There are so many times that I can recall when people find out that I am a school nurse, their response is “wow, what a perfect job...you are off all summer”. Well this summer was what most would consider my first summer off in many years; however, are school nurses ever actually off?
Recently, I wanted to take advantage of a gift certificate for a manicure and pedicure during my summer break that a student had given me at the end of the school year that came along with a thoughtful note. I have never been to this particular salon before, but it was located right down the street from my school. When I arrived, the owner was welcoming and held a friendly conversation despite it being laced with a heavy Vietnamese accent. He asked about my family and where I worked with a type of wholesome curiosity, so I felt comfortable enough to share my family information and that I was the nurse from the local school. From that point on, he proudly shared with me that he was the father of 3 children, ages 6, 5 and 3 and delighted in telling me about all of their different personalities, accomplishments and activities. Mid-way through the pedicure, this father began to share that he had some concern about his youngest child not speaking as of yet, despite that he was about to turn 4 the following month. This parent expressed his worries about his son's language delay because he was aware of his other children’s language being comparatively further along at the same age. I spent some time reassuring him and inquired about what his pediatrician recommended when he discussed these concerns with him. This parent told me that at his 3 year old wellness visit, which was almost a year prior, his doctor agreed that his son was experiencing a language delay and told him to write a letter to the school which this father shamefully admitted he had not written as of yet. I spent my salon time encouraging the owner to have the child evaluated for the delays, especially knowing that the earlier these interventions are put in place, the more successful these young students’ outcomes are, particularly with students that have English as a second language. With some additional prompting, the barrier to care became apparent, the father only knew how to write in Vietnamese. The writing of the letter to request educational services was perceived by the parent as a hopeless, obstacle and delayed this child from receiving services for close to a year.
After my nails were dried, I spent the time writing a letter for him that requested a special education evaluation for his child and made a phone call to the Child Study Team secretary to expect this letter, made an appointment and gave specific directions with the name of the person to talk to when he arrived at the school. It was so upsetting to me that his health care provider recognized the need for services, but lacked the intuition that this parent may need support negotiating the educational system. In the mere time it took for a mani-pedi, I was able to provide guidance, advocate and perform care coordination for this parent and student who may not have even entered the school setting until kindergarten because of linguistic difficulties. With that said, I have to end this blog reporting that both the father and I experienced the best mani-pedi in quite a long time. So again, I ask are school nurses ever actually off?