Students With Specific Health Needs/Issues

[babaz]

Hi There!

I was wondering what you personally do to educate youself when you have a student with a specific health issue that you haven't dealt with in a long time. For example, if you have a new student with (feeding tube, tracheostomy, diabetes, etc) and you want to refresh your memory and skills, how do you prepare yourself? I would like to know everyone's options!

Have a great day

[Allie911]

I am lucky to live in a small town where I can call on the local health clinic and talk with the staff there if I have any questions or need a second opinion. I am also attending the summer conference in Houston this year to help refresh some skills as this past year was my first year as a school nurse I have a lot to learn )

[bergren]

Children's Hospitals often hold skills days for nurses who care for medically fragile students in the communities. Chicago Children's Memorial Hospital is holding one of its "Project School Care" Days at the NASN Conference in Chicago at the end of the month. http://www.nasn.org SInce it is a pre-conference session, you do not need to be signed up for the entire conference to attend. They offer the program a couple times a year.

NASN has HANDS, a workshop for updating school nurses on children with Diabetes. It is being offered in the next month in Chicago, Philadelphia and San Angelo TX. You can contact NASN if you want to have it offered in your community. http://www.nasn.org

In Chicago, it is also a pre-conference session, you do not need to be signed up for the entire conference to attend.

Another strategy that I have used is to ask the parent if I can accompany the family to the physician's or nurse practitioner's office to be taught a high tech procedure and get oriented to the child's machines. I have also attended discharge planning meetings at the hosptial where I was taught a procedure or had a old one refreshed, and visited the home and had one or more sessions with the home health nurse.