School health nurses provide medical care to students in need, assessing injuries, administering medications, and caring for sick students. They work in various school settings and must complete a nursing program and obtain a license.
A school health nurse is a medical professional who works in a school setting, providing health care to individuals in need. Children spend most of the day at school; therefore, it is important to have medical care accessible at all times. The nurse can work in a private or public school, including an elementary school, middle school, or high school. He or she can also be employed in preschools or even colleges, serving young adults. To become a school health nurse, an individual will need to graduate from high school, complete a nursing program, and obtain a license to practice nursing in their area.
The duties of a health school nurse can be extensive. When a student starts to feel unwell at school, he or she is usually sent to see the school nurse. The nurse usually begins by asking the student questions to get an idea of the child’s well-being. After the interview, the nurse can obtain the child’s vital signs by taking the child’s temperature and blood pressure. Based on the nurse’s findings, he or she may call the child’s parents so that the child can be taken home or to a doctor for necessary treatment.
Another duty of a school health nurse is to assess injuries. After an injury, the student will be taken to the school nurse, where she can assess the degree of an injury and decide on the type of treatment needed. Small cuts and scraps must be borne by school-aged children and a nurse can spend a lot of time sterilizing cuts and applying bandages. If a person is seriously injured at school, the nurse usually looks for an outside source to treat the student. This usually starts with notifying the parents, who may take the child to a doctor or emergency room, although in an emergency, the nurse may call an ambulance for the student or person in need.
During certain seasons, colds and flu can become severe among school-aged children. Children miss many days of school because they have these illnesses. A school nurse can be very busy during this time, caring for sick students. The nurse can assist children by comforting them, providing water or fluids as needed, and taking their temperature to ensure they remain healthy. A school nurse may also be in a position to advise parents if their child should be kept at home if she feels the child is too ill to be with the other students.
Some school-aged children take prescription drugs, so another duty of the school nurse may be administering medications. The nurse can administer the medications designated by doctor’s prescription or by the child’s parents. In some cases, the child may visit the nurse once a day or several times throughout the day for medication. For children with certain illnesses, such as diabetes, the school nurse may be responsible for administering the child’s insulin. In addition to giving medications, the nurse can also treat allergic reactions to medications given at school or earlier at home.
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