School Nurse and Health Services
The Paideia School Nurse office is staffed by Registered Nurses.
The nurses maintain health records, plan and coordinate care for students with chronic health problems, participate in health education, and treat minor injuries and illnesses.
Students who sustain a minor injury are to be seen by the nurse. The nurse will determine the response to the injury. This includes but is not limited to on-site treatment, contacting parents/guardians, and referral to a medical provider or facility. If the student has a life threatening occurrence or injury 911 will be called.
All school students must notify an adult (teacher/specialist) before going to the office. Junior high and high school students will be given a pass, if requested, to return to class. If a student needs to be sent home due to illness or injury, the nurse can release them from the office. Students will be released only to a parent, guardian or an emergency contact, unless other arrangements have been made.
Seasonal Updates
Concussion
January 2012
Happy New Year! I am sure everyone is anxious to start the New Year off right with lots of exercise and eating right. The kids are busy getting back into activities, which is great, but busy for you, too. As the kids are playing they will bump their heads occasionally and we always wonder, "Is this the bump to worry about?" Many kids do suffer concussions and recover easily, but as more is learned about brain injury it has been found that repeated concussions can cause long term problems and that the brain needs adequate rest after any concussion. We want to share some useful information about concussions to help you and us through the process of caring for someone who has hit their head.
If your child reports hitting their head in PE, recess, sports or at home, they may feel a little pain and a little dizzy immediately after the accident. If your child appears okay now, but complains of a little headache, it is important to know the symptoms of a concussion in case any changes occurs. If this happens at school the nurses certainly would call you immediately. Since we are not able to observe your child through the evening, we have listed below the signs and symptoms of a concussion of which you should be aware.
A concussion is an injury to the brain due to a direct or indirect blow to the head. The force of impact causes a metabolic imbalance within the brain at the cellular level. This imbalance is the cause of the symptoms that are experienced.
Recognizing a Possible Concussion
To help recognize a concussion, you should watch for the following two things:
- A forceful blow to the head or body that results in rapid movement of the head.
-and- - Any change in the child's behavior, thinking, or physical functioning. (See the signs and symptoms of concussion.)
Signs and Symptoms
- Certainly after a child hits their head, it may hurt. The symptoms below may indicate that a concussion may have occurred and your child should be seen by a doctor. These symptoms may be immediate or over the next hours to a day later.
Symptoms Reported by the Child
- Headache or "pressure" in head
- Nausea or vomiting
- Balance problems or dizziness
- Double or blurry vision
- Sensitivity to light
- Sensitivity to noise
- Feeling sluggish, hazy, foggy, or groggy
- Concentration or memory problems
- Confusion
- Does not "feel right"
- Sleep problems
- A headache that worsens
- Confusion that worsens
- Difficulty recognizing people or places
- Slurred speech
- Loss of consciousness
- Inability to be awakened
- Vomiting
- Seizures
- Numbness in the arms and/or legs or neck pain (CDC-Injury-Concussion)
- There should be no physical activity of any sort while you are experiencing concussion symptoms. Any activity that increases concussion symptoms or elicits new concussion symptoms is indication that that activity is too much for the injured brain.
- Cognitive activities such as watching TV or movies, playing video games, reading, and school work that increase existing concussion symptoms or elicit new concussion symptoms indicate that those activities are too much for the injured brain.
- Let teachers and counselors know about a concussion so he/she can work out accommodations.
- Discuss class work and assignments with teachers.
- Do not attend physical exercise classes unless permitted by the doctor.
- Avoid Band and Chorus if loud noises worsen symptoms. Talk to teachers or nurse to arrange an appropriate location in which to rest during Band, Orchestra or Chorus.
- Rest in the Clinic if you don't feel well but are not ready to go home.
- Come in late and/or go home early if fatigued.
- Stop all after school activities.
- Do not attend sports practice or games. Even sitting on the bench can be too much activity
- Remain symptom free at rest
- Remain symptom free with activity
When to Seek Emergency Medical Care
It is always prudent to contact your physician if injured. Seek immediate medical care if any of the following symptoms develop:
Medications
Do not take medications without the permission of your health care provider. Be sure to avoid blood thinning medications which include but are not exclusive to ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), Aleve, and aspirin. Also avoid alcohol, any illicit drugs, and medications that cause drowsiness.
Treatment of Concussions
The only treatment for a concussion is rest. The rest must be both physical and cognitive.
Failure to stop activities that increase symptoms or elicit new symptoms can actually slow recovery.
Concussion and School
Because cognitive and physical activities may be too much for the recovering brain, schoolwork may be impacted. Returning to optimal health is the first priority, so getting the prescribed amount of "brain rest" is important , despite concerns about "getting behind". This will allow a quicker recovery.
Each concussion is unique so it is impossible to predict the symptoms or course of recovery. Some concussed individuals are back to100% function in a few days; others take weeks or even months to recover. It is truly a day to day, week to week process. Unfortunately this makes it impossible to tell you how to best manage your school work with a concussion. Below are actions that other students with concussions have found helpful in aiding their recovery.
Possible Actions
Please know that if concessions are made in regard to schoolwork, there also need to be concessions made outside of school. A student should not attend practice, games, dances, retreats, movies, etc. Even home life should be sedate with no video games and minimal or no TV and computer time. There should be an effort made to get extra sleep and rest.
Return to Activity
Once all concussion symptoms have resolved and the health care provider has approved for a return to physical activity, it must be done gradually. There should be a minimum of five days of increasing activity before returning to full, competition level play. Any activity that elicits concussion symptoms indicates that there has not been a full recovery. Stop that activity for the day. The following day, the earlier level activity which did not cause concussion symptoms can be attempted
Day one - light aerobic exercise such as walking for not more than 30 minutes
Day two - jogging for 20 to 30 minutes
Day three - running for 20 to 30 minutes
Day four - sports specific drills
Day five -return to contact sports if you...
The CDC website on concussions has some great resources. http://www.cdc.gov/concussion/
Works Cited
"CDC - Injury - Concussion - Tool Kit for Physicians." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC, 2006. Web. 27 Sept. 2010.