School nurses in high demand as students return to classrooms
They're a first line of defense as students return to classrooms this fall.
NBC 10 News learned certified school nurse-teachers in Rhode Island are even more in demand now than before the COVID-19 pandemic began, with school districts competing to fill positions before students return.
NBC 10 reached out to superintendents across Rhode Island to ask whether they had one nurse per school, as state regulations require. North Providence, Jamestown, South Kingstown, Cranston, Burrillville, and Coventry all said they needed to hire at least one additional nurse in the next few days and were actively trying to fill the positions.
"I am short one elementary school nurse and one middle school nurse and have not been able to fill those positions as yet," Joseph Goho, North Providence superintendent, told NBC 10 in an email.
Coventry originally had all nurse positions filled as of last week. Then, this week, Superintendent Craig Levis told NBC 10 in an email, "We just lost one nurse today to another district. Ugh."
At Westerly Middle School, nurse-teacher Michelle Iacoi will be back at school this fall and ready to use what she’s learned during the pandemic so far to keep everyone at school safe once again this year.
"Last year at this time, it was a virus that we were afraid of. Now, it's a virus that we know how to mitigate," Iacoi said.
A big part of mitigation is universal masking, now mandated for schools across both Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Iacoi is president-elect of the Rhode Island School Nurse-Teacher Association, which supports the decision.
"Because the virus is spread by respiratory droplets, and kids -- are right in your face. That's the great thing about being with kids. They're right in your face," Iacoi said.
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NBC 10 also spoke with Linda Mendonca, State School Nurse Consultant at the Rhode Island Department of Health and a nursing professor at Rhode Island College.
"I'm a little biased, of course. I say that school nurses are the heart of the school community," Mendonca said.
Nurses serve as not just the heart, but eyes on the ground with a real-time view of conditions at schools, Mendoncwea said, something that goes beyond physical health.
"It's really important as we head back to this new school year that we have an awareness around our students', and our staff's, mental health," she said.
How can parents help get the school year off to a smooth start?
Public health experts say if your child is 12 or older and not yet vaccinated, start that process now. Many districts are sponsoring clinics to make it convenient. Nurses say they're happy to answer any questions kids or parents may have about COVID-19 vaccines.
"If we can open the doors in September to full, in-person learning, and everyone stays home when they're sick, and gets tested, I think we're going to have another great year," Iacoi said.
