I am the only nurse for a 2 school district (approx 800 students). We have a high mobility rate and are in a low income community. Prior to my hire last year, the district had never employeed a professional nurse. I have spent the last 2 years getting the district compliant as well as advocating for a second nurse. Our BOE does not see the necessity of hiring a second nurse, while the sup states that she does, but she tells me that her hands are tied.
Currently, I am in charge of mantaining all district wide state mandated paperwork (physicals, immunizations, dentals, eye exams), health plans district wide, IEP/504s district wide, recovering our failed hearing and vision screening program district wide, coordinating mobile health clinics district wide, maintaining emergency medications district wide, as well as maintaining the health office/stuent visits of 1 school. There is a health aid/secretary who is in the health office of the other school, whose respnosibility consists of student visits (which includes giving medications, care of a diabetic, and health assessments, which is not a part of her job description) and secretarial duties. I have to run much of what I do past administration before I do so (including self advocating to get a lunch break).
Although I am professionally responsible for both schools, I am aloted an hour a week to be at the other school unless I have a substitute nurse available to sit in my office at my main school. I have been named on documents and received calls from parents stating they have talked to me, when it was truly the health aid at the other school.
When I met with my administration regarding my concerns a few months back, we brainstromed some ideas to take some some of the load off of my plate. For example, the clearical stuff, like having someone else enter in the physical/immunization data into the computer for me and tag teaming with a secretary who is certified in hearing and vision (we would work together to complete the screenings, but I would take over the lead and follow up of the program). Both of those things were agreed upon during that meeting. They have recently been put back on my plate "to keep things accurate and consistent." More recently, I've started to get the "this needs to be done in a more timely manner next year" comments.
I feel like I am drowning and I also feel that the district is putting the student's health at risk as well as myself and the health aid at legal risk (although I'm constantly reassured that admin is assuming that liability). I can't decide if they just don't get it or if they are setting me up for failure. Do I stand a chance on convincing them somehow that I can't do it alone? I do enjoy the school where I am located at, but I am reaching my breaking point. I don't know where to go from here. Does anyone have any advice or thoughts for me?