IT'S SCHOOL NURSES DAY; NURSES DO MORE THAN JUST PUT ON BAND-AIDS

Before the school day was two hours old, school nurse Janet Watkins had seen 15 children with ailments ranging from sore throats and stomach aches to chicken pox.

In the meantime, she also wrote an assortment of reports and planned an afternoon class for sixth graders about the changes under way in their bodies.

Today is School Nurses Day, a day set aside to honor those who nurse cuts and bruises, ease test- taking butterflies and provide a little tender loving care when needed.

Watkins is one of the Cape Girardeau Public School District's five school nurses. Each nurse covers two schools. Watkins works at Alma Schrader and Washington elementary schools.

"A lot of people think all we do is put on Band-Aids," Watkins said. "We do put on Band-Aids, but we sure do a lot more. I guess we're kind of Jacks-of-all-trades."

Dealing with children requires a tender touch sometimes, she said. "Especially with the kindergarteners and first and second graders, when their tummy aches they want mom. And other times, the kids just need a little extra squeeze from somebody."

School nurses are responsible for health screenings, health counseling, providing information on nutrition, hygiene and disease prevention for students, parents and staff.

They sometimes are the first health-care professional a child sees with an illness and refer children to appropriate health care professionals or community agencies.

They also become part of some children's health-care routine.

"We have several students who are diabetic and must be monitored closely," Watkins said.

Nurses help children with asthma inhalers and even respiratory therapy. They also dispense prescribed medications during the day.

"We also do wellness activities for teachers," Watkins said.

During the day, a teacher or other staff member might stop by to have his or her blood pressure checked. The nurses also encourage staff members to participate in exercise programs. Watkins is planning a presentation for teachers about breast self-examination.

The nurses are members of the district drug prevention teams.

In addition to nursing duties, school nurses have an added educational component to their jobs.

"We get in the classroom whenever we can. Teachers call on us to do all sorts of different programs. I do a dental program dressed in a tooth costume. I'm a giant molar."

She has provided classes on personal hygiene and safety.

"Last week I did a program on staying healthy and talked with the children about washing their hands. I showed them the equipment I use in my office and we all listened to our heart beats."

She teaches maturation and also a lesson on AIDS for sixth grade students.

At the secondary level, nurses teach CPR classes and have support groups for pregnant teens.

And Watkins said, school nurses complete a lot of paper work. "We must document everything we do with the students."

In addition, nurses monitor student compliance with state immunization laws and maintain other health records.

"We screen all the records every year to make sure all the students are in compliance," Watkins said. "The first month of schools, that is about all we do get children in compliance."

If children are not current on immunization, they cannot attend school, according to state law.

Watkins, who also works part time at a hospital, said the paper work at both jobs is about the same.

"I like working with the children here. And generally the things we see at school are things we can do something about. We can help. That's what makes this job so wonderful."