Feature
Keeping Students Healthy Spotlighting High Country School Nurses
Ashe County school nurses assist Photographed are: Libby Matheson, Robin Goss, Regan Perry and Laura Branch. Not pictured: Stephanie Eggers. Photo submitted
The only predictable aspect
about a day in the life of a school nurse is the unpredictability. Plans for health screenings are scheduled, vision checks are arranged by grade level and then an acute situation arises that takes precedence, and everything is on hold for a while. This is the everyday life of school nurses in Ashe, Avery and Watauga county schools according to lead nurses Regan Perry (Ashe), Dawn Hicks (Avery) and Shelly Klutz (Watauga). Although 28 | September-October 2021
their days are planned, some days the office of a school nurse becomes “a minor urgent care center,” according to Dawn. The nurse becomes a mini-doctor, acting as dermatologist, orthopedist, EMT and various other medical roles. All three of the lead nurses have followed similar educational paths: RN, BSN, NCSN (National Certification for School Nurses). Although the colleges involved were all different, the final certification must be acquired within three years of a BSN degree, and this certification must
be renewed every five years. In addition to their own school-related duties, each of the lead nurses acts as the head of a team in each of the school systems. Shelly leads a team of 10 nurses in Watauga County Schools, while Regan in Ashe County oversees a staff of five. In Avery County Schools, Dawn has two additional nurses to split the duties among the elementary schools, the middle school and the high school. But the health of the student population is not their only responsibility; these nurses must care for and train other faculty and staff within each of their school buildings. Some of this training occurs at regularly scheduled staff meetings or during faculty-staff in-service days. Typical medical care that has become part of the routine for school nurses is handling medicine and treatments for students with diabetes, ADHD and asthma. Medications are dispensed with the parents’ permission, and then kept in a secure location within the school. A more routine day — especially at the beginning of a school year — inaawmag.com
