F1RST - The Magazine of Carroll University Spring 2022

Carroll’s School-Based Nurses Innovate at UCC Health Center Amid Pandemic

“It’s not just Band-Aids and ice packs,” says Pam Ziolkowski, RN (Registered Nurse), manager for the School- Based Health Center in the United Community Center (UCC). “School nurses are much more than that.”

Ziolkowski is a school-based nurse at the UCC, which hosts a collaborative partnership between Carroll University and Bruce Guadalupe Community Schools. Sonia Pacheco, RN, works alongside Ziolkowski to serve approximately 1,800 elementary and middle school students. “We want kids to be healthy, so they can be in school and learn,” Pacheco said. “And we are here to help facilitate that, no matter what it looks like.”

Although bandages and ice packs are certainly part of their work, Ziolkowski and Pacheco find themselves playing a critical role as liaisons between parents and healthcare providers. However, since the onset of COVID-19, both Ziolkowski and Pacheco felt their focus shift dramatically, leaving little room for providing typical levels of care. In just one week, they received 700 phone calls from concerned parents.

Like countless other healthcare professionals, the nurses needed to pivot their focus to COVID-19 and at the same time learn a new operating system so that they could create electronic health records to fit their community needs. Ziolkowski and Pacheco were also required to attend virtual contact tracing classes to become certified COVID-19 contact tracers for the UCC.

“Nurses are trained to respond to disasters and emergencies, but a pandemic – at the magnitude of COVID-19 – is unprecedented,” Ziolkowski said.

According to Dr. Teri Kaul, chairperson for Carroll’s nursing department, who oversees the School-Based Health Center, Ziolkowski and Pacheco are unsung heroes. “It’s incredible what Pam and Sonia have been able to accomplish to keep this community safe throughout the pandemic,” said Kaul. “It’s important that we recognize and celebrate all their hard work and dedication to make a difference in the lives of the children in the community they serve.”

The UCC School-Based Health Center also serves as a clinical placement site for Carroll nursing students where they can learn about the school-based RN role and skills needed in a school setting. It is also home to Carroll’s new Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program, which helps underrepresented students become a RN in less than two years.

To learn more about Carroll’s partnership with the UCC, visit www.carrollu.edu/nursing.