As a part of the many jobs of the school nurse, helping to educate and bring attention to health issues. Everything has an awareness day or month, it seems, but sorting through to find things that are appropriate for your school community may be a challenge. The best option is to promote issues that matter to those in your community specifically, but if you’re stumped, we have some ideas for the school year listed below. Continue reading “Monthly Health Theme Ideas for School Nurses”
Year: 2018
A Look Inside Soliant’s 2018 Most Beautiful Hospital in the U.S.
on /The thought of undergoing surgery is scary enough for an adult. Imagine what it’s like for a child. Stark white walls, cold empty hallways, and cramped waiting rooms are far from healing. As patients, a “home away from home” experience is what we want but it’s not always what we get. The people of Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida are doing everything they can to make this experience a reality for children and their families.
What some may consider bells and whistles are just the essentials for Golisano: large televisions and gaming consoles in each room, iPads loaded with kid-friendly games and programs for patients to use, and sleeper sofas so that parents and caregivers can stay the night with their child. Not to mention, all patient rooms are private and designed in a way that nurses can supervise through windows, limiting both noise and interruptions.
“We encourage family-centered care by providing private rooms, including in the NICU. We also have a Ronald McDonald Family Room, which provides free on-the-go meals as well as free laundry services to families,” said Anna Stephanz, BS, CCLS, Certified Child Life Specialist at Golisano. “If a patient is hospitalized during their birthday or a holiday, our child life specialists create a celebratory environment for them.”
Upon arrival at Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida, children are greeted with a stuffed animal. When they get to their rooms, after admission, they get to choose the color of the LED light that lines their windows. Anyone driving by the hospital at night is treated to an ever-changing color pattern, specifically designed for them by the children receiving treatment at Golisano, with in-room LED lighting controlled by the children.
Golisano is more than a place where children get treated. It’s a place where children can feel empowered – where they get to choose. Before surgery, children can choose between four Power Wheel cars as their mode of transportation into the operating room. These cars are more than a novelty – they help ease young patients’ anxieties during separation from their parents.
On top of that, patients get to choose the style and color of their surgical cap. This is the product of a 22-year strong initiative called “Sew Angelic™” created by the caregivers at The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida (now Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida) more than 20 years ago. Through these keepsake caps, perioperative nurses can connect with young patients and help ease their fears. The hats made by Sew Angelic™ have made an incredibly positive impact on patients’ surgical experience to the point that children start looking for their caps upon admission.
From the creators of Sew Angelic™:
“The universally recognized symbol of a nurse is a cap, yet most nurses shed their caps long ago. Perioperative nurses, however, have retained a cap of sorts; our distinctive surgical caps. Through the Sew Angelic™ program, we share the surgical caps that symbolize our continued dedication to compassionate nursing care.”
“The children don’t choose to get sick or to come to the hospital. They do get to choose their surgical cap, the color of the bandage around their IVs, and how they enter the operating room, whether through a wagon or a racecar,” said Sandi Falk, BSN, RN, CNOR, co-creator of the Sew Angelic™ program.
In the most difficult of situations, Golisano has made every effort to allow kids to be kids, to help them cope, and to put their parents at ease. We couldn’t be more excited to name Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida as Soliant’s 2018 Most Beautiful Hospital in the U.S.
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Take a virtual tour of Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida here.
Click here to learn more about Soliant’s Most Beautiful Hospitals in the U.S.
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Questions to Ask Before Hiring a School Nurse
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Interviewing for the role of a school nurse is a bit different than filling any other position in either a healthcare or educational setting. There are a lot of special skills and personality traits that make up a good school nurse and you’ll want to ensure that you’re selecting a candidate that embodies these unique qualities. There are many questions to ask before hiring a school nurse, some of which will be customized to your own district’s needs and policies. Here are a few important questions to ask in a school nurse interview that will help you determine whether you have the right person for the job. Continue reading “Questions to Ask Before Hiring a School Nurse”
A Detailed Look at the Different Types of Special Education
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Special education is a very broad field and has many different specialties. Those who specialize in working with students who have extra challenges may find themselves in a number of different scenarios, depending on the school district or type of school that they are working in. There are six main types of special education within most public-school settings. Continue reading “A Detailed Look at the Different Types of Special Education”
School Psychologist vs School Counselor – What’s the Difference?
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Among the many job titles you come across in the education sector, that of school counselor vs school psychologist often causes a lot of confusion. When most people think of counseling, they think of mental health therapy, so it’s only natural that they associate the role of a psychologist with this position. However, when you’re talking about school-based positions, school counselors and school psychologists often have very different roles and responsibilities. Continue reading “School Psychologist vs School Counselor – What’s the Difference?”
5 Icebreaker Activities for School Psychologists
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Though summer is here, the next school year is always lingering at the back of the mind of most school psychologists. You may be thinking about what new challenges will pop up over the summer or be on the lookout for new activities that you can use to help your students. As icebreaker activities will be a great asset as the school year begins and everyone is trying to develop relationships with new students or those who are facing new situations in their lives, we have gathered a few activity ideas that might help you get the school year started off right.
Continue reading “5 Icebreaker Activities for School Psychologists”