How The School Nurse Used DonorsChoose to Fund a Relaxation Room for Students; especially those with anxiety. + This post contains affiliate links. + Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip: Anxiety is a mental health issue that affects many people, including teenagers. Actually, anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorders among teenagers.  Approximately 1 in 3 teenagers experiences some form of anxiety during their teenage years. Read on to see how I used a DonorsChoose project to create a Relaxation Room for my students who experience anxiety during the school day ..read more

Templates For A Meet The School Nurse Letter + This post contains affiliate links. + Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip: Many school nurse enjoy creating "Meet the School Nurse" letters for the beginning of the year. Guess what?  I'm not one of them, but I wrote this blog post for those of you who are :) Why create a Meet The School Nurse Letter There are quite a few reasons that creating a Meet The School Nurse letter is an excellent idea. I just don't do it because I use this instead! However, many school nurses prefer a simplified one page meet the school nurse letter and h ..read more

A brief overview of IHPs & School Nurses + This post contains affiliate links. + Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip: Are you interested in learning more about IHPs; what they are, how to write them, and how to save time writing them?  If so, then this DOASN blog post is for you- keep reading... IHP Overview IHP is an abbreviation for the common school nurse term "Individualized Healthcare Plan". Real quick, The terms "health care" and "healthcare" are often used interchangeably, but there is a subtle difference in meaning between the two terms. The word phrase "health care ..read more

School Nurse Bulletin Boards + This post contains affiliate links. + Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip: When planning a school nurse bulletin board, it is important to keep the purpose, audience, timeliness, and interactivity in mind. By doing so, the bulletin board can be a valuable tool for promoting health & wellness within the school community. I don't do bulletin boards, but if I did this post contains some really great ideas! Things to Consider when Planning a School Nurse Bulletin Board When planning a school nurse bulletin board, there are several things to consider in o ..read more

Advice For New School Nurses + This post contains affiliate links. + Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip: A new career as a school nurse can be daunting, but it can also be an exciting opportunity for growth and fulfillment. I'll post links below to relevant DOASN blog posts that will help you get started on your journey. Remember, starting a new career takes time and effort, but with dedication and perseverance, you can find a fulfilling and rewarding path. Welcome to the world of school nursing! Dear new school nurse, On behalf of other school nurses, I want to extend a warm ..read more

Air Purifier, Otoscope, & Plant IV Bags DonorsChoose- Project SEVEN + This post contains affiliate links. + Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip: I use DonorsChoose to supplement my school nurse budget and I hope by reading this blog post you'll see how easy it can be for you to use it too. start your very own project HERE About This Project Clean Air & Ears I loved the huge air purifier I received with my fully funded project six so much that I decided my office spaces needed two smaller versions!  We are going to use these in our treatment / cot rooms; the rooms where ..read more

School Nurse Profession Development DonorsChoose- Project FIVE + This post contains affiliate links. + Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip: I have a decent budget for the year for school nurse medical supplies, but my budget for professional develop courses or books is very limited. Read on to see how I supplemented what I was given by using DonorsChoose and hopefully you can too!   What I Ordered! I really wanted to purchase some professional development type books, but I didn't have money in my school budget and I didn't want to spend my personal money (this time) for these item ..read more

DonorsChoose Project THREE Vital Signs + This post contains affiliate links. + Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip: I really wanted to update my vital sign assessment tools and wondered if I would be successful with a DonorsChoose project. I was & I hope you can too! Vital Signs- New Assessment Tools Taking vital signs is a basic nursing skill all of us learned in nursing school. This data is helpful during the information gathering phase of your assessment. Having up-to-date and working assessment tools can make your job as a school nurse much easier. Here is a list of new tools I ..read more

DonorsChoose Fully Funded Project ONE Health & Safety Items for The School Nurse + This post contains affiliate links + Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip: One of the most common questions asked is "How do I get the funds to purchase school nurse office supplies?". Many times, my answer is DonorsChoose and maybe (I hope) it can be your answer too? start your very own project HERE During the middle of the COVID19 pandemic I learned about the funding source DonorsChoose from a participant of The School Nurse Facebook groups (public school nurse Fb group, pr ..read more

Ice, Ice Baby This post contains affiliate links.  Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip:  Believe it or not the topic of ice packs is one of the most talked about topics within The School Nurse Fb groups!  My best advice is for you to have a consistent routine that works best with your school nurse office and your students. Let's explore some popular opinions on ice! Ice Protocol Every school nurse's office should have protocols to follow for certain situations; even when and how to use ice packs. There might be exceptions to protocols at times, but remember to be consis ..read more