2023-04-25 23:36:36
School nursing, which ensures health in any school, is gaining prominence. Not only does it take care of the students, it also promotes healthy habits on hygiene and prevention measures for Covid-19 and, of course, pays special attention to pathologies such as diabetes, flu, allergies or asthma.
Natividad López, president of the National and International Association of School Nursing (AMECE), dissects the distribution in Spain: «The number of school nurses is very uneven depending on the autonomous communities (CCAA.). In Madrid there are almost 900 between public, private and subsidized schools, both special education and ordinary. In the other CCAAs there are only nurses in some public schools for special education and in private ones. And there is punctually in some ordinary centers direct attention to students with chronic complexity -he assures-. Last January, in the Canary Islands Community, 20 nurses landed in schools through a pilot project that we hope will continue.
Value added
School nurses provide added value, as students, their families and teachers are much calmer. “Schools with nurses are in high demand, they favor the work-life balance of parents and reduce school absenteeism,” says Natividad López.
Lucía Herrero, pedagogical director of the Colegio Chesterton, exemplifies the functions: «When she arrives in the morning, this professional checks the menus for the day, paying special attention to intolerant and allergic students. She checks the families’ emails, go to class to follow up of the students who have been sick or have some kind of treatment, it is reported if there are no children and the reasons to assess whether to act in any specific way».
«In addition, -adds Herrero- they care for minors with a chronic illness or health need throughout the day. He also goes to the dining room so that the service can take place without incidents and, if there are any, act with the greatest speed».
The casuistry includes minor incidents such as headaches, stomach aches, fever… to less minor ones, such as falls, fractures; and serious, such as asthmatic and epileptic crises, anaphylactic shock, choking, head trauma and cardiorespiratory arrest.
“A school nurse can triple the interventions of a health center,” says Jesús Ruiz, CEO of School Nurses, who clarifies that “in Spain there is no specific school nursing training. What has occurred is a boom in courses, masters and postgraduate courses. Although they are not mandatory, they must be valued for hiring.
No specific legislation
In our country there is no legislation that regulates this profession in the school, which causes a legal and regulatory vacuum that the Departments of Education of the different autonomous communities they try to alleviate One of the problems facing the sector is intrusion. “Recently, a gardening company set up a supposed medical service, from someone who came twice a week and was an assistant, who was also assigned to also do prevention,” denounces Ruiz.
The CEO of School Nurse laments the lack of political commitment: «Where some rule, the opposites support it, and vice versa. They do not agree They usually implement what I call the ‘Murcian model’, which is to put a nurse who walks through schools. This should not be considered school nursing », she concludes.
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