SCHOOL HEALTH NURSING: AN ACT OF HEALTH PRESERVATION IN THE SCHOOL SETTING

KHISSA B. GONZALES, RN Health is one of the primary concerns of individual, from birth to death. From home, community and school, health is the top priority aside from education in any family structure especially here in the Philippines. But how do we monitor the health of children if they are not within the circle of protection at home? How about when they are in school? Are they safe and are they practicing healthy habits in the school grounds? These are some of the questions parents and guardians addresses to themselves to keep the health of their children safe.

To address the concern of parents, school health nurses are on standby to give health priorities to students. Not so many of us are aware on the duties and responsibilities of a school nurse. Though many of us are thinking, maybe that the job of a school nurse is to accept and treat medical problems and casualties among students in the school. The truth is, the role of a school health nurse doesn’t end at the four corners of the school clinic, neither the work of a traditional healthcare provider in school. The duties and responsibilities of a school health nurse had already developed different dimensions and entails specific tasks and objectives centered at the preservation of health in school targeting students, teachers, administrators and other personnel.

School health nurses as per clinical experiences envelopes the different health programs mandated by the Department of Health and the Department of Education. These programs include the complete aspect of health such as physical, emotional, social, psychological and spiritual dimensions. From assessment, implementation to evaluation the duties and responsibilities of a school nurse is not a laughing matter. It is an act of preservation of health addressing the health needs of every individual present in the school.

As a school nurse, a very good assessment skill is imperative in identifying the needs of children primarily their nutritional needs and its impact to their education or studies. By assessing their nutritional needs, a school nurse can recommend several programs aligned to sustain normal body mass index like feeding program, deworming, dental health program, and micronutrient supplementation. Aside from existing school programs, a school health nurse uses valuable resource networking from internal and external stakeholders to maintain the health capacity of the school. By doing so, the resources needed to be allocated are given to the necessary beneficiaries of the program.

Indeed! being a school nurse has its own perks and benefits but what’s most important is that we can make a difference on the lives outside the comfort of each others home.

“Maybe people will think that a school nurse has the most lenient and easy job of all the fields of nursing then think again”.