SCHOOL NURSES -- MUCH MORE THAN TAKING CARE OF BOO-BOOS

Liking children seems to be a prerequisite for school nurses.

"I enjoy working with the kids," said Gladys Chambers, a licensed practical nurse who has been the school nurse at Chaffee for 22 years.

"Kindergarten kids don't mind seeing me since I don't give shots," Chambers added. "They seem relieved when they learn that."

"I love this job. I love the kids," said Jeanne Heise, a registered nurse who is in her 16th year at Cape Girardeau Central High School.

Heise visits classrooms as an educator about three to four times each year and serves as a resource person for the teachers all the time. She sees about 50 students on an average day, mostly sophomores to seniors.

Jan Davis, registered nurse, is serving her fourth year as Scott City's school nurse. Since the Scott City elementary and high schools are connected, she sees an equal number of younger and older pupils.

"I think I'm a little kid in a big body," Davis said in a humorous tone. "I like to have fun. When the kids need a friend, that's what they get. When I need to be professional, that's what I am."

As a part-time cardiac care nurse, Davis said she takes care of "broken hearts" in more ways than one. She often lends the students a shoulder to cry on or words of advice.

"A lot of the students need some emotional support, a little counseling -- someone to talk to," said Davis. "I listen a lot. Communication is so important, both with students and parents."

Heise said she does a "lot of listening" as a school nurse who works primarily with teen-agers. "There are lots of emotional problems," she said. "Stress is getting to be a bigger factor among the students.

"So many kids are working these days," she added. "I know one student who works a full-time job besides going to school."

For many of her high school students, the normal life of a teen-ager has disappeared, Heise said. "They're more often like adult lives these days," she said, especially when there is a teen pregnancy involved.

"We have some married students, some single mothers and some living on their own," Heise said. Getting pregnant may be the "in thing" to do, she said, with both teen-age mothers and fathers coming from all socio-economic classes.

"Babies, diapers, jobs -- they complicate lives when the teens also have to be in school," Heise said. "It's extremely difficult to take care of a baby and go to school at the same time.

"AIDS hasn't stopped kids from having sex," Heise said. The danger from AIDS won't "hit home" until some of the students' friends die from the disease, she said. She has referred students for AIDS testing when appropriate, she said.

Heise doesn't think condoms should be distributed at schools.

"Schools are not the place," she said. "That type of birth control is readily available." The family planning clinic through the county health center is one such place.

"Be prepared or don't do it" is Heise's message when counseling students about having sex. Heise said she doesn't buy the idea that sex has to be spontaneous. "I think kids need to plan ahead for this kind of action and be responsible."

Keeping records is a growing part of their regular duties, the three nurses said.

Chambers mentioned increased paperwork as one of the changing trends she has seen in her 22 years as a school nurse.

"There are tons and tons of paperwork," Heise said. "The main focus this year has been that immunizations were required from day one of attendance. That's something that school nurses had been working to implement for years."

Heise tracks students on a daily basis for needed booster shots. She also tracks the medical conditions of students who might require special attention at times, such as those with diabetes or epilepsy and those on chemotherapy or a drug program. She gives teachers a confidential list with suggestions on how these conditions need to be handled.

Davis has a computer on her desk that she uses to record each student's visit. She can list the condition, what action she takes or suggests and record it all as part of the student's health information.

"School nursing is what you want it to be," Davis said. "You can be a Band-Aid nurse or a health educator."

As with any job, a nurse's attitude toward the position makes quite a difference in how the work is done, she said.

To be a health educator, Davis said she uses screening techniques to assess and evaluate students' health and developmental status. She also believes in a team approach, providing her expertise to supplement the curriculum and giving teachers current and accurate resource material.

As one of five nurses in the Cape Girardeau public school system, Heise said the job is unique. "You don't know what you'll face from day to day," she said.

Tough situations that might arise include child abuse or neglect, cases that call for crisis intervention and emotional problems that require community counseling.

Heise said that being a phone call away from the medical resources in the community is helpful. Heise said she has found excellent cooperation with those in the local medical community.