Focus on TUSD - April/May 2008

Nursing Their Careers
National Nurse's Day May 7 celebrates contributions to children
When Sara Little and Monica Valencia come to work every day, they never know what they'll find.

They staff student health services at Catalina Magnet High School, where they serve about 1,900 students at the 3645 E. Pima St. campus. Here's an overview of their work:

• Treating cuts and bruises
• Assisting diabetic students with insulin.
• Administering tube feedings
• Dispensing medications for stomachaches and headaches
• Helping with seizure control
• Administering hearing and vision tests
• Providing immunizations, a growing need for a school with students from many places around the world.
• Helping with tracheotomy care and bladder catheterizations.
• Training the staff
• Giving advice on nutrition.

And those are just the situations they know will occur. Sometimes they call 9-1-1 for back up, such as for the football player who broke some bones when he tripped and fell. They've needed emergency help with respiratory distress and have called Child Protective Service for assaults and other situations.

With her first year at Catalina nearly over, Little, who is a registered nurse, is still enthusiastic. "I love it," she said. "I've found my calling. I'll never do anything else."

Valencia backed her up. "It's anything and everything, but we can handle it," she said.

She and Valencia, who is in her second year at Catalina as a licensed practical nurse, offer calm reassurance when students and staff are distressed. Beverly J. Cox, the health assistant greets and registers students at the door.

Students are seen in the treatment room. For privacy, curtains can be drawn around a four-bed separate area. Another small room with no windows can be darkened for students who have conditions such as migraine headaches.

Catalina is the only TUSD school with two nurses. The rest of the District high schools have one nurse each. Middle and elementary schools share nurses. Little said Catalina has two nurses because of its high number of special need students, more than 300 among its total enrollment.

But even with two nurses on staff, Catalina keeps its nurses busy. "We never take lunch," Little said. "We eat on the run. Sometimes we both answer emergency calls and our health assistant monitors the situation and handles communications between us."

The nurses said they work closely with school social workers and school psychologists. They also work closely with each other. "We have a diverse population and it helps to have another nurse to consult with," Valencia said.

National Nurse's Day - May 7

-- By Sharon Dunham
Communications & Media Relations

Photos in the April issue by Jes Ruvalcaba of Communications & Media Relations, unless otherwise noted.

The deadline to submit material for the May Focus is Friday, May 16. The Focus will be published Tuesday, May 27. Email submissions to Chyrl Hill Lander or Sharon Dunham in the Communications & Media Relations Department or use the online Tip Sheet.