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I don’t know about everyone but this school nurse likes to provide little care packages to all the teachers at school for managing minor booboos and issues in class. After all, one of our main goals is to keep butts in seats and not running to the nurse all the time, right?
I have a few different packs that I make up and refill throughout the school year.
The first packs that I make are general classroom first aid kits. I use a gallon size ziplock bag and place inside bandaids, antiseptic wipes, and gloves. This gives the teachers the ability to handle simple cuts and scrapes without sending the student out of the classroom and risking missing valuable learning time. I also include tooth keepers for the lost teeth that aren’t a bloody mess so the teacher can quickly handle that situation.
I have nosebleed kits stored in a few places within my building also – the main office, the lunchroom, and in the lunchroom for the recess aids to access for outside (you can keep the recess kits wherever it’s convenient for your recess aids). These include a gallon ziplock bag that has multiple ziplock sandwich bags containing individual kits. Each kit includes paper towels – bounty or something absorbent, not the brown waterproof ones known to be at schools, gloves for the person helping with the nosebleed, the nose clips for help squeezing the nostrils, and an instruction sheet for nosebleed first aid. This idea is not to prevent students from seeing the nurse for a nosebleed but more to give the adult directly in charge a chance to give the student help immediately and then get the student to the nurse for further assistance if needed. Often I get students who have nosebleeds just walking to my office and bleeding all over which is not necessary at all.
The next kit that I have is a field trip kit. I have string backpacks containing first aid things like bandaids, antiseptic wipes, and gloves but I also include in this one ace bandages, hand sanitizer, and disposable barf bags – my school is K-5 and you know how those little guys can get bus-sick!! I also include a folder with information about using an epi-pen, using an inhaler, first aid for seizures and asthma, and a general first aid guide for the teachers in charge. I don’t go on the field trips but I do like to make sure the staff going in the trips are trained to handle situations. I am including a link below for an Epi-Pen trainer for educating staff to use them.
Aside from all of these kits, I have a first aid kit placed in the main office with the general things – bandaids, antiseptic and gloves, and tooth boxes for lost teeth. In the off chance that I’m not around they can help a student. I also keep a first aid kit in a go bag with the usual stuff plus ace bandages and hand sanitizer for fire drills along with a folder and a pen to record anything that happens outside the building. I also give the Physical education teacher a pre-made first aid kit but also periodically refill his bandaids as I feel like the prepackaged first aid kits tend to have a lot of things we don’t really need (also the PE team should have their own budget to handle that stuff but I’m always willing to help).
So, happy packing! I hope this helps everyone get this task out of the way! Of course students and teachers should consult with the nurse about anything and everything they are concerned about but it’s helpful to everyone when the teachers and staff can handle some things quickly and quietly. Remember that even though kits are provided and education is given that you should be available for further education and assistance.
Scroll down for clickable links to all the items I mentioned! Do you have things that you like to include in your kits? let me know!
School Nurse Headquarters 