Quotes from the Front Lines: School nursing isn't all 'bellyaches and band-aids'

While some may perceive being a school nurse as one of the easier jobs in the medical field, one Texas nurse says her experience has been entirely the opposite.

Sherri Nischbach, RN, is a school nurse at Bennett Elementary School in McKinney, Texas. She told the McKinney Courier-Gazette she was surprised by how difficult a school nurse's job can be because every child's treatment is so individualized. She said the most difficult aspect of the job is working within a child's financial capabilities while also providing them the care they need.

"I always thought school nursing, that would be so easy. But that was a huge awakening because there are so many kids there ... there are so many things that you deal with. You would think that whole misconception like it's bellyaches and Band-Aids. It's the opposite because you're keeping up with everybody's immunizations … you're doing hearing and vision screenings, and then [there are the] kids who can't afford glasses [and] you go above and beyond to try to help those families get those kids glasses. It's the same thing with dental stuff[;] they don't have insurance, they don't have CHIP or Medicaid. So then it becomes individualized. You're dealing with kids with life-threatening allergies and diabetes and seizures. This is not what people think it is. We do treat bellyaches and give out Band-Aids, but there's so much more to the scope of it that I never realized."

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If you would like to contribute a quote for this series, please email Alyssa Rege at arege@beckershealthcare.com to be featured in "Quotes from the Front Line," a daily series that highlights the joys and the frustrations medical personnel face daily while on the job.

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