Advice from the school nurse: Health tips every parent needs to know - Children's National

School nurses play a crucial role in supporting children's health and well-being, and their insights provide a unique perspective on how parents can ensure their children thrive both in school and at home.

"Nurses have an intuition that is hard to explain," says Colleen Russell, RN, BSN, CPN, the school nurse at D.C. Prep Edgewood Elementary Campus. "Many school nurses have extensive experience in the hospital setting or other intense healthcare facilities. Nurses commonly say that we know much more than we say and notice much more than you realize."

Russell and Andrella Adams, RN, MPH, BSN, a Community Health Nurse with Children's School Services, have provided advice on general health knowledge, the importance of communicating with the school nurse, how to manage medications and more.

"We truly love our students and what we do," says Russell. "If we have a concern, please take it seriously. Our assessment skills are invaluable."

Wellness tips from the school nurses

• Proper hand hygiene is important. Germs spread quickly in schools, especially among younger children. Teaching your child to wash their hands regularly - before eating, after using the restroom, when they come in from the outdoors and after coughing or sneezing - is one of the most effective ways to prevent illness.
• Communicate about medications. School nurses can't give cold medicine or medication for a fever without a doctor's order and parental consent - including over-the-counter medications.

"Please do not send students with medications on them," says Adams. "I've seen parents who think it's okay to send a Tylenol or Motrin to school with their child, but they lose the pill and a curious classmate takes it instead."

If your child needs to take medicine during the school day, provide the school nurse with the provider's order and signature, a parent's signature and instructions for administering the medication. Medication forms for District of Columbia Public Schools can be found here.

• Keep your child home if they have a fever. A fever is the body's way of fighting illness, and if your child has a fever, please don't send them to school. Attempting to mask a fever with medication and sending your child to school puts everyone at risk of illness. Teachers need to be healthy to teach and students need to be healthy to learn!
• Sleep and nutrition are crucial to a healthy learning environment. Adequate sleep and a balanced diet are critical for children's physical health, emotional well-being and academic performance. A tired and/or hungry child will have trouble thinking straight and absorbing information. Ultimately, this will affect their performance in school. Once a student falls behind it is very hard to keep them motivated to succeed.

Be sure to establish a consistent bedtime routine, limit screen time before bed and pack lunches with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins.

• Inform staff about health conditions. If your child has a chronic health condition like asthma, allergies, diabetes or epilepsy, inform the school nurse and create an action plan for managing symptoms at school.

"If your child has a chronic condition, please make sure the nurse has medication and the appropriate orders at their school," says Russell. "If I don't have an inhaler for a child with asthma, I might need to call 911, which could have been avoided if I had the medication."

• Keep the school nurse up to date on life changes. If your child has recently faced trauma or urgent events, inform the nurse so they can be fully prepared to handle any side effects or changes in baseline.

As an example, Adams shared that her son was involved in a car accident and suffered temporary hearing loss for about two weeks. "I shared that information with his school nurse and teachers so they were aware they may need to communicate a little differently than before, such as speaking louder."

Many schools have outside partnerships to address other health needs. Many parents are not aware that most schools offer onsite mental and physical health services, immunization clinics, vision screenings, dental hygiene clinics and more. Talk to your school nurse about the resources available to you.

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