service ever since. This simple collaboration not only saved our school district money but also strengthened our ties with the community, creating a network of support that benefits both students and staff.

Having a great working relationship with your local fire department and EMT service is good—saving your school district money is even better! By leveraging local resources and building strong community relationships, school nurses can find creative solutions to budget challenges while ensuring the health and safety of their students.

Having a great working relationship with your local fire department and EMT service is good- Saving your school district money is even better!

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Grab some other community networking ideas with this online, anytime continuing education course!

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