Amy Reesor is a School Nurse at Oak Grove Lower Elementary School in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Most of her days are incredibly busy.
How does your typical day start?
First thing in the morning, I have student medications - doctor-ordered medications. Then today I had a child on the bus who said she had an upset stomach and thought she was going to throw up.
After that?
I had special needs children who require special procedures that have to be done at school.
Is it just students?
I get to help everybody. It's the staff, too. They bring me their kids to check on.
How do you help?
It’s not just cuts, bruise, illness and fever. There’s also health screenings as well as doing vision, hearing, hemoglobin and physical exams.
How do you see your role?
I truly am here for the benefit of the child whether it be medical attention or just a hug to benefit their productivity. It can take a moment or two to talk to that child to get them back in the classroom for the rest of the day.
How does life as an Australian School Nurse compare? Would you like to share what a day in your life as a School Nurse is like?
How do you go about helping improve the health and wellbeing of students? What’s your biggest challenge? What support do you need to do a better job as a School Nurse?
We’re creating a new feature that recognises and celebrates the good work of School Nurses around Australia. Each month we’d like to interview a dedicated School Nurse.
Ideally the questions and answers will reveal some unexpected insights that will encourage greater communication and benefit other School Nurses.
If you’re interested, please email help@studentfirstaid.com.au to arrange a quick and easy phone interview.