Bronwyn Patterson

What is your number one concern for this school year?

Safety is always a top priority.  As a Nurse, our training and intuition always goes back to safety. School Safety is incorporated into our daily routines in today’s schools much like recess or lunch. In order to grow and learn, one must feel safe. As a nurse, I am always evaluating protocols/practices related to the student health and well-being. An individual being/feeling safe has a direct impact on their overall health and well-being. What defines a successful day is bringing students to school and returning them to their homes safely and in the same context that they came to us, if not better. Safety and Health are two key words I reference daily as a school nurse.

I’m not sure if this answer would change, since student safety is always your #1 concern, but does that change if you look long term at the strategic vision for the district from your perspective?

You know, looking strategically and in the long term, I would have to say that safety will probably always hold a top priority. The focus area that battles with safety, is overall health and well-being. As I stated previously, they go hand-in-hand.

Obviously, as a society, Mental Health has escalated and the challenges that we’ve been faced with continue to grow. Some of which were there well before COVID, but many of which have been amplified or layered post pandemic. When we’re dealing with a population of youth, we are always working to figure out where there are needs and what we can do within the school setting to get students physically and mentally functioning at their best and to be academically successful. This could look different for students according to their needs.

Can you speak to how you utilize automated communication in accident reports or any other technology you may utilize in your role?

We have 6 school buildings, just over 6,000 students, pre-K through 12th grade. I serve as the District Nurse and we have a full-time nurse at each building. We use an online registration platform, electronic health records, and an online student academic records program. From a PublicSchoolWORKS standpoint, this platform is used routinely by staff for Online Safety Training and Accident Reports.  I receive notification of any event that occurs and is entered in the system, whether it be a staff accident report or a student accident report. Being able to follow and review situations from a distance, allows me to stay informed and involved as needed.

Typically,  the building nurse is assessing and tending to the student and the accident report comes maybe an hour or two later, depending on the time of day/schedule. Staff members are asked to complete the report in a timely manner. It’s nice to reference the report at any time and to go back and to have better insight on things that need to be investigated. The access to this data allows for administration to address any concerns with equipment, building structure and/or outdoor environment. We utilize an online medical charting platform that allows us to document and track clinic visits and note if an Accident Report was filed. Having online technology systems is crucial to looking at student history and care.

Is there anything retention or staff shortage wise that affects you and your role?

In Springboro I’m very fortunate. As you shared, 35% of the population does not have a dedicated nurse in the school building. When I was hired as a clinic nurse in the district, the Health Services department was well established by the previous district leadership. The previous District Nurse had laid a very strong foundation advocating for the importance of having a clinic/health professional in the education setting. We have had a full-time nurse in every building for 17 plus years.

As with any industry there are challenges with staffing at times. I currently have a very dedicated group of nurses that have community ties. I think that in majority of cases, a direct link between the community and the employee is a big factor in the field of school nursing. Hourly pay is not typically a driving factor in why a nurse becomes interested in school nursing.

I feel very strongly that we have an amazing district with great staff and leadership, that often is where that retention piece comes from. Our community supports the schools, our parents support our students and our staff supports each other and goes above and beyond to educate and support our students.

Burnout is real. In the spring I attended a regional, four-county-wide, school nurses meeting.  I found it disheartening the level of support other districts expressed and their experiences shared. The support is not there are varying levels for many working in the education setting. COVID was tough on school nurses. The days were real. The days were long. The appreciation was often minimal, it was just expected. I know personally I spent easily 12 to 14 hours working and gave up things from my personal life to be able to do that. I chose to do this, but I also felt I was receiving enough support to continue doing the job. When communication breaks down and people don’t feel supported, motivation and drive decrease and lead to retention issues.

One of my primary goals as a school nurse leader is to make sure that my nurses/staff know, no matter what, I’ve got their back. I can’t do this alone.

What does Springboro do and what does your team do to support the mental health of students?

As a district, our staff is provided ongoing training each year. Mental Health has been a focus for trainings for staff over the last 10 years. With time, new techniques or platforms are added.

We did a mental health cohort last year as a district, and it included people of varying job descriptions district wide. We had representation from administration, the mental health coordinator, counselors, classroom teachers, certified staff, transportation leadership and myself. It was approached/launched to a small group, with the plan to take it back to our departments/buildings to help our staff in supporting our students in daily interactions.

Ongoing training is crucial. There is always something new to learn or ways to improve your daily job. If you lose sight of the current issues, and do not make changes and grow in your role, they can quickly spiral and become overwhelming to manage.  I feel utilizing a proactive approach to mental health, breaking the stigma and making sure students and families know that we work as a team. Our goal is to make sure students and families are supported and that the school is here to help and provide resources. The team approach in the education setting is not just for those within the walls of the building/school, but also involves the parent, the student, and the community. “It takes a village.” And if we lose sight of the village approach, I think that’s when we struggle the most.  Communication is a key part of the team working with anyone that is dealing with Mental Health challenges.

Social emotional learning plays a big part in student success. What was once viewed as a “tag line” has been studied and established an important foundation for building healthy, successful students. You have to be healthy to learn. If you don’t have that good foundation, you’re not truly healthy, and therefore learning is going to be impacted.

How do you promote the health and safety of student athletes?

As a district nurse, I work closely with our athletic department with regards to the health and safety of our athletes. Our student athletes incorporate students grades 7-12.

I manage the equipment management/maintenance of our AED program.  Over the past 5 years, we have increased our number of units significantly based on the capacity of school/community events and activities. I know the January of 2023 NFL game incident brought a lot of attention to the availability and use of AED’s for athletic events. We were already working in the second of three phases of expanding our AED program prior to this national event and heightened awareness.

Ten years ago, when I started in this role, I believe the number was right around 10 units between our 6 school buildings, but we also have a transportation department, an administrative office, and a facility that is connected to our athletic complex. 10 units between those nine physical locations, was not sufficient.  As of this time, we have 35 units, with 7 of those units being externally.

We use a team approach. The athletic department staff and building administrators and the health services staff follow district guidelines and protocols. If there are direct concerns, potential hazards, or risks they are brought up for discussion and district decisions

Our athletic trainers are employed through Premier Health, which is a local hospital. We currently have 2 athletic trainers assigned to our district. They are on campus every day and their schedules vary based on sports season and daily athletic events calendar.

They manage and oversee the daily needs and care of our student athletes. They have triage kits in their medic bag for emergency situations and handle the care of our students according to their employment and state guidelines. We are also very fortunate that the location of our school campus where majority of our athletic events occur is within close proximity to our local EMS fire department.  Our district works closely with local police and EMS departments in safety preparation and planning. That community support, and the “team approach” that I have referenced throughout this discussion is crucial to our day to day functioning within our district.

It all comes back full circle. We approach things as a Team and our learning never stops!  We have a lot of great staff members, we have good students, but working together as a Team we are able to do Amazing things. Like the saying “no stone unturned”, we work together to make sure that if there is a problem, we are going to solve it. As a nurse, the health and safety of our students, staff and community is always my #1