Kelciera works in the Float Pool at St. Louis Children's Hospital, and she was willing to work as the Healthy Kids, Healthy Minds school nurse at a St. Louis Public School (SLPS) as well. When she shadowed me at the school I could tell she really had a passion for pediatrics, not just in the hospital but also in our community. She learns very quickly, had excellent questions and really took charge of the daily work of a school nurse. Kelciera was able to take on this new role for about 2 months with this new program, and in that time, she was able to create a safe environment for the children of this inner-city school. In particular, two brothers with severe ADHD who had behavioral issues at school almost every day were able to function so much better after Kelciera became the school nurse.
Kelciera developed a trusting relationship with both brothers over this 2-month time frame; she spent time with the brothers in the nursing office while they ate breakfast before school. She invited them into her warm and caring environment where she would talk to them and make sure they were eating a good breakfast. Both boys get their ADHD meds in the morning and at noon, and prior to Kelciera's presence at this school, the children were defiant and often times would either not get their medications at all or it would be a "fight". Often times the boys would just run down the hallway or need to be accompanied by a teacher/staff member who was holding on to them, so they could not run away. Kelciera made time for these boys and let them know she cared about them; she advocated for them to school staff and was able to get the children to cooperate.
Kelciera established a routine with expectations that the boys could be her "helper" in the nurse's office before school started after they had eaten their breakfast. During the day, Kelciera made her office the "safe" place and if one of these boys felt like he was going to "meltdown" the teacher allowed him to go to Kelciera's office for some "time out".
As a result, their behavior changed dramatically so they could participate fully in class and feel better about themselves. Each child was then able to come to the school nurse office by himself for his 0800 and noon medication without an adult and take their medications easily. Kelciera also trained school staff to administer the medications as per Saint Louis Public Schools policy in case the school nurse was not there. She was able to collaborate with the principal and school staff to support her efforts in changing the behavior of the brothers. It was amazing to see how well behaved these 2 students became after gaining the trust of Kelciera, like night and day! What a blessing that Kelciera intervened on behalf of these two boys whose behavior made the school day so challenging for them and the staff. Now, these two students can be involved in more activities and enjoy their time in school.
She demonstrated the following, aligning with St. Louis Children's Hospital Superior Patient Experience.
Safe care: these students were at risk of hurting themselves as well as staff who were trying to get them to take their medications; the change in behavior resulted in the safety for the child and staff.
Effective care: Kelciera explained the rules of the nurse's office and encouraged the kids to follow these rules, and by creating a safe/trusting environment she was able to give the medications effectively every day.
Exceptional environment: Kelciera created this school nurse environment where the kids felt safe and loved.