Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/108811
Nurses like McGeough saves students��� lives by connecting them to healthcare providers and requesting that certain diagnostic tests be performed. Colette McGeough is often the ���rst line of defense for students lacking medical insurance. load ��� the Santa Rosa City School District has 30 schools, 16,500 students and 2.8 school nurse positions. It is sometimes overwhelming, she confides. The recommended school nurse to student ratio is 1 nurse to 750 students ��� and 1 nurse to 125-225��students with health problems, according to the National Association of School Nurses. In her jurisdiction are 2,700 students with asthma, 40 students with Type 1 diabetes requiring insulin at school, 102 students with seizures, 100 students with heart conditions, 50 students with life-threatening allergies, and a large special education student population with many requiring daily medical procedures, emergency care plans and staff training. story continued on page 12 11:40 a.m. McGeough confers with special education teachers and classi���ed employees about a student who has become aggressive with ADHD medication. The teacher says the student used to sleep during class time and is angry that he is not allowed to sleep anymore. McGeough asks the teacher to document the change in behavior so it can be presented for medication evaluation. She promises to contact the parents and doctor with the information so they will be aware of the effects the medication has on the student. 11:50 a.m. A student with special needs runs after McGeough and gives her a hug. ���She is a wonderful nurse,��� the girl says. ���The ���rst time I ever hurt my kneecap, she was there for me. There was a lot of pain. Nurse Colette is the best. I want her to be in my wedding.��� ���They love me here,��� McGeough says after the girl returns to class. ���They know I support them and that when I get a case, I never let go of it until it is resolved. I will talk to their parents. I will talk to their doctor. I will do follow-up. I will call an interpreter. I will link them to resources if they don���t have a primary care provider. Students know that they can count on me.��� AN UNDISCLOSED SCHOOL SITE 12:25 p.m. A teacher requests a child���s skin condition be evaluated. There are numerous abrasions covering the student���s arms and legs. McGeough privately assesses the student���s condition and ���nds multiple lesions, most of them scabbed over. She is worried there is a staph infection, which could be dangerous and contagious. She informs the teacher that the child must be sent home until the wounds are evaluated by a doctor and possibly cultured. CALIFORNIA IS 45TH IN THE NATION FOR STUDENTTO-NURSE RATIO, WITH JUST 3,000 SCHOOL NURSES SERVING 6.3 MILLION PUBLIC SCHOOL CHILDREN. 1 p.m. A student���s TB test is positive. The student says she had a chest X-ray and spoke with her doctor, who promised to send the school a note stating she does not have TB. McGeough checks to see if documentation was received. It was not, so the nurse writes an ���exclusion notice��� stating that the student can only return to school with a doctor���s note. The girl is dismayed, but agrees to go home and return to the clinic for the clearance note. February 2013 www.cta.org 11