School Nurses are Invaluable to Our Allergic Kids

These flowers are for school nurses everywhere. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

The last day of school has come and gone. My daughter will be a second grader next year, and I am surprisingly excited for her to return to school in the fall.  Even with her severe food allergies, GERD, asthma, and eczema, she had a fantastic year because of the wonderful school nurse.  It eased my mind to have a medical professional on hand to assess any possible asthma or anaphylactic reactions that may happen at school.


We are so lucky to have a nurse at our school every day.  Many schools have a school nurse only part time, or not at all.  I have read that less than half of students have a school nurse every day, all day. With the high rate of childhood asthma, severe allergies, and climbing rates of other health issues like childhood diabetes, the school nurse is needed, and invaluable.


In talking to the school nurses in the district I have learned that they are part-time, but some stay until the end of the day as they feel that they are needed, and even though their pay is part-time, they work full time hours to make sure that the children with medical needs are taken care of. I suspect ours feels this way as she is usually still there giving breathing treatments, cleaning up vomit, calling parents and checking temperatures at the end of the day. 


Our school nurse had my daughter in her office so many times this year for allergies, asthma, and anxiety, that I have developed a good working relationship with her. When I have gone into the nurse's office from time to time, I have noticed how busy she is, and how much she has on her plate. She has so many children going into her office each day, and is responsible for treating everything including minor lacerations, daily medications, insulin shots, asthma attacks, breathing treatments, anxiety attacks, and broken bones... Just to name a few.


Even with her hectic daily requirements, the nurse made my daughter feel welcome, and took all of her visits seriously, even if it was just an itchy eczema spot on her leg, itchy eyes, or a Band-Aid. So when my daughter had more serious issues, such as a possible food allergy reaction, or an asthma attack, she felt very comfortable going to the nurse for help.


In reading about school nurses around the country, and our state, I have found that many are over worked and underpaid, with some schools only having a school nurse available for a couple of days a week, or not at all. Many are expected to take attendance, and dole out daily morning medications at the same time, all while monitoring their students with serious chronic medical needs, and the daily multitude of childhood illnesses and injuries.


We need to give more to our school nurses. We rely on them for so much, and they are not given what they are worth.  If only every school had a full time nurse with full time pay for the countless hours that they put in to keeping our children safe at school.

What can we do to support our school nurses?  As parents who rely on the school nurse for our highly allergic children, we know how invaluable they are.  How can we help our school nurses?

I don't know the answer, but one suggestion is to partner up with other parents and take your concerns to your school board. 

  

Continued reading on the topic: 

In the News: Student dies of asthma attack, no nurse at school

Insightful article on the dangers of nursing shortage in schools: School Nurse Shortage May Imperil...

Here is a great article about the recent trend of cutting school nurses: When Schools Cut Nurses

Five Ways a School Nurse Benefits the School 

Description of what a school nurse's job entails from NASN: Role of the School Nurse

Allergies, Asthma, and Getting Ready for School, or: We are Always Late

Rush, rush, rush!  

If you are disorganized like me, then you too probably run a bit late in the morning. Add on a must take list of medications for allergies and asthma, and it is a recipe for chronic scurrying, and tardiness.

Many a time while trying to feed my kids, get them dressed, and out the door on time, I forget my daughter's medications until we are walking out the door. I know that inhalers can not be rushed, the breathing needs to be done right, a good rinsing needs to happen afterword, and if needed, a nebulizer breathing treatment takes a good 20 minutes. This is not something that should be left until the last minute as we are scrambling to be on time for school. Plus this is not something that can be overlooked, even for one day. The worst call is one from the nurse's office asking you to please bring in the daily antihistamine, or inhaler that was forgotten before school as your child is itching and sneezing like crazy, or coughing non stop.

Just the other day, both kids were fed, dressed, hats and coats ready to go on, and my son decided that he was not happy with his outfit for the day, and "re-dressed" himself.  As I was rushing through my daughter's medications, pill, pill, inhaler, inhaler, nasal spray, etc. I turned to see his hamper running across the floor, with his two bare legs going as fast as they could go. "Mommy! I get dressed all by myself!" he squealed with glee as he ran in circles around the living room. I swear I have a sense of humor, but at the time, it was NOT funny.

I scrambled to finish my daughter's medications, caught the little stinker, and threw some clothes on him, just in time, to be 5 minutes late. On the way home I thought about how if I had not left my daughter's medications to the last minute (again), I could have laughed and enjoyed the moment, but as we were pushing the tardy cut off as it was, with yet another inhaler to give, I was not amused. Not even one bit.

So, I am going to make a change. New Years resolution: Medications first thing in the morning, and no more rushing around like a headless turkey right before we walk out the door for school.