Schools short on nurse care

Study says state is 30th in nation

By Trisha Marczak (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published 12:00 p.m., August 22, 2008

Minnesota students may not be getting the medical attention they need at school. That’s the word from a non-profit Minnesota think tank that released a report Thursday revealing the growing student to school nurse ratio gap across the state.

Minnesota schools rank 30th in the nation in regards to student-nurse ratio numbers, with roughly 1,400 students having access to one school nurse. That’s compared with the national average of 750 students per nurse.

The Fergus Falls District fell well below with one Registered Nurse working on behalf of 2,372 students.. Although the numbers may seem grim, Fergus Falls Secondary School Principal Dean Monke said the district is looking to hire a Licensed Practical Nurse to assist within the schools. The district is also partnering with Lakeland Mental Health Center to provide additional mental health care to students.

Much of the Minnesota 20 20 report’s findings were the result of a non-scientific survey conducted with cooperation from school nurses around the state, both rural and metro. According to feedback, 80.9 percent of those who responded said they feel there is a school nurse shortage and 81.6 percent blame the shortage on a lack of school funding.

The cut-back in school nurses is coming at a tough time, says Sue Will, life long nurse and former president of the School Nurse Organization of Minnesota, as data shows more children than ever are affected with mental illness, asthma and diabetes.

“The experts are telling us that the needs of our students across the state are not being met,” Will said.

The report also details the importance school nurses play in the role of preventative health care.

“They are on the front line of health care prevention. They are the first to see a problem and might be able to spot a new wave of illness or epidemic. The fact that we don’t have them there is a major problem,” said Matt Entenza, Board Chair of Minnesota 20 20.

The lack of school nurses available to students has meant that secretaries and teachers aides have been picking up the slack. That’s the case in the Fergus Falls District, where faculty members have been trained in First Aid and CPR.

The 14-page report created primarily by John Fitzgerald, a former education reporter, suggests methods for healing the growing school nurse problem, pointing out that a $0.01 targeted revenue enhancement on all carbonated beverages sold in Minnesota would accumulate enough funds to hire and maintain 600 additional school nurses.

According to Minnesota 20 20 Director of Communication Glen Fladeboe, that is only one of many possibilities that could help ease the situation. The report has been distributed to Minnesota policy makers.

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