Friday, February 3, 2017

Tracking Student Immunization Records

How do school nurses track student immunization records?

+ this post contains affiliate links +

Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip: Tracking student immunization records can take a lot of time. Good news- if you're a school nurse in Illinois then you can apply to have access to student immunization records via I-Care an Illinois online portal.

It's never too early to make your work life easier!

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 immunization lottery, right!?

Would it be too much to ask for IL to include the most recent physical exams too?

According to the website:

"I-CARE, or Illinois Comprehensive Automated Immunization Registry Exchange, is a web based immunization record-sharing application developed by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). The application allows public and private healthcare providers to share the immunization records of Illinois residents with other physicians statewide." (and school nurses too)

Are you a school nurse in Illinois & want to apply for your own I-Care account?

Learn More About Illinois I-Care Here

Monday, January 23, 2017

Moms Who Care : January 2017

Moms Who Care Volunteers

+ this post contains affiliate links +

Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip: My students, school families, and staff are blessed beyond measure to have the wonderful non for profit volunteer group- Moms Who Care- at our school on a weekly basis!

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. Hopefully 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!

Requirements: 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 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.

I found out, there were many times when the physical complaints were actually related to the student not having a basic need met. 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.

By meeting basic needs, students are more prepared and ready to learn.

For more information visit-

MWC Facebook Page

MWC Website

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

Friday, December 2, 2016

School Nurse Assessment Tools

School Nursing Assessment Tools

This post contains affiliate links.

Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip: We all know that nurses can't diagnoses. However, school nurses can provide a complete assessment and provide those finding to parents, students, staff and refer for further evaluation as needed. Having the proper assessment tools is vital for any school nurse.

It is already November and I'm feeling a little behind in my schedule because I'm into my 4th week of the CNA train-the-trainer course. I guess I forgot how much time it takes to take the student!

Monthly Notes From The School Nurse for November

You can tell by my picture I was thinking a lot about assessment. Nurses can't diagnosis, but nurses can offer students and parents our assessment skills.

Use the tools available to you in your office then purchase the assessment tools you need. See some of my favorite assessment tools HERE.
Provide parents with all of your assessment data for them to share with their doctor or NP.
Document, document, document.- your results, your interactions, your phone calls & follow up as needed.