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Everyday Heroes

School Nurse Day 2025: Paving the Path from Passion to Profession

We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to school nurses for the incredible work you do each day. Your role is vital in protecting the health and well-being of students across our schools. Whether you're administering medication, treating injuries, offering emotional support, or promoting healthy habits, your dedication is truly invaluable.

In honor of School Nurse Day, we asked you to share what inspired you to become a school nurse or the moment you knew this profession was meant for you. Your stories gave us a deeper appreciation for the powerful impact you have on students’ lives. Below are just a few of the wonderful responses we received.

What paved your path to school nursing?

  • “I decided to become a school nurse because I never had a safe person to help me learn about my body growing up. I strive to be a known, safe person to the children in the schools I work at and teach them to advocate for themselves so they can feel empowered to care for their bodies in a healthy way.” - Chelsea W.
  • “When I was 14, I had a strep infection and was hospitalized. I saw nurses taking great care of me. They were thoughtful and kind when I was apprehensive about being in the hospital. I knew from then on that I wanted to be a nurse! Being a school nurse was a great way to inspire other kids to go into this profession as well.” – Marjorie B.
  • “My school nurse from high school inspired me to become a school nurse. I was a 'nurse’s assistant' to her during my study period and learned a lot about school nursing and what they do which inspired to go to nursing school when I graduated and follow my dream of being a school nurse!” – Caitlin J.
  • “What inspired me to become a school nurse was the positive impact a school nurse had on me during my own time as a student. I remember feeling anxious and overwhelmed some days, and she was always a calm, caring presence. Her ability to make students feel seen, safe and supported left a lasting impression on me. I realized how important it is to have someone like that in school setting, and I knew I wanted to be that person for others.” – Dolores G.
  • “I truly enjoy working with children, and I believe that becoming a school nurse is one of the best ways to make a meaningful impact in their lives. Interacting with children from ages 3 to 13 brings me immense joy and fulfillment. They are our future, and it is our responsibility to provide them with the best and safest care possible in schools. By doing so, we help pave the way for their success both academically and in life.” – Delia M.
  • “I was an oncology nurse for years and was facilitating a monthly cancer survivors' support group at the hospital that I worked at. One of the patients that came was a retired school nurse. She led me to look in school nursing; I have been a school nurse for 8 years now and am glad that I made the career change! I love serving the students, families, and staff.” – Jamie H.
  • “My great grandmother was a nurse and she used to let me look at her nursing books when I was young. I was so intrigued with them at such an early age and watching her in her uniform. I started saying then that I wanted to be a nurse. As I grew older, I continued with that passion. When she passed, she left me her books. I still have them to this day and love my passion and drive for nursing. I owe it all to her.” – Racheal T.
  • “My passion for caring for the students in a holistic way. If they need comfort when they're away from their parents or fell on the playground, I want to be a safe place where they can come to talk, rest or get an ice pack. For the older students who might be struggling in middle school with friends or figuring out this new phase of life, I want to be a place they can come for reassurance. Meeting the needs of every student where they are is why I became a school nurse.” – Katie B.
  • “Being a mom myself, I wanted to be the advocate, protector, and safe place for students while they are at school. In order to create the ideal environment for learning, students and their families must feel safe and well taken care of. I just want to provide that for my students as I would want someone to care for my own children.” – Kaitlin H.
  • “I was inspired to work in school health because I believe every person deserves to feel loved, seen, and valued. I want every student and staff member to know they are important and that they matter. It only takes one caring adult to change the trajectory of a child's life, helping them find success, confidence, and purpose. Being that supportive presence for others is my passion and my calling.” – Kelly W.

Posted in School Health and Everyday Heroes

School Nurse Day 2024: Encouraging the Next Generation of School Nurses

We want to express our sincere appreciation for the incredible efforts of school nurses. Every day, you play a vital role in ensuring the health and well-being of students in our schools. From administering medications and treating injuries to providing emotional support and promoting healthy habits, your dedication knows no bounds.

This past week, we asked you to share your experiences, advice, and best practices to help empower the next generation of school nurses. Your responses gave us even more insight into how essential you are for nurturing students’ health and well-being.

Below are just some of the submissions we received.

What Would You Like to Share with Future School Nurses?

“Each student is unique.  Each student has their own story and their own history.  Even the frequent flyers are searching for something. It may be your touch, tone of your voice, or calmness of your clinic that brings them some comfort and peace. The days get hectic, but you are making a difference in each of these students’ lives.” – Dawn P.

