School Nurses Wear Many Hats

Janis Surratt, RN has seen a lot in her 13 years as a school nurse for GCS.  Currently, she is the nurse for Triangle Lake Montessori, Union Hill Elementary, Ragsdale High and Jamestown Middle.  The different schools allow her access to working with children of all ages from pre-K to seniors and all types of conditions.  
 

School nurses are needed more than ever, and she reports seeing an increase of chronic illness, in particular, juvenile diabetes. “I have eight diabetics that I keep close tabs on, with the youngest one in middle school,” said Surratt. “We give them their shots, calculate their carbohydrate intake, check their blood sugar frequently and monitor their insulin doses.”  This often means that school staff has to be trained to deal with children with special needs and chronic conditions since the nurse can’t be in the school every day. 

Surratt, like, most nurses wears many hats depending on school resources and need.  Being tuned into children is essential. Surratt noticed that a child had dilated pupils, and it turned out that the cause was a tumor. The child had surgery and recovered.

“Sometimes we have to do hard things that people don’t like, but we work on behalf of the child and do what is best for them,” said Surratt. “We are surrogate parents to many children.  We love our job, and somehow it seems to get done!”

Rebecca Van der Sommen  (Deane), RN and Connie Jones, RN have 45 years between them as school nurses at Gateway Education Center. Rebecca clocks in with almost 19 years, and Connie Jones has been at Gateway for 26 years.  Both women have worked only with developmentally disabled students.  Students at Gateway are severely, physically and mentally disabled, and many are in wheelchairs. 

These women are crucial for the daily needs and well-being of Gateway students.  Some of the needs at Gateway include students on daily or “as needed” medications, rectal Diastat for seizures, breathing treatments, Epi-pens and insulin.  Gateway also has students on tube feedings.

“We both really love our jobs and the children we work with,” said Vandersommen.  “If we didn’t, we wouldn’t have stayed this long!  Our wish is that in our lifetimes, we will see a nurse in every school, full-time, in North Carolina.”

For many children, the school nurse is their link to health and the difference between having a good day and a bad day.  For these students, school nurses are heroes.