As many of you know, this week of May is National Nurses Week. What you may not have known is that today, May 9th 2018 is specifically National School Nurse Day. As we continue to celebrate those men and women that are the first window to care and well being, we want to share a letter from Hudson ISD's Director of Nurses (and resident nurse herself), Shalana Hyde.

           
On May 9th, 2018, we recognize our school nurses by celebrating National School Nurse Day as a way to foster a better understanding of the role of school nurses in the educational setting.  Many ask “What as a school nurse do I do?”  Well, my response is; my daily work is not the same every day. We do just about everything! In a typical day, I’m coordinating sports physicals, immunization clinics, health fairs, staff lab work; I might be instructing a 6th grader on hygiene, and then help a student at the high school with a sliced finger. School nursing is way more than Band-Aids and ice packs. We’re first responders to any sort of medical issue that happens on campus, or even off campus at times.   We also as school nurses work with parents to coordinate medical care. For example, if a student comes into the nurse’s office with a rash, it may need clearance from a doctor before we can get that student back to school. So we’re doing everything we can to get that student back in the classroom as quickly as possible, such as if that student does not have a medical home we help arrange medical services for them, help orchestrate a meeting with the parents with services to set up insurance if needed. In all, we are serving the whole student, and their family.  I would like to send a HUGE Shout out to my fellow School Nurse’s at Hudson ISD!!!

School Nurses: Advocates for 21st Century Student Health.

Parents should be able to send their children to school with the peace of mind that they will remain safe, healthy, and ready to learn. Given that today’s children face more chronic health illnesses (e.g. asthma, diabetes, food allergies, etc.) than ever before, we take my role as a licensed, professional school nurse very seriously. We are grateful for the teachers, administrators, and professional support staff with whom we work each day – who help to create a healthy learning environment for every child in our school Hudson ISD.  My knowledge, assessment skills and judgment help ensure we can provide quality health care to children.

School nursing is a specialized practice of professional nursing that advances the well being, academic success, and life-long achievement of students. To that end, school nurses facilitate positive student responses to normal development; promote health and safety; intervene with actual and potential health problems; provide case management services; and actively collaborate with others to build student and family capacity for adaptation, self management, self advocacy, and learning.

  • Ensures compliance with school entry health requirements such as immunizations;
  • Provides care and case management for children with chronic health problems;
  • Monitors security and safe administration of medications;
  • Assures the health and safety of the school students and staff;
  • Manages disaster preparedness and emergency service plans;
  • Provides health education and staff wellness programs;
  • Assures student compliance with state and local regulations related to health and safety; and
  • Identifies school health needs and advocates for necessary resources.

As a school nurse at Hudson ISD, we take on a variety of roles every day. For many children, we are the only health professional they may have access to, except in emergencies. This becomes even more important as the prevalence of chronic social, emotional, and other health problems keep increasing. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), asthma is the leading chronic illness among children and adolescents in the United States. On average, in a classroom of 30 children, about 3 are likely to have asthma. Further, childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. Today, approximately one in every 400 children and adolescents has type 1 or type 2 diabetes. According to a study released in 2013 by the CDC, food allergies among children increased approximately 50 percent between 1997 and 2011. The CDC reports that food allergies are a growing food safety and public health concern that affect as estimated 4-6 percent of children in the United States.

It seems like common sense that healthier students are better learners. But evidence-based research in fields ranging from neuroscience and child development to epidemiology and public health support this argument. I cannot Thank my fellow School Nurse’s Stephanie Durham LVN, Lindsay Temple LVN, & Yalonda Thompson LVN, enough for all they do for the district!!!

Sincerely," ~ Shalana Hyde RN, Director of Nurse’s - Hudson ISD

Quite simply, Shalana issues the direct requirements of what a school nurse SHOULD be and goes on to share that her staff goes above and beyond that call of duty to care for our little ones.

Whether it's Hudson, Lufkin, Nac, Central, or wherever. The nurses that comfort and work to heal your kids while at school deserve big thanks and recognition. And we want to thank Shalana for writing such a great letter, and showing appreciation for her team.

 

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