School Health Clerks - Caring For Your Children
Doris Montoya,
RJ Fisher
It happens every day. A child scrapes an arm, loses a tooth, or has a headache.
At home we know what to do. We give ‘em a hug, put on a band-aid, let them rest, and when they are ready send them on their way.
But what if you had over 600 children at your house to care for?
This is what our school health clerks do.
Los Gatos health clerks - Gillian Ward (Blossom Hill), Gigi Harrell (Daves Avenue), Lisa Montrezza (Louise Van Meter), and Doris Montoya (RJ Fisher) - are truly the “front line of care”. Working under the direction of the district nurse, these dedicated individuals ensure our children feel safe and cared for at school, just like they do at home.
More than 10,000 times per year a child visits a health clerk’s office at a Los Gatos school.
Given all those visits, clerks have to be incredibly flexible and responsive. From bumps and bruises, to more serious issues, health clerks do it all. All clerks are CPR and first aid trained.
At home we know what to do. We give ‘em a hug, put on a band-aid, let them rest, and when they are ready send them on their way.
But what if you had over 600 children at your house to care for?
This is what our school health clerks do.
Los Gatos health clerks - Gillian Ward (Blossom Hill), Gigi Harrell (Daves Avenue), Lisa Montrezza (Louise Van Meter), and Doris Montoya (RJ Fisher) - are truly the “front line of care”. Working under the direction of the district nurse, these dedicated individuals ensure our children feel safe and cared for at school, just like they do at home.
More than 10,000 times per year a child visits a health clerk’s office at a Los Gatos school.
Given all those visits, clerks have to be incredibly flexible and responsive. From bumps and bruises, to more serious issues, health clerks do it all. All clerks are CPR and first aid trained.
Lisa Montrezza,
Louise Van Meter
The rule is to expect the unexpected.
One day seven 3rd grade boys may go after a bees nest with a stick (yep this really happened). Or a girl decides a paperclip would make great dental floss (it doesn’t). Or two 1st graders turn their backpacks around to lock up their arms and then race each other outside on the asphalt (you can guess how this story ends). Or maybe it is simply a middle school student with a headache.
Health clerks perform daily monitoring of students with conditions such as diabetes, asthma, or seizures, and assist them in following their regimen. These situations require close coordination with parents, teachers, and the district nurse. And, with the right paperwork, Health Clerks are able to administer medicines such as epipens, inhalers, and Benadryl.
Health clerks rely on good judgment. They know when to contact the district nurse or even 911. They know when to call home - and when not to call.
As Doris Montoya puts it, “after working for a while as a clerk you can read the kids. They come in with a headache or a stomach ache. Are they sick to the point that they need to go home or did they just need a break? We check them out, take their temperature, and call parents in any case where the kid actually is sick.”
Sometimes students simply need comfort. Lisa Montrezza notes, “there are a number of children that come in multiple times, especially in grades K-2. We call them ‘frequent flyers’. We help by putting a band-aid on that little scrape we can’t actually see.”
One day seven 3rd grade boys may go after a bees nest with a stick (yep this really happened). Or a girl decides a paperclip would make great dental floss (it doesn’t). Or two 1st graders turn their backpacks around to lock up their arms and then race each other outside on the asphalt (you can guess how this story ends). Or maybe it is simply a middle school student with a headache.
Health clerks perform daily monitoring of students with conditions such as diabetes, asthma, or seizures, and assist them in following their regimen. These situations require close coordination with parents, teachers, and the district nurse. And, with the right paperwork, Health Clerks are able to administer medicines such as epipens, inhalers, and Benadryl.
Health clerks rely on good judgment. They know when to contact the district nurse or even 911. They know when to call home - and when not to call.
As Doris Montoya puts it, “after working for a while as a clerk you can read the kids. They come in with a headache or a stomach ache. Are they sick to the point that they need to go home or did they just need a break? We check them out, take their temperature, and call parents in any case where the kid actually is sick.”
Sometimes students simply need comfort. Lisa Montrezza notes, “there are a number of children that come in multiple times, especially in grades K-2. We call them ‘frequent flyers’. We help by putting a band-aid on that little scrape we can’t actually see.”
Gillian Ward, Blossom Hill
Adds Gigi Harrell, “a band-aid solves so many things!”
Gillian Ward explains, “my best friend is the ice pack. I use it to ice the area after a bump. It helps relieve pain...and it helps relieve the kids’ minds."
