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WCSD Salutes the Invaluable Work of School Nurses
WCSD Salutes the Invaluable Work of School Nurses
Reno, NV. (May 12, 2021) – The Washoe County School District (WCSD) is recognizing the crucial work of school nurses on National School Nurse Day on May 12. The contributions of school nurses are important every day, and the COVID-19 pandemic has served to highlight the training and dedication that have supported the health and welfare of WCSD students and staff members since March 2020.
“We are deeply grateful to our school nurses who stepped up to the challenges we faced as a District this year,” said WCSD Board President Dr. Angie Taylor. “They were uniquely qualified to help all of us understand and cope with the ramifications of the COVID pandemic in our school communities and helped us learn about keeping school families as safe as possible while welcoming students and staff back to class. They played a pivotal role in opening our doors and keeping them open this year.”
“Our school nurses lend their expertise to us every year, all year long, taking care of our students and staff with skill and compassion,” said WCSD Superintendent Dr. Kristen McNeill. “But they have gone far above and beyond during the COVID pandemic, and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude for their outstanding guidance and support as we navigated this health challenge. Our nurses have taken on many more duties in addition to their day-to-day work in our schools, helping to support our educational mission while watching over the health and safety of our students and staff members. They also spent many, many hours providing COVID vaccines to staff members at our Points of Distribution (PODs). I am grateful for their truly amazing work and incredible dedication to us all.”
“Our school nurses have a passion for helping students meet their potential in school with support for students with medical needs and students who may just need a supportive voice when they come into the clinic,” said Jennifer Crane, M.Ed., M.S.N., R.N., assistant director of WCSD Student Health Services. “School nurses help with our District mission of anticipating, preventing, and removing health barriers to learning whenever possible. COVID has created some barriers but our school nurses have learned how to deal with them and keep staff and students safe.”
WCSD School nurses are required to have a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing and be licensed by the Nevada State Board of Nursing and the Nevada Department of Education. Typically, school nurses cover a number of schools, tending to students with daily medical needs including diabetes care, medication administration, and other procedures. They also respond to accidents that may occur during the school day.
National School Nurse Day was first set aside to honor school nurses in 1972 and was designed to foster a better understanding of the role school nurses play in the educational setting. School nurses teach healthy behaviors and play a crucial role in supporting the health and well-being of our nation’s 50 million school children to ensure they are ready to learn.
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