School Nurse Diaries
I am now in my second year of school nursing- I sort of stumbled upon school nursing but I sure am thankful I did. My last year of nursing school at Seattle University I worked in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for my senior practicum. I LOVED the NICU, I thought it was amazing to see a baby growing and thriving outside of the womb; it was miraculous to watch a 0.8lb 21 week gestation baby in her little isolet not just surviving, but flourishing. During that clinical I had made my mind up- I was destined to work in the NICU. Fast forward to now- I am not working in a NICU, I work in a school with about 500 students and I am a School Nurse. There are a lot of misconceptions about school nursing so I will start out with this illustration-
There is a lot more to school nursing then bandaids, scrapes and bruises:) Before I became a school nurse I thought that school nursing would be such an easy job- that school nurses must not do that much during the day. I was WRONG. Now I am by no means trying to toot my own horn or anything, there are days where my job is cool, calm and collected but on the flip side- there are days that are absolutely CRAZY. I am responsible for the well-being of the 500 students in my school and if something was to happen, I am the only nurse/medical professional in the building- I am not able to ask the nurse/doctor down the hall for help. Being a school nurse means I get to advocate for students, I get to collaborate with the teachers, staff & parents to ensure that the school environment is a healthy environment that fosters learning, I am a case manager for ALL of the students with health concerns, I am able to identify potential health problems and intervene if necessary- I am LEARNING on a daily basis and I LOVE it. All of that being said, there are definitely some fun perks to school nursing- so here is a fun glimpse of this past week:)
Field trip- I got to go to the zoo for the day!
“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” (Proverbs 16:9)
I planned my course and went to nursing school, I came out an RN, thinking I was going to work in the NICU- obviously that wasn't Gods plan:) for that I am eternally grateful.
There is a lot more to school nursing then bandaids, scrapes and bruises:) Before I became a school nurse I thought that school nursing would be such an easy job- that school nurses must not do that much during the day. I was WRONG. Now I am by no means trying to toot my own horn or anything, there are days where my job is cool, calm and collected but on the flip side- there are days that are absolutely CRAZY. I am responsible for the well-being of the 500 students in my school and if something was to happen, I am the only nurse/medical professional in the building- I am not able to ask the nurse/doctor down the hall for help. Being a school nurse means I get to advocate for students, I get to collaborate with the teachers, staff & parents to ensure that the school environment is a healthy environment that fosters learning, I am a case manager for ALL of the students with health concerns, I am able to identify potential health problems and intervene if necessary- I am LEARNING on a daily basis and I LOVE it. All of that being said, there are definitely some fun perks to school nursing- so here is a fun glimpse of this past week:)
Field trip- I got to go to the zoo for the day!
Seeing the kids out of the school environment was AWESOME- they loved seeing the animals at the zoo.
Pictures, pictures and more pictures-
A little student walked in- totally nonchalantly - and handed me this note. All the paper said was "I Like Emily" I asked who wrote this and they slowly replied "well, umm.... like I did" :)
Another student comes in just about every day to give me one of their masterpieces for my office (most of which are hearts with some form of I love you written in them) :) they came in one day this week at the end of recess with a bundle of flowers:) it was nice to add some spring colors to my office.
When I reflect on where I am at in my life, and think back to my college days- when I thought I was going to be a NICU nurse; I am reminded that God is in control. He knew that I was going to be a school nurse and he led me down the path that brought me right to where I am.
I planned my course and went to nursing school, I came out an RN, thinking I was going to work in the NICU- obviously that wasn't Gods plan:) for that I am eternally grateful.
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