Diabetes is quickly becoming a health epidemic among school-aged children. As most schools have to do more with less, the number of kids with diabetes increases while the number of nurses keeps dwindling. This can make routine care for diabetes difficult--leaving it up to the teachers, secretaries or parents to administer the daily tests and injections or to even have adequate time to assist the student in managing diabetes during the school day.
Please share your thoughts, experiences, and concerns.
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5 comments:
I think you are so correct. The school system needs to realize the concerns of the growing number of diabetic students and have QUALIFIED nurses to handle these students. I have a diabetic nephew in the school system in Georgia and at the school he attends they do not have a 'nurse', therefore it is up to the office staff to make sure he gets his insulin. My qustions would be, Would they know how to handle him if he were to go into a diabetic shock?, Would they know how to properly administer his insulin if his sugar was to high or to low?, Would they know what foods to give him to assist the insulin in either raising or lowering his sugar? I really do not think so, with no fault of their, but because they are not qualified nurses, they need to have LPA's or RN's who are trained in the medical field to handle these emergencies.
As an RN the first thing that comes to my mind is liability. Isn't it obvious to a school system that it is leaving itself vulnerable to liability and negligence if it has no qualified health care personnel to care for these students???...Especially if the system was allowing employees without a healthcare license to care for these students. Office personnel and teachers are also opening themselves up to personal lawsuits if they function as healthcare personnel.
What kind of school nursing shortage exists? Is it an actual shortage or is it that systems are arranging their budgets and not alloting for school nurses?
Also don't forget that most of the students being newly diagnosed with diabetes are not insulin dependent diabetics. While non-insulin dependent diabetics still may suffer from same of the symptoms of uncontrolled diabetes, their needs are somewhat different from insulin dependent diabetics. Taking either type into consideration, there is a great deal of diabetes care that is needed in the school system.
Cindy and Holley both make good arguments. There certainly is a shortage of qualified nurses in most school districts to handle medical situations adequately and knowledgeably for students and staff alike. In Georgia, school nurses are funded---inadequately, I might add---through state monies. The problem is that the funding is not adequate to provide nurses at all schools. In my district we have nurses at 3 of the 4 schools. We do not have a nurse at the high school...where we do have concerns about growing pregnancy and drug issues. The district can't seem to find local money to fund this program at the high school level.
I presently have a diabetic student with a pump but then we also have a full time med tech at our middle school. I have been in classrooms/schools with no nurse and have had diabetic students. In this case usually at the beginning of school I discuss the situation with the student/parent and then briefly discuss the situation with the kids. We all watch and are aware of any possible situations. This is NOT the best scenario but it does 2 positive things. It makes the other students realize that the disease is a common part of society and that THEY have a responsibility to support their fellow students.
I grew up with a mother who was a school teacher, a next door neighbor who was a school nurse, and the Superintendent of Schools for the State of Alabama. The problem for the lack of nurses in most states, is the lack of funding provided to schools by the State legislatures. After working for the State of Florida, I have learned this to be as true here as it was in Alabama. Unfortunately, most school systems do not have adequate supplies, materials, or even an adequate budgets to base their needs off of. It is quite sad that States will not realize the need for School Nurses, not only with diabetic children, but with the rising number of autistic and over-weight children throughout the country. It would only seem sensible to for Legislators and other Government Officials to realize the dire need for this service. Right now, it appears that only schools located in wealthy districts, have money for books, computers, nurses, and whatever sports program they fill is most important.
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