School Nurse Interview Report

I interviewed my previous school nurse, Sherri Vail. She is the full time school nurse for Medomak Valley High School, as well as Medomak Middle School. To become a Registered Nurse, Ms. Vail studied at University of Southern Maine, and received a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Nursing. While the only schooling she needed was a Bachelor’s degree to become a school nurse, she decided to go a different route after becoming an RN. She joined the airforce, and was an active duty Nurse for four years. Then she went on to be Labor and Delivery nurse for around twenty years before becoming a school nurse in 2015. The aspect of being a school nurse that Ms. Vail loves is that she believes that she can make a difference in some student’s lives. On
the other hand, the biggest challenge she believes she has is that the school is understaffed.
She is the only school nurse for the high school and middle school, which combined have around eight hundred students. She would also like to have more time for preventative healthcare such as oral health and sexual health presentations, but again, she is the only nurse for the two schools. Being a school nurse, many daily activities include the same as a nurse at a hospital, except the school nurse is taking care of the students of the school. Ms. Vail takes care of the students with any of their medical needs. For example, she administers medication such as insulin for a student with diabetes, as well as ibuprofen, ice, or other medications. When I was interviewing her, a student came in with a tick in his leg, and she helped him remove it. She can also help students with any panic or anxiety attacks, or other similar affair. Another
important aspect of her job is to coordinate with parents and teachers. She calls a student’s parents when they come in, either to let the parent know the student needs to go home, if he or she needs to see their pediatrician, or just to inform the parents of what happened. If a medical matter is very serious, such as a student coming to the health office with contagious virus, Ms. Vail sends out an Emergent Health Alert to let teachers know what is happening. Though she sends out alerts, she does not have any way of treating a sickness, she can only refer a student to see his or her pediatrician. Other than just the basic daily care and collaborating with parents and teachers, the school offers several other resources. There is an influenza vaccination clinic once a year, as well as a tooth protector clinic once a year. The other resources the school offers through the health office are resources to sexually transmitted diseases and family planning, to the crisis hotline, and there is a social worker on campus. All of these resources are available to any student at the two schools, as well as any staff member that may need it. In regards to healthcare, the school does offer Mainecare to students who do not already have health insurance.
Ms. Vail believed that most of the students had either healthcare through a private company or already had Mainecare and did not need to get it through the school. The school also pays the school nurse. At Medomak Valley, the nurse is on the same pay scale as a teacher. The pay scale is based on seniority, as well as education. Thus, every consecutive year someone works at the school, his or her salary is raised. But, staff members are also paid according to the education they have received. The most common is a bachelor’s degree, but some have received a master’s, and those staff members have a higher salary. Ms. Vail is working on receiving her Master’s of Science in
Nursing. Medomak Valley High School is accredited through the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). But as far as the health office goes, Ms. Vail did not know if the NEASC committee included the health office in their accreditation. The school is also not part of a larger healthcare system. But, Ms. Vail meets with other school nurses from schools that are also located in the midcoast area. During these meeting the nurses discuss new ideas for effective treatment, as well as how they can acquire the supplies they need in the health office according to the budget.