The posters by the nurse Kala Brown’s office helps students know what to do in certain situations. “Becoming a nurse’s assistant definitely has made me more prepared because I see a lot of emergencies while I’m in there helping out, so I see what I need to do,” junior Kratyn Rine said. Photo by Emily Hollars
Medical safety at Bellevue East High school in the 2023-2024 school year comes down to the preparation of students and staff.
AAP News reported that about how children with health issues are only increasing as the years go on. Some school personnel do not consider the district ready for health emergencies.
“Do I think as a whole we are prepared? No,” Athletic Trainer Richard Nelson said. “I don’t think there are enough people trained in CPR and first aid and things like that.”
In addition to school personnel, some students are also concerned about how ready the school is to handle emergencies. Junior Karytn Rine is an athletic training student aid, who is learning about healthcare.
“I think we could be better prepared,” Rine said.
Websites like WELL and Centers For Disease Control and Prevention emphasize the importance seen in the nurses knowing how to handle these situations. Nelson recommends steps toward improving the school’s emergency preparedness.
“One is recognizing when it is an emergency. That’s a big one,” Nelson said.
As an important member of the healthcare team at Bellevue East, nurse Kala Brown hs suggestions for ways East can improve their emergency readiness. How to respond to emergencies is something most people would benefit from.
“I think if we offered a CPR safety course it would give students a good starting point, because a CPR course includes First Aid and AED training,” Brown said. “Those are all very basic training that if utilized appropriately can increase one’s medical safety and knowledge.”
Other types of training can also be useful in helping individuals handle different types of emergencies. Classes are available for anyone to take through the American Red Cross, but others organizations offer courses as well.
“Any course that teaches basic first aid. A baby-sitting course would be beneficial as well,” Brown said. “Most community colleges and local public libraries offer CPR, first aid, and baby-sitting courses.”
Even after completing training for different types of health concerns, there are still some barriers for those present when emergencies actually happen. Overcoming one’s lack of confidence can be a challenge.
“The biggest problem we usually get to is people are too scared to act,” Nelson said. “I would rather have you have somebody try and act even if you don’t know what you are doing and try to help than somebody stand by and do nothing.”
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