Doesn’t it feel like it was just the last day of school? Well the summer is just about over and it’s that time again; time to prepare for the upcoming school year. School nurses have a lot to do before the start of school, and Horizon Healthcare Staffing is here to help you prepare with the ultimate back to school checklist for school nurses. The school nursing office should be organized and ready for students. How you set it up depends on your district / supervisor. Some schools and districts have set rules. While other districts let the nurses have autonomy to organize how they see fit. Just remember nurses, all school districts are different and this is just a guideline.

1. First things first – you want to set up your desk and office space. After being gone for 2+ months, your area might be a bit dusty and dirty. Get those cleaning products out and clean your area. It’s important to start the school year fresh.

2. You most likely received supplies for the year in the summer. You are going to want to unpack, organize, inventory, and put those supplies away.

3. Make sure you have a substitute nurse book prepared and up to date with correct contact information for school support staff. The book should also include students who receive PRN medication and standing orders.

4. Get familiar with your forms. The more you know, the faster you go!

5. Every year school districts receive new students into their schools. It’s important that you identify these students and find out if they have any allergies or conditions that need monitoring or the types of medications they receive. The last thing you want is to not be prepared when an emergency happens because you did not do your homework. One school nurse kept the glucagon out of the double locked medication cabinet. She chose to put it in a manila envelope in the locked file cabinet under each child’s name. This way in case of an emergency, she can have a staff member get the glucagon without her having to leave the child.

6. You will need to identify students that require your attention. Whether it is diabetes, allergies, or asthma, it is your responsibility to be informed about each student’s IEP / health concerns.

7. For those students that are at risk for emergency conditions, prepare a plan. We can’t stress enough how vital preparation is. Find out who your support team is, have there been any changes made over the summer. In the case of an emergency, who responds? Who gets the AED?