Clinical Observation

I really enjoyed my clinical rotation to Whelan Elementary School. I have to be honest in saying I was not looking forward to this rotation. I thought to myself, “How much could a school nurse do in one day? I’m going to be bored out of my mind.” Lucy the school nurse proved me wrong. The entire school day Lucy remained busy. Aside from the constant visits from students and staff, Lucy also had lots of documents and paperwork to fill out. Lucy explained to me there are times throughout the year when she has to work weekends due to extra paperwork such as registration for incoming kindergarteners. Lucy also mentioned she meets with parents one by one if there child has any health care needs that need to be discussed with the school nurse prior

Lucy communicated with other teachers and staff including PT, ST, in regards to students who had needs that involved a multidisciplinary team. For example, there was a little boy in kindergarten who has Down syndrome. He has a primary aid that works with him throughout the entire school day. He also participates in PT, and ST. Lucy helped the aid a few times during the day with toileting needs. Another interaction I was able to observe was how Lucy communicated with parents. There was a little girl diagnosed with ADHD. She receives Ritalin two times a day from Lucy. Because Ritalin is a controlled substance Lucy keeps it in a double locked vault. The little girls mother brings in the needed pills on a weekly basis. When the little girls mother drops off the medication, she has to go into the nurse’s to hand her pills, count the pills and witness the pills being secured. The mother then signs a document that the medication was dropped off. Lucy explained that standard orders state all controlled substances need to be secured in a double lock box. Lucy mentioned all schools have Standard orders they must follow. These standard orders contain information on policies and procedures. For example, if she is unfamiliar with what she needs to do if a child reports an earache she can refer to the standard orders, and it will give her a list of steps to follow.

Overall my experience in observing the school nurse was amazing. I was able to connect some of the things we learned in lecture to the clinical scene. For example, I was able to see how different age groups require different assessments due to their stage of development. I believe this experience will help me in my future career as a nurse because it allowed me to see how important it is to individualize