A Registered and Health Authority of Abu Dhabi (HAAD) licensed nurse is on duty during school hours.  The nurse provides health screenings; assesses and manages chronic and acute illness; administers medications; provides first aid for school related injuries; promotes health and safety; maintains student medical records. 

The nurse is available to consult with parents as needed, regarding health concerns of students, either in person, by telephone or e-mail.

Please be aware that medication may only be distributed by the GAA school nurse. 

If a student has special health needs (medication, chronic illness or condition, allergies, or requires special procedure or intervention), parents must meet with the school nurse to arrange for these needs to be met. All medications and treatments require clear, written instructions by physician’s order, as needed, and a parent/guardian's signature. The school nurse will assist the parents by preparing a plan of care for their child and advising them as to what supplies the student will need at school.

Emergency Contacts

Parents must keep the school and the clinic informed of current work, cell, and home phone numbers, where they can be contacted should the need arise. This information can be updated with the Parent Relations Executive and/or the GAA Registrar. When able, make sure your child knows how to reach you during the day.  

Medication

Administration of medications, especially short term, should be done at home whenever possible. However, if a student is required to take prescription or non-prescription medication during the school day, the following guidelines must be met:

• Physician, dentist, or practitioner prescribed medications should be clearly transcribed, and all medication forms should state the student’s name, the name of medication, the dosage, the time, the route (oral, inhaled, patch, etc.), and the duration of time that it is to be given (e.g., one week, the school year, etc.), along with the parent’s/guardian’s signature. Medication forms are available for your convenience in the school clinic.

• Medication must be in the original packaging by the pharmacy and not outdated. Over-the-counter medication to be held in the clinic must be in a sealed, unopened, new bottle. (For short time medication, ask a pharmacist for a separate bottle to be kept in the clinic, to prevent missed doses.)

• Parent/guardian must deliver medication to the school clinic - not the student. If you are giving it to the bus conductor, please write the details and attach the prescribed note from the physician.

• All medicine must be picked up by a parent at the end of the school year.

• The parents should give us the emergency medications that should kept at the clinic during school hours. 

If medication is to be hand-carried, a back-up should also be kept in the school clinic. These situations require written health care plans, with specific details for care. When necessary, the nurse will accept verbal consent via phone to administer an over-the-counter medication (not prescription). Medication will not be dispensed without written parental permission.

Any students with serious health concerns will have their names, pictures, and needs shared with the GAA school nurse and faculty by the parent. 

Illness or Injury

If your child visits the clinic and we recommend you follow-up, or be informed of an intervention, you will receive a written note from the clinic. You will also be informed if your child sustains a head or neck injury while at school.  If the nurse requests follow-up by your doctor for illness or a school-sustained injury, you will receive a Medical Referral Form.  This is a formal way to receive a specific diagnosis and treatment plan while your child is at school. Students with contagious infections need to stay home so they will not expose others. Parents are requested to contact the classroom teacher and elementary secretary providing detailed information regarding their child’s contagious disease. When fully recovered and the student returns to school, they need to bring the medical certificate regarding the illness or clearance certificate – one copy to the teacher and one to the nurse. If your child is home with a communicable illness, please contact the school nurse so the parent(s) of other classmates may be alerted of symptoms.

Your child should stay home for any of the following: 

• A fever > 37.5 C (100 F); must be fever-free for 24 hours without fever medication

• Vomited more than once in the past 24 hours; feeling of nausea

• Diarrhea (return to school after 48 hours or 24 hours on medication)

• A frequent cough; productive cough 

• Persistent pain (ear, stomach, etc.) 

• A widespread rash; contagious rash or skin spots

• Head lice (Pediculosis) please notify the school nurse to be given proper instructions

• Bacterial Pink Eye/Conjunctivitis; awakens with thick or sticky eye drainage; eyelashes stuck; redness of the whites of the eyes throughout; can return to school after 24 hours of physician prescribed treatment.

Injuries that happen at home should be taken care of prior to returning to school, along with a physician’s note with instructions and limitations if needed.  If your child has an outpatient procedure or surgery, you must provide a physician’s certificate stating when they can safely return to school and with any limitations/instructions. In all cases, the school nurse is the final arbiter and, if necessary in discussion with the Vice Principal, will signal when the child is “safe” to return to school.

Immunizations

The Health Authority of Abu Dhabi (HAAD) promotes a successful immunization program and is free from vaccine-preventable diseases. Parents are required to submit applicable vaccination documents to the School Nurse (or registrar) for record purposes. Any parent, who wishes to discuss their child’s immunizations with the school nurse, is welcome to do so. As per HAAD recommendation the school age vaccination will be in grade one regardless of the age of the students.

As per the HAAD recommendations students will receive following vaccinations:

• Grade 1 students - DPT-5th dose, OPV-5ht dose, MMR- 2nd dose and Varicella- 2 doses; those who didn’t receive MMR vaccine at grade 1 will receive it in school as per the consent as MMR defaulters; 

• Grade 11 – DT, OPV and HPV-3 doses (HPV only for Females). These are administered by School health department at schools as per the schedule. 

When the school academic year starts, we will send the consent forms to the parents of the concerned classes as per the request from the school health department. As per the consent forms we receive, only SEHA will administer the vaccination at schools. All the parents should send a copy of the vaccination record at the time of admission itself and those who took any vaccination during their school year please update it to the clinic. 

Health Screenings

Per HAAD, the clinic promotes the screenings which are recommended annually.  This consent form is part of the annual school health forms, which is given out at the beginning of the school year. Please refer to that form with specific guidelines for your child’s grade.

Helpful Reminders

• Encourage your child to eat a healthy breakfast every day before school.

• Make sure your child gets 8 or more hours of sleep each night.

• Always send your child to school with a refillable water bottle.

• Sneakers or tennis shoes are required for participation and safety in PE.

• Encourage good hand-washing; 

• The school has a “No Hat, No Play” policy and heat stress- air quality policy.

• Please inform the school if your child has any allergies.  Any food brought in must be free of nuts/nut products. 

FORMS NEEDED

This is a friendly reminder that all families, especially our new families, need to return the following forms to our Clinic:

• HAAD Screening Consent Form

• Emergency Care Information

• Health Information (Pages 1 and 2)

• Medication Authorization

Should you have any questions, please contact our Nurses at nurse_gaa@gemsedu.com.