School nurses are the backbone of the school. They help with injuries from small to big.

School nurses began in the early 1900s to help kids with their attendance by making sure they were not sick or bleeding. This made school more healthy than it was.

One of the two nurses that work at LHS is Natalie Garcia. 

“Working for the school is a different type of busy compared to a hospital setting or a clinic setting,” Garcia said. “The day-to-day of a school nurse varies. I can be swamped with a lot of sick kids one week, and I can be swamped with reports and paperwork the following week.” 

One difference for Garcia is the stress level.

“I can say there is a little more downtime, and it’s nice to catch up on work and not feel the stress and pressure of working in a more demanding healthcare setting,” Garcia said.

At LHS, it can be a heavy workload on one day and the next is a nice relaxing day.

“In an emergency crisis, I have to take it back to basics,” Garcia said. “My priority is the person’s safety. I make sure the person is stable and attends to their immediate needs such as administering emergency medications, assessing a wound, etc. Based on my assessment, I decide if I can care for them at school or not. If the situation calls for additional medical attention, I escalate it to EMS to have the person transferred to an ER.”

Garcia was taught that not only is nursing just science it could be a picture of art.

“There are many qualities that make a great nurse,” Garcia said. “I think one of the best qualities is being open to being a lifelong learner. We as nurses gain knowledge from our experiences and use that every day to care for our patients. By being open to changes, improvements, and adapting to new challenges, it allows for an easier transition moving forward.”

When in high school, Garcia worked to achieve her dreams.

“I started as a filer/interpreter at an eye doctor’s office,” Garcia said. “Right after high school, I attended IU Kokomo and majored in nursing. In my junior year of college, I worked part-time as a medical assistant for family medicine and as an OB-GYN. I received my Bachelor’s degree in nursing in December 2013 and passed my boards in April of 2014.” 

In her time as a nurse, Garcia has worked in a variety of roles.

“During my first year as an RN, I worked in a nursing home,” Garcia said. “I then started working for IU Health. I have different roles working there; first as a medical-surgical nurse, a charge nurse, and an ER nurse. After a few years of working at the bedside, I decided to try travel nursing for a year. I needed a change of pace and wanted to be closer to home. I took a position as a clinic nurse for a family medicine clinic. After a couple of years, I came to LHS and took the school nurse position.”