Welcome!

Alpine School Nurses

Welcome to the website for Alpine School Nurses!  Here we will have information, forms and links to better help our families.

To contact your school nurse please call your school and they will get the message to them, or you can call the Utah County Health Department at 851-7024 and they will page them.

School Nurse Duties
School Nurses are responsible for tracking immunization records, creating health care plans for those students with health concerns, first aid, scoliosis screening in Junior High, vision screening, staff training and wellbeing, health education for students and staff, referrals for community services, maturation programs for 5th and/or 6th grade students, annual OSHA training to staff , filing State required annual resports, and MANY other duties.

 

Accidents/Illness
Please do not send your child to school if he/she has symptoms of illness. If your child becomes ill at school, you will be notified. Your child will rest in the health room until you are able to pick him/her up. We will not send a sick child home alone. The school will attempt to contact the parents first and then others who have been designated on your Health Information form.

Please inform the school if there is a change in your address or phone number. In case of serious accident or illness and we are not able to contact anyone listed on the Health Information form, the school will call paramedics.

Should They Stay or Should They Go?
Children, staff, parents and/or volunteers will be excluded from the classroom if any of the following are noted:

• Fever of 100 degrees or above orally
• Nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain
• Diarrhea-frequent, loose, watery stools
• Unusual drowsiness or tiredness
• Sore throat, acute cold or persistent cough
• Runny nose (thick green/yellow discharge) (non allergenic)
• Red, inflamed or discharging eyes (pink eye) (non allergenic) must be treated with antibiotic drop/ointment for at least 24 hours before returning to school
• Swollen glands around jaws, ears or neck
• Any skin sore oozing of fluid, suspected impetigo  (may have a yellow crusty discharge from sore)
• Suspected head or body lice (untreated)
• Earache
• An unexplained rash
• Symptoms which may suggest an acute illness
  
  Conditions needing treatment with an antibiotic may return to the classroom after at least 24 hours of treatment and a decrease in symptoms.

Health Concerns

If your student has any health concerns (diabetes, asthma, allergies, other chronic health conditions) that need to be addressed please let the school nurse know so that they can have a Health Care Plan in place.

Vision Screening 

The Alpine school nurses conduct vision screening each fall for all kindergarten, 1^st Grade, 3^rd Grade, 5^th Grade,  and 7^th or 8^th Grade students.  Other grades and students may be done at parent or teacher request, or as nurse determines it is needed.  Parents will be notified if their student does not pass the vision screening.

The screening done at school is a simple screening, and should not be considered a full and complete eye examination.  It is always a good idea to have your child see an eye doctor for a more through exam if you suspect any problems with his or her vision.

Scoliosis Screening
The Alpine school nurses will annually conduct scoliosis screenings with parent permission in 7^th and 8^th Grades (and on occasion 9^th Grade) during P.E. classes.  This is done privately in the respective locker rooms by trained professionals. 

The purpose of scoliosis, or postural screening, is to detect signs of spinal curvature at the earliest stages so that the need for treatment can be determined.  Scoliosis is a side-to-side curve of the spine and is the most common spinal abnormality.  It is usually detected in childhood or early adolescence.   Most cases of spinal curvatures are mild and require only ongoing observation by a physician after the diagnosis has been made.  Mild curvatures are often noticeable only to those trained in the detection spinal abnormalities.  Others may become progressively more severe as the child continues to grow.  Early treatment can prevent the development of a severe deformity which can later affect the health and appearance of the child.

You will be notified ONLY if medical follow-up is necessary. This screening does not replace your child's need for regular health care and check-ups.