GENERAL SCHOOL NURSE PROGRAM

As of 2004 - 2005, there were seven school nurses in Livingston Parish. Each nurse is responsible for approximately 3,000 students.  The nurses assess and evaluate the total health and developmental status of the students concerning their health needs and problems. This is provided by visual, auditory, dental and orthopedic assessments that are done periodically.

Last year, during the 2004 - 2005 school year, vision screening was performed on approximately 9,421 students in the following grades: Pre-K- K - 1 - 3 - 5 - 7 - 9.  Deficits were found in approximately 941 students who were referred to their private medical physician for treatment. The number of corrections was 349.  The nurses have participated in a program called, Sight for Students, which has provided certificates for free eye exams and glasses for students who qualify for the program.

Hearing screening was done on approximately 8,945 students in the same grades as listed above for vision screenings. Deficits were found in approximately 480 students who were referred to their private physician for treatment where over 275 corrections were made.

Scoliosis screening was done on students in 6^th and 7^th grades.  There were 2,673 students screened, and 147 students were referred for further testing.  Medical attention has already been received by 19 of these students and the remainders are waiting for clinic to be scheduled.

Health education includes all information relating to health in the home, school, and community. The nurse will assist classroom teachers by serving as a consultant, resource person, by participating in team teaching.  In the 2004-2005 sessions, 790 hours of instruction were recorded.  For the 2004-2005 school term, 1,558 female students in the 7^th & 10^th grades were taught the importance, method of self-breast exam, and the necessity of a yearly pap smear.

The nurse will compile and maintain a file of current health education material and assist with in-service health education programs for the staff. Teacher-nurse conferences will be conducted to review the health status of students with health problems. The nurse will assist students and their families to achieve well-being through individual and group counseling.  The nurse contacted parents, performed follow-ups on students with particular problems, and assessed home environment.  The nurse will make referrals of students to appropriate people or agencies when necessary.  The nurses recorded 19,765 office visits, and, 7,892 phone calls (this is a 150% increase over previous years).  Throughout the school year, the nurse will conduct follow-up on all students with suspected defects or problems. In 2004-2005 health counseling conferences were held with 19,437  students, 7,483 parents, and 8,566 staff members (the total number of these conferences increased 70% over last year).

A majority of the increase in the numbers of office visits, student conferences, and phone calls can be attributed to an increase in students with Type 1 Diabetes. Nurses are required to spend many hours treating students with diabetes to allow them to perform at optimal level in the education setting. Nurses are also responsible for total care of these special students through collaboration with students, Para educators, parents, physicians, diabetic educators and administration. The school nurses are observing, training, and supervising the special education aides in special procedures. Some of these procedures are catheterization, suctioning, colostomy care, gastrostomy tube feeding, tracheostomy care and observation of diabetic students. The para educators are trained to monitor blood glucose values, verify the amount of insulin to be injected, checking for ketones and communicating with the RN during diabetic crisis.

Other conditions that require the involvement for the nurse are hemophilia, cystic fibrosis, cerebral palsy, growth deficiencies, asthma, seizures, and severe allergic reactions to stings, children with cancer, muscular dystrophy, arthritis, children on medications, and other health impairments. 

The school district is experiencing an increase in the number of students with special needs and has spent approximately 111 hours participating in the Individual Education Plan team meetings.  Individual Healthcare Plans have been prepared for 440 students in addition to the time spent with IEP teams. All during the school year, the school nurses screened students who are evaluated for special classes. In 2004/2005 students had their vision screened for evaluation.  Medicaid billing and time studies have required approximately 66.5 hours to prepare.

The school nurses hold the primary responsibility for the control of communicable diseases in the schools. This is for the protection of all pupils and school personnel in compliance with the rules and regulations established by the local and state health departments. She will supervise compliance by pupils and parents with immunization and communicable disease laws, regulations, and policies of the state and school district.

The school nurses are responsible for maintaining health records.  A large amount of time is spent updating immunization records on students.  Approximately 661 hours were spent during the past session reviewing the records. A total of 942 students were registered for pre-school round up with the school nurse reviewing immunization records and counseling parents.

The nurses presented two 6-hour workshops to designated staff on administration of medication. One 4-hour workshop was presented to the paraprofessionals on non-complex medical procedures. The nurses also, presented a two-hour first-aid workshop to school bus drivers on three separate days. Nurses have each become certified to teach CPR to our staff and have trained 65 school employees this year. A first-aid class was taught to various school personnel at the beginning of the semester.

School nurses have attended various seminars and workshops to increase their knowledge to better service this school system and students this year. Computer training, eating disorders, vision/hearing workshop, suicide crisis intervention and train the trainer are some of the classes the nurses have participated in during 2004/05 for approximately 540 hours.  Our nurses have spent many hours volunteering and offering services to various organizations in the community that will benefit the students of our district in the future.

Livingston Parish Public Schools Central Office is located in Livingston, Louisiana.
It is a K-12 public school district comprised of 40 schools and 22,236 students.
The purpose of this site is to support the efforts of our teachers and staff as they attempt to
improve student learning through the use of technology. 
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