Our clerks make the common a bit more special. When a child loses a tooth they come to the health clerk’s office where they have a special box and a little tissue. The clerk puts the tooth on that and the kids love it. Of course they also rinse the mouth and check it to make sure they are OK.
Clerks need to keep a level head while also paying attention to detail. Gillan Ward comments, “you can have five kids in the room at one time all with different requirements. Not only do we take care of them, but we clerks manually log every visit, and then later on enter the information as an electronic record.”
It can be frightening for a parent to get a call from school saying a child is sick or injured. Although it is not a job requirement, all current health clerks are parents themselves. They recognize the need to comfort family as well as student.
Gillian Ward explains, “my best friend is the ice pack. I use it to ice the area after a bump. It helps relieve pain...and it helps relieve the kids’ minds."
Our clerks make the common a bit more special. When a child loses a tooth they come to the health clerk’s office where they have a special box and a little tissue. The clerk puts the tooth on that and the kids love it. Of course they also rinse the mouth and check it to make sure they are OK.
Clerks need to keep a level head while also paying attention to detail. Gillan Ward comments, “you can have five kids in the room at one time all with different requirements. Not only do we take care of them, but we clerks manually log every visit, and then later on enter the information as an electronic record.”
It can be frightening for a parent to get a call from school saying a child is sick or injured. Although it is not a job requirement, all current health clerks are parents themselves. They recognize the need to comfort family as well as student.
Gigi Harrell, Daves Avenue
“I try not to be alarmist when making calls home," states Gigi Harrell. “For example if a child has even a mild bump on the head we have a very strict concussion protocol we follow and that includes a call. I always open up the conversation with: ‘there is no emergency, there is no pickup needed, but our school policy is to call’.”
Lisa Montrezza observes, “you can actually be calmer with someone else’s child than with your own. We had one child who had a broken bone. If it was my kid I would have been freaking out. But it was amazing how calm I could be when talking to the parents.”
Clerks help to maximize class time for children; sometimes this requires learning new skills. Gillian Ward states, “I’ve had a crash course introduction to braces and wires popping out. My kids did not have braces but I’ve learned to use a light and a magnifier to check the mouth. Sometimes I can get the wire back in the bracket myself and sometimes I give them some special wax which acts as buffer. So the child can go back to class until they have a chance to get to the orthodontist.”
Lisa Montrezza observes, “you can actually be calmer with someone else’s child than with your own. We had one child who had a broken bone. If it was my kid I would have been freaking out. But it was amazing how calm I could be when talking to the parents.”
Clerks help to maximize class time for children; sometimes this requires learning new skills. Gillian Ward states, “I’ve had a crash course introduction to braces and wires popping out. My kids did not have braces but I’ve learned to use a light and a magnifier to check the mouth. Sometimes I can get the wire back in the bracket myself and sometimes I give them some special wax which acts as buffer. So the child can go back to class until they have a chance to get to the orthodontist.”
A tooth box
In one way or another our health clerks impact every student. Head lice checks (aren’t you glad someone does this!), height and weight observations, and recording the results of the vision, hearing and scoliosis tests performed by the school nurse, all involve health clerks. The clerks also manage state-mandated immunization compliance, which, among other things, requires paperwork for over 3,000 students.
What if there were no health clerks? Consider those 10,000 student visits per year. Front office staff - who cover when health clerks are not on duty - would have to handle every single visit. The office staff does a fine job but they are already busy and would struggle to keep up the level of care.
In the end our children get loving care because our health clerks love what they do.
“The kids are cute," remarks Gigi Harrell. “There is a funny story every day. And the parents are very nice, and very appreciative."
“I feel I am part of a great team," says Lisa Montrezza. “Everyone is fantastic. I love working with the others at the front office. And the teachers are absolutely wonderful. It is a sense of community. Once you are here I don’t think you want to leave.”
We all want our children to feel cared for wherever they are; our hard-working health clerks make sure that happens whenever they are at school.
What if there were no health clerks? Consider those 10,000 student visits per year. Front office staff - who cover when health clerks are not on duty - would have to handle every single visit. The office staff does a fine job but they are already busy and would struggle to keep up the level of care.
In the end our children get loving care because our health clerks love what they do.
“The kids are cute," remarks Gigi Harrell. “There is a funny story every day. And the parents are very nice, and very appreciative."
“I feel I am part of a great team," says Lisa Montrezza. “Everyone is fantastic. I love working with the others at the front office. And the teachers are absolutely wonderful. It is a sense of community. Once you are here I don’t think you want to leave.”
We all want our children to feel cared for wherever they are; our hard-working health clerks make sure that happens whenever they are at school.