After looking through a number of congenital heart defect blog sites, I have decided that this blog will serve to chronicle my time working with children and families living with congenital heart defects. I must say, as a healthcare provider, the one thing I have come to learn is to always listen to the family members instincts and hunches. There is no one better to know when something is wrong than a loving, caring, and attentive parent/family member.
I have seen the many blogs of parents whose child has a congenital heart defect but I have never heard what it is like for a teacher to have their student return after cardiac surgery. The technology today allows for a child's return to school rather quickly. The schools often see more of our children than we as parents are able to see. So here is your chance to express how you feel about how and when these students return.
As an educator, how do you prepare for any student who returns after a serious surgery?
Do you feel there is enough/any communication between the healthcare team and you and the school? Would you know what to look for or would you know when something just isn't right?
What would you do if you noticed something wrong?
Do you feel that you are adequately prepared and have the necessary resources to help a child with a health problem?
Do you have registered nurses in your school?
What would you like the healthcare community to do to make these transitions better?
Congenital heart defects sounds very scary for everyone involved. I like your acknowledgement that it is often a parent or family member that knows their loved one best when it comes to his or her health. I have never had a student with congenital heart defects but I have had a student return to school after a serious illness or surgery. There has always been an ample amount of communication between the child's parents and me and the administration. This is most likely because I teach small children. I have never spoken with a child's doctor or healthcare team though. In my ten years of being in elementary schools in California and Colorado there has never been a nurse at the school. Usually it’s an administrative person that helps a child if they are sick or injured, even in an emergency type situation.
ReplyDeleteAt my school we have a Super-Nurse/ healthcare professional. She is very good about not only informing us if we have a student with a medical issue. She also gives us learning plans to accommodate them to insure that there needs are being appropriately met. This is always very helpful. I had a student who was diagnosed with leukemia and had a number of specific requirements that were easy to meet due to our Nurse giving us the information that I needed.
ReplyDeleteAs a PE teacher, I have come in contact with students that have come back from serious surgeries and worse. I had a student last year that came back after several rounds of chemotherapy. You can prepare yourself mentally, but the day they come back you just want to squeeze them and let them know how amazing they are! I usually receive notes from parents about restrictions and health issues and I accommodate lessons for these particular students as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteI am a special ed teacher. My caseload of students includes those with serious medical concerns like Autism, TBI and "other". There is a great deal of trust that must be earned by those that serve a population of young people with health concerns. I agree that one of the most important things is to listen often and well. It frustrates me to no end the lack of support systems in public schools for students with health concerns. We have 2 nurses serving over 3500 students in like 20 educational settings! If it is the job of the public schools to educate all students, and I believe it should be, we must do a better job with our resources so that all students can reach their full potential.
ReplyDelete