School Nurses: How to Get Your Health Center Ready for Back to School

On preparing school health centers for back to school

Perhaps you are a school nurse, nurse practitioner or a registered nurse, who will be working in a school setting this coming year?

Consider the following tips on preparing health centers for back to school:

First, take a close look at the area or room, designated as the school health center. This is where the students and their parents, as well as teachers or other professionals, will come to talk to you about their various medical concerns, as well as health-related, educational needs.

This is also the place where sick or injured children will be brought for emergency treatment or any other regular or intermittent nursing care that is required, while they are at school. There may be students and others, who come to you for professional medical advice, guidance and counseling.

This may be a health center that has been used previously or perhaps you are setting up a new one. Regardless, the school health center needs to be safe, clean and comfortable, as well as aesthetically pleasing. It should be a pleasant area for you to work in. 

Check to see if it has good lighting. Is it going to be warm enough? Is it well ventilated?

Begin by making certain that the health center is immediately identifiable. Post a sign on the door stating this is the designated school health center, school health office or nurse's office. Putting up a welcome sign will help to present an inviting, student-friendly atmosphere.

First impressions are important, so what others see on entering the health center should be health-oriented, as well as educational. For example, pictures of happy, healthy children and adults engaged in play, projects or exercise would be appropriate. So would anatomy and physiology charts, a vision testing chart, screening for hearing loss information or CPR instructions.

Infection control is an important aspect of a health center too, so post directives regarding the prevention of cross-infection from the H1N1 virus, as well as other air-born infections and childhood diseases like measles, mumps and whooping cough. Hang up a poster that demonstrates good, hand washing techniques. Place hand sanitizers in the immediate vicinity.

International disease prevention and control are needed everywhere, so posting a chart with the current vaccination-immunization recommendations for infants, children and adults, will help alert everyone to global health concerns.

For older children, posters pertaining to teenage sexual health and the use of tobacco, alcohol, drug addiction and drug abuse should be visible. It is a good idea to post ones about birth control, as well as child abuse protection and prevention.

Make certain that whatever you put up in your health care center is in good taste and age appropriate.

Placing your name on the door at your nursing work station or on your desk, as well as hanging your school nurse certificate in the immediate area will give you added credibility, as the school nurse and help others relate to you.

Use a gentle touch with your health center decorating, by placing a personal photograph or flowering plant on your desk. You may choose to have a few, brightly colored children's toys in the school nurse’s office, as parents who visit school nurses may bring younger children with them.

How your health center is arranged is important.

If appropriate office furniture has not been supplied by the school, you will need a desk, chairs, a filing cabinet, bookshelves, a cupboard and coat rack, as well as basic, office supplies.

Privacy and confidentiality are important for those who are cared for in the school health office, so place the furniture in such a way, as to ensure maximum privacy for everyone who comes into the office. Make certain that you will be able to see anyone who enters the health center.

Do you have an area where children who are ill or injured will be able to rest or lie down? Set up a student wellness area (sickbay) with a cot and a bedside table, pillows, sheets, blankets and pillowcases, as well as towels and facecloths. Obtain disposable linens, if possible. Put a curtain around the area and post a sign that says "Please be quiet" or "Do not disturb." A "No smoking" sign is advised, particularly if there will be oxygen used in this area.

Stock up well on paper towels, cups, glasses, dishes and silverware. A soap dispenser or hand soap, paper towels, toilet paper and tissues will be needed for the bathroom.

Basic school nurse office equipment will include a blood pressure cuff, stethoscope, auroscope-otoscope, scissors, thermometers, tongue depressors, Q tips, tweezers, cotton swabs and a tape measure. You will need first aid supplies like dressings, tape, tensor bandages, splints, slings and band aids of various sizes. You will also require a K-basin, washbasin and a bedpan. To weigh children and measure their height, you will need a mechanical or digital medical scale.

Check to make certain that you have equipment available for testing blood sugars, as well as disposable dressing trays and other medical supplies including catheterizations trays, feeding tubes, syringes and needles of various sizes. Order a good supply of disposable gloves, gowns and masks, as extras may be needed.

Check the medication cupboard for existing stock medications. Remove, discard and re-order any that are outdated or expired. There should be a current, health office manual with directives regarding all stock medications and medical supplies, as well as instructions for ordering and re-ordering them. If there is no health center manual, it may be a good idea to initiate one. This should contain a complete list of all non-prescription drugs like ASA and Tylenol, as well as cough syrups, lotions, skin creams, ointments and treatment for head lice. It should list things like isopropyl alcohol and alcohol swabs for injections, as well as disinfectants, germicides and air fresheners.

Emergency drugs like antihistamines or epi-pens may be kept in stock. Some things may need to be ordered, directly from the pharmacy. Always keep a record of anything that is ordered and received, as well as a record of the cost, as this will have to be submitted to the school office for payment.

Students will bring their own prescription and non-prescription medications to school, so prepare a separate, locked cupboard for them. You will need the locked cupboard for narcotics prescribed for students, as well as for any valuables.

Make certain that you have a record book for medications that are brought by students. Find out in advance, what medications they need on a regular basis. If necessary, call their parents, as it may be necessary for them to obtain new prescriptions from their children's physicians.

Check for availability of school-required student medical forms and make certain that these are current. File the forms in alphabetical order, placing the ones you need the most often, where they are easily accessible. Make certain that you have sufficient student medical forms for all students attending the school. You may need to order more, print them out as needed or create new ones.

You will require an appointment/date or logbook to keep a record of student, parent and teacher visits. Some students may require individual student nursing care plans, so begin working on them.

Prepare a portable, first aid kit for future school outings or field trips. Check to make certain that there is a fire extinguisher. Check it, as well as CPR equipment to make certain that they are ready to use and immediately accessible. Have portable oxygen tanks replaced, as necessary.

Start a student record, including their health problems and medical concerns. Begin to work on a flexible, nursing care schedule for the students, based upon their individual, nursing care needs in conjunction with their daily schedules. You may need to speak to teachers, parents or doctors about the nursing care that will be required by special needs students.

Set up a book shelf with the current, school manual, school health manual, medical dictionary, drug manual, first aid manual and Merck's manual. Add other books, videos or CDs that may be used as health teaching aids, health-oriented flyers or magazines, as deemed appropriate.

Identify the area that will be for staff, health education purposes. Make certain that it is equipped with tables or desks, chairs, teaching board or a blackboard, a pointer, chalk and black board erasers and marking pens, as well as any models or posters that you need for staff discussions, health related seminars or demonstrations.

Talk to the principal and teachers about their students. Respond to their health concerns and identify their personal health education needs. Begin to work on a tentative teaching schedule in accordance with their schedules in relation to yours. Obtain a school schedule regarding school holidays and special events.

Make certain that you have a telephone, telephone book, computer, printer and fax machine. Post a list of important phone numbers by the telephone, including those of the principal, teachers, the ambulance, police, hospital emergency and pharmacy.

Being well organized as a school nurse, in a health center is important. Note that in a school setting, everything is not always immediately available for every possible, emergency situation, but the school health office should be equipped to handle most kinds of student, emergency situations.

Do you have a name tag? How about a lab coat or colorful, nursing smock?

Know that as the school nurse, you should be ready for almost anything. Always expect the unexpected to happen at school, because it will. You are going to enjoy participating in school projects and special events, as well as meeting a lot of teachers, students, their parents and others.

Plan to have a wonderful year, as the school nurse in a health center.