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Teachers
Shouldn't Be Nurses, Too
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Today, like any other
day in my school, I begin my breakfast duty and hope it is an uneventful
day. Wishful thinking. Ten minutes into my duty I am approached by a parent
who asks me to meet with her daughter because her father was murdered
two days ago.
As I leave the cafeteria,
I see that a student has thrown up. Since I don't have any other place
to send the student, I usher him into the main office. His little eyes
show shame and remorse as I reassure him that it's OK and that mom is
on the way.
Another hour goes
by and a teacher rushes into my office to tell me that one of her students
doesn't feel well and has collapsed in the hall. I found her laying on
the floor with our principal leaning over her.
She was hot and pale
and had hit her head and wet herself when she fainted. I notice that her
pupils are different sizes and worry about a concussion.
There is no school
nurse to assist us. She is at another school and only gets to Hillandale
about one day a week. She has three schools she rotates to, putting out
fires of medical emergencies at each one.
I think to myself
of all the counseling appointments I need to have with students and calls
I need to make. When did I become a nurse? I must have missed that training.
Yesterday a teacher
was calling our nurse to consult with her over the phone. That lifeline
was the transfer of treatment for a boy who has hemophilia and lost a
tooth two days ago and the bleeding won't stop.
Two other teachers
are responsible for treating a girl with fragile diabetes. They check
her blood sugar some four to 10 times a day and, depending on her highs
and lows, give her doses of insulin after meals and snacks.
Other students in
her class are left to do work on their own while her teachers are involved
in responding to her health needs. About 25 percent of their week is spent
providing treatment to keep her alive.
Should teachers be
asked to carry this burden? Should other students lose their instructional
time?
By law schools are
required to train two people to tend to the medical needs of students
with diabetes. This includes testing their blood sugar, injecting insulin
shots, operating insulin pumps and giving a glucagon shot when there is
a rapid low blood sugar. This involves the potential to come in contact
with blood borne pathogens and greatly affects the health of a child.
Teachers often have
told me that they feel vulnerable and unqualified to assist students with
medical conditions.
It is essential that
we keep children who have chronic health problems in school but it is
also essential that we provide school nurses so our teachers can teach!
The state academic curriculum becomes more rigorous each year and we are
still adding to the responsibilities that teachers have. Providing medical
treatment during a lesson should not be asked of our teaching staff.
Research shows that
school nurses increase student attendance, test scores and graduation
rates. Many students do not have or cannot afford to go to the doctor.
In many cases, it is the school nurse who identifies the need for medical
treatment and can advocate for our students.
Concerned citizens
have taken the time to express the need for school nurses at local meetings.
The School Board has requested two more school nurses this year. What
lies between meeting this goal and failing our students is funding.
There are always so
many issues that need to be addressed each budget cycle. The funds to
staff more nurses to better respond to these cases would be far less than
the cost of a lawsuit for not providing care or providing adequate care.
If our kid's medical
needs are not met, they are incapable of learning to their greatest potential.
In October 2007, the United Agenda for Children hosted Speak Out for Kids.
At this event, 280 local citizens identified the need for more school
nurses as our community's No. 1 priority for kids. It is now that we must
address the need for more school nurses.
Published Wednesday, May 28, 2008
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