“In school nursing, compassion with consistency is key. Each student that walks into your office has a story beyond the one that brought them to you. Be kind, be empathetic, and listen to them. Follow up on the issues that you see, call home when you have concerns, and use your resources. Sometimes all it takes is one person to take the extra step to make a huge difference in a child's life, and that one person could be you!” – Casey R.

“Get to know the students and staff outside of the health office. Take some time visiting the cafeteria during lunchtime, show up at the student’s after school activities, volunteer to be on committees. We are all so busy every day, but every so often, leave the office (even five minutes  every other week), to walk around and be present in the school. Getting to know the community you work in gives a whole new perspective to the students you care for.” – Katie P.

“School nursing is a specialty with many unique challenges and rewards. Realize that you will not know everything on day one, day 50, or day 2,000. Trust your training and experience. Connect with other school nurses, mentor when you can, and ask for help when you need it. You got this!” – Rebekkah D.

“When you are feeling overwhelmed between paperwork, screenings, and students coming into the office, take time to reground yourself. Remind yourself daily why you are here and who you are here to help.” -Alison S.

“Be patient, calm, and listen.  Sometimes we feel hurried to get through a checklist of "must-dos" and may miss an opportunity to impact a student's life or academic success.” – Colleen H.

Posted in School Health and Everyday Heroes

School Health Services Give Children a Bright Future

Shared with permission from the Healthy Schools Campaign.


Mary Ellen Barkman, the Medicaid Coordinator for Pinellas County Schools, the eighth largest school district in Florida, is passionate about their vision screening program. “We’re saving children’s lives,” she says.


Spot Vision ScreenerFor instance, last year, there was a new student in the district, a recent immigrant from Egypt who spoke only Arabic. Her teacher struggled to reach her and felt that beyond the language issue, the girl must have some cognitive problems. As part of her special education evaluation, she was tested with one of the district’s new Spot Vision Screeners. This quick screen showed that she had a serious muscle problem that caused triple vision. After she received the specialized prism glasses she needed and hearing aids for her hearing loss, she was at grade level within a year. “Without those screenings she may not have been able to reach her fullest potential,” Barkman says. “With help, children can have such a bright future.”


The district’s investment in spot screeners is the result of careful analysis of the district’s needs. Several years ago, school health services managers reported to Barkman that there was an issue with the district’s protocol for vision screenings. They were inefficient and time consuming, and they simply didn’t work for students who couldn’t talk or who had trouble sitting still or following instructions—often the very students who needed accurate screenings the most. The district researched many options and settled on Spot Vision Screeners, which work by taking a picture of the child’s eye and using it to screen for visual acuity, muscle imbalance and tumors. In fact, in the first year of using the screeners, the district identified a serious tumor in a student that had been missed by his primary care doctor. The machine creates a printout for parents that explains any follow-up services their child needs, and the district has formed partnerships with a vision van, local optometrists and the Lion’s Club to provide services for children who need follow-up services after screenings. And because the screeners are so easy to use, the district’s vision teams can make much more efficient use of their nurses to follow up with students who fail the screenings, rather than having to do the screenings themselves.


Barkman and the Pinellas County Schools team have woven together many different funding streams to build this unique program including Medicaid funding for the actual Spot Vision Screeners. Most of the funding comes from effective maximization of Medicaid billable services, such as Physical and Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Nursing, Social Work, Psychology and Transportation and Administrative Claiming. Half of the reimbursement dollars are given to her program to spend on priorities they identify. The other half goes to operating to offset salary costs of billing providers. Because of this, Barkman works hard with her practitioners to make sure they are billing for all eligible services and maximizing Administrative Claiming reimbursement. They even developed their own electronic documentation system to make this easier. Over five years, the district has increased Medicaid revenue by $1.7 million to increase resources for students.


What’s next for Pinellas County? One priority is developing a micro-credentialing system for the one-on-one assistants who work with children with multiple challenges, to give them skills for physically transferring the children, feeding, seizure monitoring, CPR and social supports. Medicaid will support an increase in their salary after achieving the credential, which will allow them to be Medicaid-claimable health assistants. This invests Medicaid dollars directly into something that meets the needs of some of the district’s most vulnerable students.


“The key is out of the box thinking,” Barkman says, “and the box has gotten smaller.” She continues to look for ways to leverage whatever funding is available. “It’s such a blessing to be able to help a child reach their fullest potential. It’s important that people understand how important the Medicaid dollars are to that,” Barkman says.

Posted in School Health, Hearing Screening, Early Childhood, Vision Screening and Everyday Heroes

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