Tuesday, April 5, 2022

School Nurse Holly's Office Decor


SCHOOL NURSE OFFICE DECOR PICTURES & LINKS

+ THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS +

How School Nurse Holly Decorates Her Office!

Helpful School Nurse Tip: As a school nurse, you spend a countless number of hours in your office each day. Having an office space that feels inviting for both you and your students should be a priority.  Create an organized, calming space with the help of these pictures. Have fun!

WHY DECORATE & ORGANIZE YOUR SCHOOL NURSE OFFICE?

There are many articles available on the benefits of having an organized work space. Let's highlight a few key points before we get started. 

Benefits of An Organized Office:
  • Makes a Good First Impression
  • Increases Productivity
  • Reduces Stress Levels
  • Saves Time 
  • Boost Moral
All of the above plus more!  Now, let's take a look at Nurse Holly's amazing space. Remember, if you want your office featured in an upcoming blog post then send pictures to theschoolnurse@diaryofaschoolnurse.com  THANK YOU :)


TEXAS SIZED SCHOOL NURSE OFFICE REVEAL

Nurse Holly was kind enough to share her office inspiration pictures with the DOASN readers and I am so happy she did!  She is a district school nurse and a school nurse at the high school level. Her office screams WELCOME with it's organization, functional  stations, medical decor & more! I'm certain her students and staff feel safe and have a sense of calm when they enter through these school nurse office doors.

ENTRY

It's always nice to make a great first impression and Nurse Holly's office offers two doors for just that!  There are two entrance doors (one for students and one mainly for staff) and also a door to a private bathroom! These doors provide more spaces to decorate and welcome students and staff into her office. 

 

Entry Area Affiliate Links

COT AREA

The placement of the cot to the work station offers enough space for distance, but it also close enough to keep an eye an the student who might be resting or sitting on the cot while the nurse is at the desk area. How many of you are jealous of her amazing Welch Allyn assessment tools?!

Cot Area Affiliate Links

Inspired Links: 


DESK & TREATMENT AREA
I heard a rumor once that some school nurses don't have running water & sometimes not even a bathroom or two in their offices and I can't imagine! Thankfully, Nurse Holly is not one of those nurses; she has a sink with running water available in her office and even a private bathroom.  Look closely- she has two computers! Do you too? I do and I will never, ever be able to return to just one monitor!


Desk & Treatment Area Affiliate Links

 MONEY SAVING IDEAS FROM NURSE HOLLY!
One of the most frustrating aspects about decorating and organizing  school nurse offices is the budget- or lack there of :(  Personally, I've purchased actual decoration items in my office with my own personal money. Therefore, I am always looking for ways to repurpose items I already have. 

Nurse Holly has found a few ways to save on the decor items found throughout her office too-
"My “cheap” way of decorating is to either create my own on Canva and have them printed OR purchase printable graphics on Etsy then have them printed at Walgreens as a “board print”- you can purchase in various sizes. They look nicer than a regular posted but cheap enough that you can change them frequently if you wanted!" -Nurse Holly

When I am able to purchase something with funds then I am looking for the best price and most resourceful option for the funds I am allowed to spend. For me- AMAZON has been the way 99.7% of the time. My school district has a business account which offers free, Prime shipping and the prices are usually the least expensive I can find!  Visit The School Nurse Amazon storefront here!



     




I'd love to share your office pictures with other DOASN readers.





          

Friday, February 18, 2022

Helping Teachers Help Students With Seizures

 Seizures In The School Setting

+ this post contains affiliate links +



Helpful School Nurse Tip In 2001 I was preparing my thesis project for my masters degree. It was then I learned that many teachers were nervous when a student in their class had a known seizure disorder. I created these teacher tips to help teach the teachers what they needed to know about a variety of health conditions in the school setting; even seizure disorders.   


What are Teacher Tips & Why School Nurses should use them?

As nurses, we often take our knowledge for granted. There might even be times when we assume others understand or have a similar knowledge base regarding certain health conditions. However, many times they do not. Since school nurses are often viewed as the medical expert within the school setting one of our roles to educate others. The goal is educate enough so they understand what they need to know about certain medical conditions.


Teacher Tips cards provide an opportunity to educate others within the school on a specific health condition. These digital and partially editable "cards" give broad information on a health condition and allow you to provide more specific details as needed. 

How can you use Teacher Tips?

Many years ago (when email was optional!), I used to print Teacher Tips om paper, write student specific information, and hand deliver to teachers or put them inside their teacher mailbox. Now, I include these digital Teacher Tips digital health information cards within the body of an email message to teachers and/or add them as an IHP attachment in Skyward for a specific student.


EMAIL:  Since the Teacher Tips cards offer broad information, I have the option of including more student specific details within the body of the email; information staff would need to know. I can also include a copy of the 504 Plan or ask teachers to reference the 504 Plan for even more specific information. 


SKYWARD: Use Skyward to your advantage! If you have access to the Skyward Health module then consider uploading the Teacher Tips cards within the Health tab of Skyward Student Management.  Do you know how?

