What If....Thoughts for School Nurse Day, 2005
Gerri Harvey
School Nursing is pretty autonomous as we all know. Working solo has it's plusses, but it also means that we count on others in our field to share ideas, resources and expertise with us. Then, as school nurses, we integrate, adapt and utilize those resources to support and grow our own practices.
Every time I attend an excellent workshop, I thank my lucky stars that this someone was willing to share what they know with me. If that someone is also a full-time school nurse, I stand in awe, for I know how hard school nurses work, and how much extra work it is to prepare a presentation and take the risk of standing up before ones peers to offer it. I know that even if she is being paid a thousand dollars or even two thousand dollars, that it does not even come close to compensating her for the time she has spent preparing, and the years she has spent learning that have lead to her standing up there giving this to all of us. If that school nurse doesn't happen to speak as well as Barbara Walters, I forgive her and love her anyway, knowing that what I take away depends as much on me as on what she is offering. What if no school nurses were willing to do that extra work and take that risk for the benefit the rest of us?
Every time I log on and read listserv messages, perhaps searching for input on a specific topic, I thank my lucky stars that there is a nurse out there who is willing to maintain and moderate that listserv, on top of everything else she does. What if no school nurses were willing to do that extra work for the benefit the rest of us?
Every time I log into the NASN website to search for a Position Statement or some other resource, I thank my lucky stars that there are school nurses just like me, just as busy and overworked as me, possibly even as under-paid as me, volunteering their time to create all of these resources for all of us. What if no school nurses were willing to serve us by giving their time to write these for the rest of us?
Every time I sit with the board of my own state school nurse association, whether we are discussing testimoney we will give against legislation that will hurt kids, planning a conference, writing our newsletter or selecting the School Nurse of the Year, I thank my lucky stars that there are real school nurses volunteering hundreds of hours of their own time for the good of all, to make our jobs easier, more rewarding, more effective. What if no school nurses were willing to serve the rest of us by giving their time in our states?
Every time I read an editorial in the Journal of School Nursing and feel inspired and enlightened by the wisdom, insights, professsionalism and brilliance of the smart nurse editor we have, I thank my lucky stars that a nurse of this calibre is willing to devote this chapter of her life to promoting and supporting the rest of us. Every editorial is a gem, a keeper, and she ensures that every article in each issue is high quality. What if no nurse was willing to serve us by writing and editing such an excellent professional journal?
Each year, on School Nurse Day, we all hope that our schools will recognize us and express their appreciation for all we do. We are warmed when they do and disappointed when they don't. We know how it feels to wonder if anyone notices and appreciates the love, dedication and self we put into our work.
What about those nurses, like those mentioned above, who support you in your role as school nurse? Have you ever expressed your appreciation to them or do they only hear from you when you want something from them or have a criticism or a complaint?
Gandhi said, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." This School Nurse Day, 2005, consider taking a moment to thank those school nurses whose work supports you in your role, whether she fills one of the roles above, or whether she is an instructor, a boss, a colleague, a sub, a board member, a school nurse consultant, or other nurse resource in your life. You have no idea how few take the time to do that.
Because, what if no one was willing....?
