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What does the school nurse do besides give out bandaids & ice packs?
What does the school nurse do besides give out bandaids & ice packs?
In Maine, the school nurse is a Registered Nurse (RN), licensed by the State Board of Nursing, that has received certification from the Maine Department of Education. A school nurse can strengthen and help facilitate the educational process by improving and supporting the health and well-being of students. School nurse's work focuses not only on the prevention and treatment of illness, but also the early identification and intervention of various health problems. A school nurse is uniquely qualified and knowledgeable to be a wonderful resource for teachers, students, families, and communities.
On any given day, you might find our school nurse:
Assessing and following up on acute and chronic health issues of students
Screening students vision and hearing
Administering medications and treatments to students
Tracking student immunizations
Supporting students and staff in choices that promote health and wellness
Managing and reporting communicable diseases in the school
Writing and revising school health policies to reflect best evidence-based nursing practice
Managing medical emergencies for students and staff at the school
Providing staff education (e.g. training staff regarding student’s health issues and educating staff on Emergency Procedure requirements)
Coordinating and collaborating with parents, community health providers, and others, to ensure students are safe, healthy, and ready for learning
NOTES FROM THE NURSE
NOTES FROM THE NURSE
Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year the health office at River View Community Schoolwill be asking parents and medical providers to complete a medication in school form for all medications administered at school. This form will allow parents and medical providers to easily fill in all information required by Maine Law and MSAD11 policy for the administration of medication in schools. Parents/Guardians can access the form by clicking on the Health Forms tab at the top of this page or it can be picked up from the health office.
STUDENT ILLNESS AND DISMISAL
STUDENT ILLNESS AND DISMISAL
Please do not send your child to school if they are not well. Students that become ill during the school day will be assessed by the school nurse and receive appropriate care and supervision in the nurse’s office. A parent or responsible adult listed on the Emergency Information form will be contacted if the student needs to go home. Your child may return to school once symptoms have resolved, this includes being fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication.
In accordance with Maine Department of Health and Human Services guidelines from the Center for Disease Control, a child should not attend school or will be dismissed if the student has one or more of the following symptoms:
Fever: a fever is defined as having an body temperature of 100.0 degrees or higher.
Diarrhea: frequent passage of watery, loose bowel movements within 24 hours prior to the start of school.
Vomiting: within 24 hours prior to the start of school.
Nasal Discharge: green or yellow mucous accompanied by a fever.
Severe coughing: persistent coughing causing child to not be able to concentrate on work.
Sore Throat: if accompanied by a fever or if child is unable to eat or swallow.
Ear ache: if accompanied by a fever or if child is in moderate to severe pain.
Possible conjunctivitis: red eye with mucous drainage. If conjunctivitis is confirmed students need to be on antibiotics for 24 hours before returning to school.
Rash: unexplained rash with fever or if rash is open and draining. Child can return to school once a physician has determined the illness is not contagious and fever is gone.
Strep Throat: need to be fever free and on antibiotics for 24 hours.
Impetigo: needs to be on antibiotics for 24 hours, if not on antibiotics lesions should be dry and not draining.
Play is often talked about as if it was a relief from serious learning, but for children, play is serious learning play is really the work of childhood. -Fred Rodgers
Meet your school nurse
Meet your school nurse
About me
Monica Jimenez, RN mjimenez@msad11.org
207.582.3402
I began working at River View Community School in April of 2023 when my family and I moved to the area. I have a Bachelor's in Nursing from Saint Joseph's College of Maine and have worked as a nurse for the past 18 years, five of those years in the school setting. I have experience working with students from preschool through high school, in both general and special education settings.
HEALTH SCREENINGS
HEALTH SCREENINGS
The school nurse works to support the healthy growth and development of our students. Health screenings for vision and hearing are done at intervals recommended by the State of Maine.
Vision- both near and distance, is screened in grades K, 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9.
Re-screening can be done, at any time, by teacher or family request.
Hearing- high and low frequency, is screened in grades K, 1, 3 and 5.
Parents will be notified by the school nurse if the screening results are outside the normal range. The school nurse can assist with resources for eye exams and obtaining glasses.
IMMUNIZATION INFORMATION
IMMUNIZATION INFORMATION
All children enrolled in a public or private school in Maine must have the following immunizations.
Required for Kindergarten entry:
• 5 DTaP (4 DTaP if 4th is given on or after 4th birthday)
• 4 Polio (3 Polio if the 3rd is given on or after the 4th birthday)
• 2 MMR (measles, mumps, rubella)
• 2 Varicella (chickenpox)
Required for PreK entry:
• 4 DTaP
• 3 Polio
• 1 MMR
• 1 Varicella (chickenpox)
If you have any questions regarding immunizations for your student please contact the Health Office, the school nurse has resources to assist parents/guardians on getting your student up to date with immunizations.
Resources
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