  • Once you have your student screen open select IHP
  • Then “Add File”
  • Enter a form description
  • Then Choose the Teacher Tips file you want to attach (download as a PDF from Google prior to attaching in Skyward)
  • Don’t stop there- Use the Comment box to add student specific information or more detailed information you want to the teacher to be aware of.
This is an excellent communication tool and resource between you and the teachers.  Especially at the 6-8 or 9-12 grade levels when student schedules change mid year or without notice. Do you utilize the Health Condition tab in Skyward? Another great tool and would make for another informational Diary Of A School Nurse blog post!

... Moving on to Teacher Tips for Seizures ...

                     

Teacher Tips for Seizures

Here are some tips when you are looking at items listed for sale on Teachers Pay Teachers; whether it is The School Nurse store or any other store:
  • Read product descriptions carefully so you know what you are purchasing
  • Look at all of the pictures provided of the product- even the product preview pictures
  • Read the reviews and the responses to the reviews
  • Check out the custom categories list the store
  • Start with a FREE TpT product- The School Nurse store offers 17 FREE digital products
The goal is to provide school staff the education and training they need to feel confident they can help a student during a health emergency situation until the school nurse or another trained staff member arrives and can take over care. Many times a seizure is over by the time the nurse arrives and we want school staff to feel comfortable and confident in providing initial care to students.

Teacher Tips related to Seizures in the School Setting

Vagus Nerve Stimulator VNS
Let's start with the FREE product- the VNS Teacher Tips. It provides a good overview of the other 3 seizure related products & it has a 5 star rating

This is a Google slides product and you will need to allow TpT access to your Google drive. Once available, you'll be able to view the actual product and edit as needed. The wording below each of the yellow areas is fully editable.  

The digital health conditions card provides an easy to understand overview of what a VNS is and includes a "What You Need To Know" section with 7 editable items.  There are links to a sample Seizure Action Plan and a Vagus Nerve Stimulator training video too.  

The product includes the original black / white card and also the newly updated blue font card :)

Grand Mal Seizures

If you're downloading the free VNS Teacher Tips card because one of your students is living with one, then you might also be interested in this Grand Mal Teacher Tips card.

This Teacher Tips digital health card provides a general overview of Grand Mal seizures. There are also 12 editable "What You Need To Know" Teacher Tips. Just as with the VNS card, you can edit these Teacher Tips to include more or less information as needed. 



Petite Mal Seizures / Absence Seizures

This Teacher Tips digital health card provides a general overview of  Petit Mal / Absence seizures. There are 6 editable "What You Need To Know" Teacher Tips. This area of the card is editable too, so you can include more or less information as needed. 

Complex Partial Seizures

This Teacher Tips digital health card provides a general overview of  Complex Partial Seizures. There are 10 editable "What You Need To Know" Teacher Tips. The  "What You Need To Know" area of the card is editable too, so you can include more or less information as needed.

 



OTHER RESOURCES





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



Sunday, January 16, 2022

100 Days of School of Nursing

 100 Days Healthier Printable Student Certificate

+ the post contains affiliate links +



Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip:  Sometimes school nurses find it difficult to feel like they are a part of the school team. One way to feel more included is to participate in special "dress up days" your school hosts. An upcoming favorite is the traditional 100 Days of School. This printable certificate was designed with the school nurse in mind- 100 Days Healthier!

I think it is safe to say that any school nurse you talk to these days feels beyond busy! However, it might feel good to take one day to celebrate with the staff at your school and your students- just one day! This blog post will be short, sweet, and to the point. Keep reading to see how the school nurse can help students celebrate their 100 Days of School this year :) 

Printable 100 Days Healthier PDF Certificate

Purchase, print, and use this 8x10, 100 Days Healthier Certificate. 
Here are a few fun ideas on how to use this item:
  1. Center on your bulletin board addressed to all of your students. Then, let students sign the surrounding area with their name and their favorite health tip.
  2. Print and pass out to all of your known daily visitors! 
  3. Share a digital copy on your Google classroom site or via email for teachers to share.

 

https://amzn.to/3rlyOyl

100 Days School Nurse Amazon T-Shirt Options

The 100th day of school is is the perfect day to wear a school nurse t-shirt with jeans or scrub pants. Give your mind a break from making a decision! Many school nurses will want to fit in with the rest of the school on the 100th day of school celebration and can do so with one of these amazing school nurse themed t-shirts! 

Although those shirts are all great options; the most accurate 100 day t-shirt for me, would have to be this one- "One hundred days of coffee and chaos!"...

 
https://amzn.to/48Rb0Xs

100 Days Amazon Bracelets, Stickers, Certificates & More Options

Still looking for more ways the school nurse can celebrate the 100th Day of School? Check out these other great ideas below. With a quick site search on Amazon, I was able to find bracelets, stickers, packets of certificates and many other party decoration items that any school nurse could easily display in their office. 

100 Days Amazon BraceletsStickersCertificates & More Options