School Nurses: The Unsung Heroes of Education
It’s more than just handing out band-aids and ibuprofen
School nurses are invaluable members of the school community who are integral to the continued health and well-being of the school community.
Some may think their job simply entails passing out band-aids, ibuprofen, and sanitary items, but it goes much deeper than that, and school nurses are often overworked and undervalued.
The nurse-to-student ratio at most public schools is pretty dismal, with some schools even sharing a nurse. It is not uncommon to find one nurse per 1500 students, perhaps even more, a statistic that could prove dangerous if there happen to be multiple situations occurring simultaneously. Not to mention the lack of adequate funding that leads some nurses to rely on donations or reach into their own pockets to ensure students have what they need.
Along with the school psychologist, social worker, and perhaps guidance counselor, the school nurse is on the front lines when it comes to regularly dealing with and hearing about student trauma. This, along with the fact that they usually work in isolation without the comradery of fellow nurses, can lead to secondary trauma and burnout, perhaps one of the reasons we are seeing many leaving the field, creating shortages in school nursing akin to the shortages we are seeing in school staff in general.
In some communities (think rural, urban, migrant worker communities) school nurses serve not just the student body, but their families and the community at large also. We see this when school nurses do outreach events in the community to promote things such as the importance of immunization or when they conduct home visits (usually along with the social worker) to check on at-risk students who may have gone AWOL. We also see this when they search for outside resources for families in situations that go beyond the scope of what the school can provide. We even hear of school nurses collecting donated clothing or spending their own money to buy toiletries and snacks to keep on hand at school, so students living in poverty or neglect can have access to what they need to be able to focus on academics. In serving these students, they are also serving their families and the community at large.
As such, the school nurses’ office often becomes a safe space for students who need assistance with basic needs such as food, toiletries, and clothing or for students simply seeking a reprieve from the daily stress of school bullies and school drama.
In my own experience as an educator, the school nurse will also take time out of her busy schedule to attend to faculty concerns as a courtesy to her coworkers. I made many a trip to the nurse’s office myself over the past two years. Covid teaching was taking a toll on my body, and I was convinced that something just wasn’t right. It was the kindly school nurse who first alerted me to the fact that I may have uncontrolled blood pressure- a diagnosis that was later confirmed by my doctor.
In this week’s episode of the Education Today podcast, I spoke to Hawa Gabriel about her years of experience as a school nurse in both New York and Boston. We discussed the daily challenges and triumphs of being a school nurse and the added stresses that came with working in schools during covid. You can hear the full episode here.
If you are a teacher or administrator, show some love to your school nurse this week: they are probably just as overworked and exhausted as you.
If you are a parent, let your school nurse know that you appreciate all that they do for your kid(s). If your child has never had any reason to visit the school nurse, consider that if anything should happen to your student on campus during school hours, the school nurse will be the first line of defense before you, an ambulance, or any outside help arrives. Take this into consideration when nurses’ appreciation rolls around this May.
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Check out my podcast “Education Today”
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