School Nursing Services
Nursing services are a vital part of The Day School. As our students have become more medically challenged, our nurses have become much busier. When student activities are in high gear, our nurses go to where the students are to make certain their medical needs are met and the disruption of school routines and activities is minimized.
A typical nursing day at a glance:
- prepare and administer medications
- provide respiratory treatments
- flush feeding tubes
- complete various other procedures
- review reports and prescriptions from physicians and other health care providers
- monitor students’ status and condition when they become ill or have seizures
- communicate regularly with parents about medical issues that arise at home and at school
- consult frequently with education and related therapy staff about individual students
- train both professional and paraprofessional staff to assure competence in procedures carried out by non-medical staff in the classrooms and other areas
- administer first aid as needed
Despite the numerous demands placed on them, the focus of our nurses is to enable a quality educational experience for each student in The Day School. Our nurses maintain an appropriate balance between nursing expertise and educational expectations — helping our staff understand how a student’s medical condition may impact his or her classroom behavior.
Rather than viewing our students’ disabilities as a form of illness, our nurses view children’s disabilities as baseline wellness. The students’ chronic conditions may interfere with daily functions, but they are the baseline we have to help maximize their functioning and quality of life. The Day School is a school, not a medical provider, but we do have a role in carrying out the care of students and meeting their needs during the school day.
