Children’s Minnesota was excited to partner with Minneapolis and St. Paul public schools to offer two education sessions to school nurses. The goal of these two virtual events was to prepare school nurses to care for their students both mentally and physically as they start the school year during the COVID pandemic.
The first session was on Sept. 1, titled COVID-19 & Kids: Where we are now, was attended by 195 school nurses. The speakers presented on:
- COVID-19-related clinical trends
- Epidemiological updates
- Known best practices
- Key Messages/information to reinforce in schools
Several experts presented, offering their knowledge and expertise:
- Pam Ross, Director, community health programs
- Aimee Sznewajs, MD, Medical director, department of pediatric hospital medicine
- Joseph Kurland, MPH, CIC, Infection preventionist
- Libbie Tuthill, APRN CNP, Nurse practitioner, Diabetes & Endocrine Clinic
- Dory Baker, APRN CNP, Associate medical director, Asthma Clinic
Play recording (1 hr 56 mins)
Recording password: tDFy2wC6
The second session, titled School Nurses as Champions: Supporting Student Mental Health, was attended by 200 school nurses on Sept. 3. The topics covered included:
- State of the state: What is the mental health of kids as they prepare to return to school (studies, research)?
- Our experience: What are our patients sharing/experiencing about COVID, racial unrest, death of George Floyd? Especially what are we hearing from kids of color?
- Triage: How do you know when a kid is struggling and needs support? What are key questions to ask and responses to listen for?
- Skills: Based resources, what are simple and quick techniques that school RNs can use to support kids in the moment?
- Community resources: in additional to collaborating with school teams, recommended resources for additional support in the community (e.g., Children’s and others)
- Emphasis on known best practices, key messages/information to reinforce in schools
The session presenters of experts include:
- Pam Ross, Director, community health programs
- Pearl Isawumi, Data quality analyst
- Sara Gonzalez, LP, PhD, Psychologist
- Kavita Desai Dekoji, LP, PhD, Psychologist
- Bethaney Kaye, Nurse Practitioner, Integrative Medicine
Play recording (2 hrs 2 mins)
Recording password: pDeJnYM3
For future educational opportunities, visit Children’s Minnesota’s education and training page.
Stephanie Hoff