December 22nd, 2009
School nurses are one type of nurse that has to deal with a wide variety of illnesses, ranging anywhere from “tummy aches” to full blown H1N1 viruses. It is therefore the job of most school nurses to take care of the several hundred students in their school and ensure that they remain healthy. Many of these types of nurses do not get the respect they deserve; as anyone knows, dealing with sick children is not necessarily an easy task and with the flu epidemic on the rise, it has become even more crucial that children receive the health care they need.
In many schools, the school nurse is the only form of health care many students receive, especially with the high rate of unemployment and subsequent loss of health insurance for many parents. The school nurse provides parents with a form of relief from the worry of their child’s health and with the recent craze about the H1N1 virus, the school nurse is the first person to view any symptoms that may present themselves. This year more than ever, the school nurse has reigned supreme in all types of nurses because of the audience the H1N1 targets. Many students from elementary to high school are susceptible to this new virus and despite the worry of vaccines, the virus can be easily recognized in the beginning stages as long as the student is sent to the nurse’s office.
School nurses have always had to deal with a variety of fake illnesses from students as an excuse to get out of class. Now it is only a matter of separating truth from lies within the younger crowd of students as school nurses now have to chronicle every incidence of flu-like symptoms in their records. This helps the school keep a record if they experience an outbreak of any type of flu. It is much easier to contain this way and they are aware of how many absences they can expect.
School nurses additionally have to have a unique personality and must be able to appeal to children of all ages while still maintaining a pleasant demeanor. It is not always easy, particularly for nurses who are the only on-staff health care professional for a school of over a thousand; but school nurses still have the stamina to get through days full of sick children.
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