Nurse's Corner » Nurse's Corner

Nurse's Corner

School Nurse: Paula O’Hara, RN, MEd, CSN

Attendance Line / Nurse's Office Phone: 908-709-6246

Attendance Email[email protected]

Fax: 908-709-6724

 

At Brookside Place School we are focused on being a caring, healthy community of students, staff and families. Please check here often for ideas and important information designed to keep our BPS community healthy. The Nurse's Corner will also feature monthly health and safety updates (see below). 

 

If you have a student to report absent, please call 908-709-6246 or email  [email protected].

 

Be well, 

Nurse O’Hara

 

December Healthy Hints

The holidays are here! For a happy and healthy season, I have shared a few tips.

For Your Health:

Maintain a healthy routine, including good nutrition, adequate sleep, and washing your hands regularly.

If you do find yourself, or your children, sidelined with a cold or flu, it is best to stay home and rest. If you are considering the many choices of over-the-counter medications for relief, read all labels carefully and follow directions for accurate dosing. Be sure to read all ingredients before combining it with any other medicine. Because some choices contain multiple ingredients, double dosing of certain medicines can occur.

Correct dosing is very important, especially when medicating children. Studies have shown that more than 40% of parents/guardians make dosing errors when giving their children liquid medication. A study conducted at NYU Medical Center found that 20% of parents/guardians incorrectly gave doses which were 2 times the directed doses. The authors of the study recommend the following practices to ensure more accurate dosing:

  1. Consider using a syringe for administering medicines, especially if the dose is less than 7.5 ml.
  2. Medicine cups that display both tsp and ml have been found to be more confusing for caregivers. 
  3. Check dosing carefully. Errors were more common when the prescribed amount was 2.5ml or 7.5ml. Findings showed that a whole number dose is better understood than a dose with a decimal.
  4. Know your conversions: 2.5 ml equals ½ tsp              5 ml equals 1 tsp            7.5 equals 1½ tsp. 
  5. Always measure doses in a well lit area. It is a good idea to turn on your child’s light to read the dosage if administering at night time; errors are more often made in the dark.

For Your Safety:                                                                                                                                                       

Each holiday season, ERs treat 12,500 patients for decorating mishaps, accidental burns, or poisonings.

Be safe when using a ladder: make sure it is 1 ft away from the wall for every 4 ft in height it goes up and don’t stand on the highest two rungs. It’s always a good idea to have someone “spotting’” you.       
If your family has a Christmas tree, place it away from heating vents and your fireplace. Place candles away from drafts, curtains or other flammable items and keep lighters and matches where your kids can’t reach them.
Decorate with holly and mistletoe up high; the berries and the leaves of these plants are poisonous to humans and pets. Also, poinsettia plants, while not considered poisonous, may cause vomiting or mouth and skin irritation.                                                                                                                                            
Store your guests’ handbags out of reach of young children. Accidental poisonings occur when children find medication in purses.                                                                                                                       
 
If you have small children or pets, seasonal decorations and toys like pine cones, berries and dreidels are often reported as choking hazards.     

Happy Holidays!

Nurse Paula O’Hara RN, MEd, CSN

[email protected]