Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) – Guide for the School Nurse

When I was in grade school (150 years ago) there was this friend of mine…a foreign exchange student…who could fold both of his legs behind his head in a very “impressive” nature. I remember how “freaky” he looked all folded up like that. There he was standing at 4 ½ feet and could twist himself down to about 2 ¼

COVID-19 Will Change School Nursing – Article 2 of 2

The other day I did a poll on the Go See The Nurse Facebook Page. I asked the question, “What are you doing while the kids are "home schooling?" Two choices were presented as pictures: a school house and a private home. I was both shocked and...well...not shocked at the same time. 94% of those school nurses who responded were

COVID-19 Will Change School Nursing – Article 1 of 2

What Is Going On ‘Round Here! Remember back in the fall and early winter when everyone was gearing up for the flu season? I sure do (for more reasons than one). And now...nothing. As a matter of fact, I have not heard one IOTA about the flu, pertussis, measles or anything else other than COVID-19. The Facebook posts and news and

A School Nurse’s Guide to Surviving the “Fear” of the Coronavirus

Folks Have Lost Their Minds No, this is not a guide to keeping the Corona virus out of your school. We already have that guide: Step 1) Wash Your Hands Step 2) Don’t Touch Your FaceStep 3) Stay home if you feel sick Yes, yes, there is more to it than just that. However, the truth of the matter is that folks usually fail

Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) – A School Nurse Guide

My head’s spinning!! ...And, with a new group of children comes a new group of conditions. Like my students with Cerebral Creatine Deficiency Syndromes (CCDS), Phenylketonuria (PKU), and Posterior Urethral Valves (PUV), a child with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) has landed under my care (poor child). Just the name itself gives us a ton of information: Congenital (existing at or dating from

School Nurse Flu Season Survival Guide

Flu Season and School Nurses are Scrambling I get a call from one of my old schools with no school nurse the other day, “Nurse Kevin, how do we know when we should close school because of the flu?” WOW! That was a great question. And my response was simple. “It’s at the point where administration is asking the ‘close the

Cerebral Creatine Deficiency Syndromes (CCDS) – The School Nurse Guide

Cerebral Creatine Deficiency Syndromes (CCDS)

Nurse Kevin! What’s up with all the rare ailments you’ve been writing about?? Rare? What do you mean, rare? This school year seems to be the lottery school year for me; I’ve got a whole array of children with ailments that I ain’t ever, never seen (or even heard of). And, if you’re anything like me, you haven’t heard about

Phenylketonuria (PKU) – The School Nurse Guide

Years ago I was a phlebotomist. Yep. I was in nursing school back in 1994 and picked up a job at the local hospital for $4.50 per hour. I was green, as green as they come...my son would refer to me a “noob” if phlebotomist were video gamers. My job was to gather urines from the floors (having been collected

Vision Screening – The School Nurse Guide

The school year is progressing along lickety split! We've been back to school for 94 days and have 197 left until summer break... including weekends and holidays...not that I'm counting or anything like that. Allergies...CHECK! Immunizations…CHECK! Vision screening... CHECK! What's next? Follow-ups for sure (with puberty class lingering). You can tell I am a school nurse for elementary school students.

Kawasaki Disease – The School Nurse Guide

Kawasaki Disease

I don’t care how long you do something — you never master it completely...and this nursing gig ain’t no different. Who has ever heard of Kawasaki Syndrome or Kawasaki Disease? Nah, me neither. But good thing you’re reading this article; now you’ve heard of it. This is a rare disease. Compared to the 3 million people who get the flu each