Nurse's Corner

  • Diane Macomber, RN, BSN, School Nurse

    dmacombe@houstonisd.org (713) 295-5240

    Welcome! ¡Bienvenidos! Bienvenue!

    The information contained here is general information pertaining to the daily operation of the nurse’s office. Should you need additional, more specific information, please visit HISD Health and Medical Services.

    Office Hours &Location

    The nurse’s office is open from 8:15a.m. until 4:05p.m. during regularly scheduled school days. The office is located off the main hallway. A registered nurse is on duty in our clinic each school day.  The clinic opens fifteen minutes before school and closes fifteen minutes after school.  During the school day, students must have a pass from a school official to visit the clinic.  In case of emergency, the school official will use the information on the student enrollment card, so please have your parents keep this information updated.
     

     ADMINISTERING MEDICATIONS AT SCHOOL

    School Board Policy (in accordance with TEC 22.052) prevents nurses, teachers, administrators, or coaches from administering medications of any kind at school without proper consent.  A student may NOT carry any type of medication with him/her except for students with asthma or life-threatening allergies requiring an Epi pen who have paperwork on file with the nurse in the Clinic.  Medications are required to be kept locked in the Clinic.  A written medication permission form with original signatures of both a parent and the prescribing physician must accompany all medication including self-administration prescriptions for asthma or Epi pens.  Each medication must be in its original container with an affixed prescription label listing the patient for whom the drug was prescribed, the drug name, and the proper dosage and administration route information.  This includes over the counter medications.  Medication and Treatment Forms are available in the Clinic. 

     

    Illness at Home

    Students are advised to stay home if suffering from active illness in order to protect other students and staff from possible virus/disease transmission. Students should remain at home until their illness has resolved and they have been fever free for the past 24 hours without the use of an antipyretic medication. If a student is absent for three consecutive days, it is mandatory that he/she presents a physician’s note indicating that the child has been seen and that it is safe to return to school. This will allow the absences to be marked as excused and reassure the school community that every effort to minimize the transmission of treatable contagious diseases is being made. Parents must document all absences by writing a note and sending it with their child. Parents are requested to report all confirmed or suspected contagious diseases to the school nurse.

    Illness/Injury at School

    When a student becomes ill or injured during class, a pass to the nurse’s office must be obtained from the current teacher if the student is not escorted. The nurse will call the parent and discuss the best response to the situation.
    Students should report any injuries sustained during a school-related event as soon as possible to the nurse’s office. It should be noted that the student’s family health insurance plan is the primary coverage for school-related illness and injury.

    Vision and Hearing Tests

    Vision and hearing tests are typically conducted throughout the school year, according to district policy. Additional testing may be requested at any time by the student’s parent or teacher. Parents will be notified if test results indicate that additional follow-up care is necessary by a primary care physician.

    Doctor Appointments

    It is recommended that doctor appointments be scheduled outside of school hours. If a student must see a doctor during school hours, parents should notify the attendance office in advance with exact appointment times, anticipated period of absence and time of return to school. Parents are required to sign their child out of school and sign their child back in upon return.

    Pre-Existing Medical Conditions

    Parents are requested to provide the school nurse with documentation from their student’s physician regarding any medical conditions that require monitoring (e.g. diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, seizure disorder, etc.) along with instructions and contact numbers in case of an emergency. Information regarding health concerns can also be shared confidentially with Ms. Macomber.

    Medications

    All medications, including over-the-counter (OTC) medication, prescribed drugs and/or inhalers must have a pharmacy label on them and must be kept in the nurse’s office at all times. In addition, only a parent can deliver medication to and from school. Students are not allowed to carry or store medications of any kind.
    Parents must provide the school nurse with a signed and completed appropriate medication authorization form which grants permission for medication to be administered by the nurse for students requiring any daily or long-term medication during school hours. And add this sentence: Please note, there can be only one medication listed per form. The medication authorization forms are valid for the entire school year, new authorization forms are required at the beginning of each fall semester. All medications must be sent to the school in the original container which includes a pharmacy label and dosage instructions. The medication will be stored in a locked cabinet in the health office. At the end of each school year any remaining medications should be collected by the parents. All medications must be kept with the nurse, though special exceptions are made on an individual basis. For instance, students diagnosed with asthma and requiring inhaler treatment may be allowed to carry their inhaler. Special permission for this is granted when the parent and physician complete the appropriate supplemental form which will be maintained on file in the nurse’s office. Permission forms for this purpose may be obtained from our website or requested from the nurse’s office.

    Resources