They’ve treated thousands of runny noses and tended to many banged up knees. For the nurses who provide care in the Natrona County School District, their jobs are much more than handing over a tissue or applying a bandage. National School Nurses Day is May 8, 2013. This year’s theme, “Advocacy, Access, Achievement: Leading the Way,” showcases how significant a school nurse is for the health of our children.  

Within the Natrona County School District, 20 nurses provide care to the students and staff. Four of these nurses have master’s degrees in nursing and nine of them are Nationally Certified School Nurses. During the 2011-12 school year, NCSD's nurses had over 113,000 student contacts. These contacts include everything from treating illnesses to promotion of healthy lifestyles to saving lives.

 

School nurses play a valuable role in promoting prevention and wellness. A healthy child is a learning child. School nurses are often the first interaction with a sick child and often the first line of defense.

 

NCSD’s nurses have also provided care and consults more than 3-thousand times to staff during the 11-12 school year. They worked in cooperation with the local health department to ensure compliance on the state’s mandate for chickenpox vaccination.

 

“Providing world class nursing care to our students and staff is our top priority. We are committed to the District’s goal of Safe and Healthy People by maintaining environments that are physically and mentally safe and healthy for everyone,” said Suzey Delger, MSN, FNP-c, Nursing Coordinator, NCSD.

 

The district’s nurses continue their learning journey as some of them attended the National Nurses Association of School Nurses Annual Conference, the Denver Children’s Annual Pediatric Community and School Health Conference, the Wyoming Meth Conference, and Wyoming Medical Center’s Emergency Nurse Pediatric Course.

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