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To be a
school nurse in Ohio, you need to be licensed or certified by the Ohio
Department of Education. This requires that the school nurse is a registered
nurse (RN), with at least a bachelors degree, and has completed an approved
school nurse program. Many people think that school nurses are in schools to
help when a student is ill or injured. Bandages and thermometers are often
thought of as our most important tools. However, school nursing is much broader
than cuts, scrapes and stomachache care.
According
to the National Association of School Nurses (1999) "School nursing is a
specialized practice of professional nursing that advances the well being,
academic success, and life-long achievement of students. To that end, school
nurses facilitate positive student responses to normal development; promote
health and safety; intervene with actual and potential health problems; provide
case management services; and actively collaborate with others to build student
and family capacity for adaptation, self management, self advocacy, and
learning."
At Mills
Lawn our school nurse is here part-time and is a member of our school team.
Staff in the school are trained in first aid and able to identify and manage
first aid concerns and work with the school nurse to identify students with
special health care concerns.
School
health includes health education, a healthy environment and health services.
Health education is included to help our students prepare for a healthy
lifestyle. Health services include a variety of activities, including screening
for vision and hearing, mental health services offered by the school counselors
and social worker, and the lunch program offered in the cafeteria. A healthy
environment includes everything in the school including clean air, freedom from
accidents and pollution, and a safe place to come to school.
Good health
is a responsibility of the entire community. Keep in mind that smoking is not
permitted on our school grounds or in the school buildings. Please observe the
safety regulations around the school buildings and encourage your students to
practice safe health habits such as:
Regular
hand washing
Wearing
seat belts
Wearing
bike helmets
Wearing
protective gear with skateboards and roller blades
Using
crosswalks
Staying
away from construction areas
Avoiding
risky situations
Getting
plenty of rest
Eating well
Sharing
their concerns with you
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