By Colin Berry, Oregon Center for Nursing, February 5, 2021
Last month, when the Oregon Department of Education announced its new guidelines for school re-openings, one group was listening closely: school nurses.
Before the pandemic, an Oregon school nurse’s job description was already daunting. Charged with individualized care for students with identified health concerns, they address the needs of students on individualized education plans (IEPs) as well as provide support for mental and behavioral health, communicable disease prevention, and health education for students, teachers, administrators, and staff.
With coronavirus, their workload has increased. “Right now administrators are focused on comprehensive distance learning,” says Jamie Smith, who coordinates school health services for Multnomah Education Service District (MESD). “Prioritizing health services is a whole new world to them. But nurses need to be there, to continue to provide services for kids as they start coming back.” Fortunately for everyone, nurses have been prepared for managing a communicable disease outbreak.
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