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The Department of Health Services is under the direction of Sarah Winters, MSN, RN, NCSN. All full-time RCS school nurses Registered Nurses and several are nationally certified school nurses (NCSN).
The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) defines School Nursing below:
School nursing, a specialized practice of nursing, protects and promotes student health, facilitates optimal development, and advances academic success. School nurses, grounded in ethical and evidence-based practice, are the leaders who bridge health care and education, provide care coordination, advocate for quality student-centered care, and collaborate to design systems that allow individuals and communities to develop their full potential. Adopted by the NASN Board of Directors February 2017. https://www.nasn.org/nasn/about-nasn/about
School nurses are responsible for gathering health information for each student in the school system and identifying students' health needs at school. The school nurse communicates with parents regarding the health information received and develops an Individualized Health Care Plan (IHP) for the student based on parent input, orders received from health care providers, and knowledge of the disease process.
The school nurse's primary objective is to improve the health of all students, thereby improving their ability to succeed. The nurses see sick and injured children in the schools and provide health-related services to students with chronic health needs. These services may include diabetic care, gastrostomy tube feedings, urinary catheterizations, and tracheostomy care, among other types of nursing care.
The school nurses train First Responder Team members in First Aid and Heartsaver CPR, which includes defibrillator (AED) training, and they monitor the AED(s) in each of their assigned school(s). They train and monitor the medication administrators in their schools and are the resource persons for annual bloodborne pathogen training. The school nurses also perform scoliosis screenings for sixth graders in the school system in an effort to catch potentially debilitating spinal changes as early as possible.
See below for a list of RCS school nurses and their contact information
Schools | Ext. | Nurses |
Barfield Elem | 22521 | Sara Bailey |
Blackman Elem | 28706 | Mallory Blankenship |
Blackman High | 22912 | Sloan Lowe |
Blackman Middle | 29134 | Kristi Hay |
Brown's Chapel Elem | 30909 | Terri Pigg |
Buchanan Elementary | 25310 | Holly Smith |
Campus School | 26302 | Lisa Hollifield |
Cedar Grove Elem | 22311 | Keisha Newport |
Central Magnet | 23321 | Paige Anderson |
Christiana Elem | 25108 | Kari Mullican |
Christiana Middle | 29720 | Christi Reger |
Daniel McKee | 25500 | Kim Potts |
David Youree Elem | 25704 | Kitty McClellan |
Eagleville | 25913 | Tammy Carroll |
Holloway High | 26121 | Chassidy Allen/Rachel Phimphivong |
John Coleman Elem | 26509 | Sammantha Bailey |
Kittrell Elem | 26711 | Chassidy Allen/Rachel Phimphivong |
Lascassas Elem | 26908 | Brittney Frost |
LaVergne High | 24173 | Rachel Bullard |
LaVergne Lake Elem | 30509 | Angie Dorris |
LaVergne Middle | 29935 | Audra Sparkman |
McFadden Elem | 24905 | Lisa Hollifield |
Oakland High | 23941 | Becky Fuqua |
Oakland Middle | 31112 | Jennifer Allen |
Plainview Elem | 32908 | Barb Herrell |
Riverdale High | 23579 | Juanita Bortnick |
Rock Springs Elem | 23120 | Debbie Shinkle |
Rock Springs Middle | 29335 | Emily Collins |
Rockvale Elem | 27113 | Angie Gillespie |
Rockvale High | 32117 | Lindsey Hernandez |
Rockvale Middle | 30708 | Jamie Williams |
Rocky Fork Elem | 32511 | Amy Butler |
Rocky Fork Middle | 31908 | Nicole McLemore |
Roy Waldron Annex (PK-1) | 24504 | Lisa Nielsen |
Roy Waldron School (2-5) | 24307 | Amber Newell |
Siegel High | 29519 | Allison Wadham |
Siegel Middle | 28512 | Lisa Robert |
Smyrna Elem | 27505 | Sperri Arviso |
Smyrna High | 23716 | Tracy Sissom |
Smyrna Middle | 24706 | Lesa Randolph |
Smyrna Primary | 27710 | Shelly Tilton/Rhonda Cakebread |
Smyrna West | 27907 | Lynn Bridges |
Stewarts Creek Elem | 30308 | Meg Relford |
Stewarts Creek High | 31518 | Sadie Land |
Stewarts Creek Middle | 30108 | Sarah Hanback |
Stewartsboro | 27315 | Amy Vogel |
Thurman Francis | 28111 | Penny Tidwell |
Walter Hill Elem | 28305 | Elizabeth Hazlett |
Whit-Buch Middle | 31312 | Melanie Newhall |
Wilson Elem | 28907 | Sherrie Rahn |