Beyond Band-Aids – The 1 Thing Every School Nurse is Silently Doing
How Cook Children’s is Helping a Local School District Fight Child Abuse
Remember elementary school? Recess, science projects and that not-so delicious school lunch… If you were like many kids, you probably faked a stomach ache or two to avoid the dreaded spelling test. And off to the nurse’s office you went.
The school nurse has long offered an escape from the classroom… and as many Band-Aids as a kid could need. But the responsibilities of a school nurse stretch far beyond their tiny office walls. They are the keepers of care for hundreds, if not thousands, of students. Their duties range from administering CPR to managing insulin pumps and blood sugar levels. In between all of that, there is another heavy responsibility they are tasked with: recognizing and reporting suspected abuse and neglect.
“We want our nurses to have the updated knowledge, skills and resources they need to keep our kids safe and to do their job effectively,” said Cindy Parsons, Director of Health Services at Keller ISD. “The school nurse has an important role in education about child abuse. Teachers and other school staff members may not be as familiar with subtle signs of neglect, and the school nurse is often the person who helps to educate them.”
