Teacher's orders: "open your mouth and say "ah"?

Teacher's orders: "open your mouth and say "ah"? NOW MAY NOT BE A GOOD TIME to get sick if you're a kid. Asdistricts across the country face nurse shortages--and spread thin thenurses they do have across multiple schools--many are turning to anunsettling un��set��tle?v. un��set��tled, un��set��tling, un��set��tlesv.tr.1. To displace from a settled condition; disrupt.2. To make uneasy; disturb.v.intr. line of defense to provide care for students: teachers. Not only teachers but an increasing number of nurse's aides,teacher's aides and secretaries are carrying out the dutiestypically reserved for school nurses, and they're having to do alot more than just dole out Verb 1. dole out - administer or bestow, as in small portions; "administer critical remarks to everyone present"; "dole out some money"; "shell out pocket money for the children"; "deal a blow to someone"; "the machine dispenses soft drinks" aspirin or clean scraped knees. "It really boils down to two things," says Lynn Lanham, aschool nurse at Salem-Keizer (Ore.) Public Schools. "Schools do notpay as much as hospitals, and we are seeing a growing population ofmedically fragile children." In a recent nationwide survey of more than 600 school nurses by theUniversity of Iowa Not to be confused with Iowa State University.The first faculty offered instruction at the University in March 1855 to students in the Old Mechanics Building, situated where Seashore Hall is now. In September 1855, the student body numbered 124, of which, 41 were women. , 75 percent said unlicensed faculty and staffadminister medications to students at their schools, and the changecomes at a time when more students are dealing with serious medicalconditions See carpal tunnel syndrome, computer vision syndrome, dry eyes and deep vein thrombosis. such as diabetes, cerebral palsy cerebral palsy(sərē`brəl pôl`zē), disability caused by brain damage before or during birth or in the first years, resulting in a loss of voluntary muscular control and coordination. and bipolar disorder bipolar disorder,formerly manic-depressive disorderor manic-depression,severe mental disorder involving manic episodes that are usually accompanied by episodes of depression. . The National Association of School Nurses (NASN NASN National Association of School NursesNASN North American Sports Network (TV channel)NASN NOAA/CMDL Air Sampling Network ) cites an"explosion" of asthma, obesity, and exposure to violence andweapons. NASN officials add that across the board there is a rising needfor mental health services health servicesManaged care The benefits covered under a health contract . Federal guidelines recommend that schools employ one nurse forevery 750 students, but NASN says the current average is closer to onenurse per 1,100 students, and even the recommended ratio assumes thatstudents are healthy. Some states such as Oregon are not required by law to have a nursein every school, but lay school employees are required to complete aone-hour class to administer care to a sick child, dispense medicationor evaluate symptoms. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] NASN Executive Director Amy Garcia says 25 percent of U.S. schoolshave no nurse at all, but there are wide disparities in staffing andcare throughout different regions of the country. Regardless of who is administering the care, experts agree that theincrease in chronic conditions and number of students without healthinsurance is giving way to school medical procedures that includeinsulin injections, tube feedings Tube FeedingsDefinitionNutrients, either a special liquid formula or pureed food, are delivered to a patient through a tube directly into the gastrointestinal tract, usually into the stomach or small intestine. and even catheterizations. Garcia says that if there is a national shortage of school nurses,it's more a shortage of funded positions. "Nurses love kids, and many yearn to be in schoolenvironments," she says, but in many places the funding"isn't there." "This is largely a decision made at the local level byadministrators," says Garcia, "and there must be moreengagement." "Public awareness is key," says Lanham. In today'stimes, she says, "nurses should be a priority."AVERAGE STUDENTS PER SCHOOL NURSEBest States Worst StatesVermont (298) Utah (5,539)New Hampshire (376) Michigan (4,274)Washington, D.C. (434) North Dakota (3,888)Source: National Association of School Nurses