On June 19, 2020 at Lincoln South Rotary Club we learned about the role of a school nurse - before, during and after the pandemic. Our speaker was School Nurse Ashley DeBrie.
It's not just passing out bandages and watching kids vomit.
During Ashley's presentation we learned that the school nurse supports students, faculty and staff by providing health care - they assess and follow-up for all children in the school. And, it is not just the physical health - it is mental, emotional and social health as well which helps with their development and success.
She told us that they will be the eyes and ears in the schools to watch for COVID-19 symptoms and they are essential to the team working on pandemic preparedness.
Lincoln Public School System school nurses have adopted some models and strategies to improve the health (physical, mental, emotional and social) of the students. Ashley shared a number of statistics about reported health issues and we were able to see the decline in numbers after the introduction of the new processes.
Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is a framework for educators to prioritize students in need of additional supports, use evidence-based practices, and progress monitor with data. Using a 3-tier approach, each students is assured of getting the support that they need.
Tier 1 is universal and is applied to every student. There is emphasis on "Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible". Some things may seem trivial to others, but while they are in the health office they are given positive feedback. To improve behavior, they give 4 positive comments for each piece of constructive feedback. They increase that to 8 to 1 for students with issues.
Examples of Tier 2 support are wellness checks, calming corners, morning triage and check-in / -out, With Tier 3 they may also need a self-harm behavior plan, medical intervention teaching plan and safety plan involvement.
Ashley talked about putting systems and methods in place with the school closure due to the coronavirus. She said that there are a few students that she contacts daily to help keep them on track.They have also continued with student support meetings.
She is part of a task force collaborating to plan for reopening the schools. There will be a multitude of challenges. While at home, the school work was done in a very relaxed atmosphere. Adjusting to a structured day of school will be a challenge. Supporting group sizes and physical distancing will be difficult - not only to ensure there is space to hold the classes and events but also to ensure that the students uphold the guides. Wearing face masks will pose a challenge - some students will not want to wear them and others will have difficulty due to their physical limitations. And, they need to protect the students with compromised health such as asthma or students on ventilators.
The team is focusing on these issues (among others):
Care Coordination - plan for acute respiratory treatment, protocols for assessing suspected COVID-19
Leadership - collaboration with local health officials, parents and staff; advocacy for maintaining immunization requirements in view of heightened anxiety
Quality Improvement - tracking of attendance, sharing data with health officials within confidentiality requirements
Community/Public Health - reduce stigma due to fear and anxiety of COVID-19, help create and maintain a building supporting physical distancing
Ashley's Bio:
I have worked for Lincoln Public Schools as a School Nurse for the last 6 years, serving at the elementary and middle school levels, including one year as the School Nurse for the Independence Academy, formally known as the VOICE program. I was a Team Leader for the last three years, currently serve on the New Staff Orientation Team and our Quality Improvement Professional Learning Community (PLC) team. I am a Nationally Board Certified School Nurse (NCSN) and a continued member of the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) and the Nebraska School Nurse Association (NSNA). I earned my Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in 2011 from Bryan College of Health Sciences.