A day in the life of a school health nurse

Registered nurses Daria Del Prete, Cheryl Schroeder, Clare Sullivan, and Patti Scott all work with the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing School Health Program. They work in two Nashville elementary schools that serve primarily inner-city children who face many barriers to health care. Many of these school-children have special needs, including complex medical, social, emotional, and learning problems that require a variety of nursing and case management services during the school day. Current staffing at the health centers allows for full-time nursing coverage at each site. Some days, a school nurse and nurse practitioner work together. Other days, there is just a nurse or nurse practitioner working alone. This article is a composite of a typical day at the Fall-Hamilton Elementary School with a school nurse (Cheryl Schroeder) and pediatric nurse practitioner (Patti Scott) working together. (All students names have been changed.)