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From 2007 until 2022, Buena Vista City Public Schools had one nurse coordinator overseeing the district’s four schools. In recent years, Sara Kelly has taken on that role.
However, as the 20222023 school year began, BVCPS received grant funding for a new nurse’s position, which has been filled by Jo Beth Broughman.
At the February meeting of the Buena Vista School Board, Kelly and Broughman briefed the Board on the responsibilities and duties they undertake as the BVCPS nurses. Between the district’s four schools, the duo has their hands full.
“I have to say, I don’t know how she did this prior to [my employment],” Broughman said of Kelly. “I have a pediatric and longterm care background, so I’m used to staying busy and honestly when I took this position, I didn’t think I would be as busy as I have been. It’s a lot to keep up with. Not all of it’s difficult. At the elementary schools a lot of it is Band-aids and icepacks and booboos, but on the back side of it I honestly don’t know how she kept up with all of the requirements for every student.”
With Broughman working primarily at Kling Elementary School and Parry McCluer Middle School and Kelly at Enderly Heights Elementary School and Parry McCluer High School, the nurses have managed to divide and conquer.
Broughman and Kelly gather detailed records and documents for each student’s cumulative health folder. These folders hold students’ birth certificates, medical history, health care plan, immunizations, and medications, said Broughman in their presentation to the Board. While constantly reviewing student files, assuring that the information meets mandates and codes of the Virginia Department of Education, the nurses have to personally contact parents or guardians for any outstanding documents.
Broughman and Kelly regularly meet with parents and health care providers to obtain school management plans and documentation for student-specific accommodations or exclusions that students may require, Broughman said.
To adequately prepare for any and all medical situations, the nurses regularly review their inventory and restock when needed. They prepare medications, EPI pens, Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), and with respect to the opioid epidemic and recent overdoses within Virginia schools, Narcan, used to combat an opioid-induced overdose. Broughman and Kelly take records detailing when, why, and how the medicine was used, which they use in their report to the VDOE.
Within the school year, Broughman and Kelly conduct hearing and vision screenings and send home referrals upon their findings. They also organize and host various clinics that give students free access to medical entities. Partnering with the Rockbridge Area Health Center and local pharmacies, the nurses conduct two flu shot clinics in the fall and spring, Kelly told the Board. They also conduct training sessions to educate district employees on how to handle emergency medical situations.
The medical field is constantly evolving and the VDOE is regularly altering its district requirements. Broughman and Kelly study new information as it comes out, and they attend monthly VDOE school nurse meetings, monthly threat assessment meetings, and child study, IEP, and 504 informational meetings, they explained. They are both actively involved on the school wellness committee maintaining a close relationship with district colleagues in the nutrition and food service departments.
Broughman and Kelly are always on the clock. They don’t have a scheduled downtime or planning period as students fluctuate in and out of the clinic throughout the day with various needs from blood pressure and blood sugar regulating to asthma, food allergies, and routine medications.
“Some students it’s minimal care and it’s fine, but with other students it takes up a lot of our time for various reasons,” Kelly commented.
She continued, “Duties and tasks have to be planned around the expectation of being interrupted and having to be rescheduled all together. We have to be ready to go to another quickly if needed and always ready to handle an emergency if one arises.”
Broughman and Kelly hope the BVCPS continues to fund the second nurse position in order to adequately perform all of their responsibilities and to provide the healthiest possible environment for students.
