A certified nurse is stationed on campus during times when children are present. The school nurses take on the responsibility of caring for the health and safety of students in the school. Additionally, teachers monitor their students state of health at all times.
Sending a Child to the Nurse
When feeling unwell, Kindergarten and Grade 1 children will be escorted to the nurse's station by a teacher or TA. Children from Grade 2 and above can go to the nurse's station unaccompanied but must report to their teacher first. The nurse's station is located in room E102.
Nurse’s Station Office Hours:
Monday/Thursday – 7:45am to 5:45pm
Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday – 7:45am to 4:45pm
Closed evenings, weekends and holidays
The following symptoms are indications for sending a student to the nurse station:
General weakness
Fatigue
Severe sore throat
Headache
Dizziness
Fever
Rash
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Bad cough
Sending a Student Home
The following medical problem are indications for sending a student home:
Fever above 37.6 degrees (centigrade);
Diarrhea;
Vomiting;
Suspected communicable diseases;
Eye infections;
Head lice;
Suspicious looking rashes;
Any other medical conditions in which the child becomes unwell and the teacher feels the child cannot continue in the lesson.
The student should see a doctor and remain at home until the fever has settled for 24 hours without medication or until 24 hours after the last episode of vomiting or diarrhea.
The school nurse will be in touch with the parents after a child is sent home in order to keep track of the child’s medical condition. If a student is ill with a contagious disease, the parents must contact the school immediately to report it. A note from the parents indicating that the child is fully recovered is needed when the student returns to school. A medical clearance from a doctor may be required in order to return to school, depending on the disease. The student must go to the nurse's station first and get a permission slip from the nurse stating this student has fully recovered so that the student can go back to the classroom to study.
Medication at School
Teachers are NOT allowed to dispense medicine for any student at any time. Students are not allowed to carry medicine or store it in their backpacks or desk. Exceptions to this policy can be given only with administrative approval.
If parents require the school nurse to dispense medicines to their child during school hours, they need to complete and sign a 'Parent Consent to Administer Medicine' letter which can be obtained from the nurse's station. The school nurse will inform the class teacher when the child should take the medication, and the child must then visit the nurse's station at the appropriate time. Medicines stored in the nurse's station must be taken home by the parents at the end of each school day.
Asthma inhalers and epi-pens can be brought to the school and kept by the student or in the nurse's station only when it is authorized by the parents, the principal and the school nurse.
Medication taken on school excursions will be kept by the teacher or accompanying nurse.
Health-Related Incidents and Accidents
Depending on the severity of the incident, first responders on scene should contact the school nurse and/or Emergency Services.
Emergency Phone Numbers
Nurse's station: 86717714
24 Hour Nurse Contact: 13316913727
Emergency Services: 120
Teachers and TAs are responsible for reporting injuries and accidents that occur anywhere on the school premises. The staff member who witnesses the accident is responsible for making sure the child makes it to the nurse's station and informing the school nurse about what happened.
Children who are seriously injured or in a coma must not be moved unless they are in life-threatening circumstances or the school nurse has authorized such movement. If the child is to go to a clinic or hospital, a teacher or staff member whom the child trusts, preferably one who speaks Mandarin, will accompany the student to the clinic or hospital. The school nurse may also accompany the child to the clinic or hospital in some cases.
The proper chain of communication should be followed whenever a health-related incident or accident happens. Individuals to be notified, in this order, are: Nurse, Homeroom Teacher, Administrative Office Director, Parents, Principal and Head of School. The nurse will contact Emergency Services, the clinic or hospital if necessary and not done by the first responder.
Nurse's Log
The school nurse will take action to assist the child, making a record of the injury in the Daily Encounter Record. For injuries or illness that are presumed to be serious, the parents will be informed immediately by phone or whatever method possible. The nurse should always err on the side of caution and notify parents when in doubt.
Injuries that may be considered serious include but are not limited to:
Head injuries
Back injuries
Possible broken bones
Serious bleeding
Vomiting
Diarreah
Fever
At the end of every weekday, the school nurse will send the Daily Encounter Record from the Nurse's Log to all homeroom teachers. Homeroom teachers are expected to read and review the log and make contact with parents if they believe any follow up is need from the school.
Incident Report
Teachers are responsible for recording incidents by completing the ISNS Incident Report Form. An incident is defined as any occurrence of violence, serious misbehavior, accident, injury, abuse, neglect, harm, etc. involving any member of the ISNS school community. The staff member who witnesses the incident is generally responsible for completing the Incident Form but this responsibility may be passed on to the homeroom teacher if the witness has no connection to the child. The Incident Report must be forwarded to the Homeroom Teacher and/or Principal.
The section of the Nurse's Log pertaining to the incident (if the child visited the nurse) should be attached to the Incident Report – this will be done by the administrative office when the incident report is placed in the student's file. Incident reports will be saved digitally in OpenApply/ManageBac once the system is operational.
Each student involved may be asked to write their account of incident. This account will be attached to the incident report for reference if needed.
When communicating with parents or caregivers, ISNS staff will only report information pertaining to that person's individual child. Teachers will take extra care not to name or be drawn into naming other students when communicating with parents. The Incident Report is an internal ISNS document.
Incident Report Form
Vaccination
All students are required to provide a copy of their up-to-date immunization records prior to admission. Before the months when communicable disease usually break out, the school nurse will send out health tips in school newsletters providing information about the special vaccinations that are advisable in the season such as influenza and varicella vaccines.
Health Record
Prior to admission and each school year, every student is required to submit an updated health record which includes information about the student’s medical history, vaccinations, allergies and any health needs they have. Early years children are asked to provide results from a general health check which includes a brief physical examination. It is essential that any changes to the information provided initially are timely notified in writing to the nurse station.
Infectious Disease
When there is an incidence of infectious disease occurring within the school community, the school nurse informs the Head of School who will then inform the Principals, the class teachers, members of staff. A notice from the Head of School regarding the disease will be sent to parents of the affected grades or the entire school as deemed necessary. If there is an outbreak, the school nurse must contact the local Centre for Disease Control and prevention for advice and support so that the appropriate procedure can be quickly implemented.
If a child has contracted a contagious disease while being away from school, a medical clearance from the doctor will be required on return to school.
Wheelchairs and Crutches
ISNS does not provide students with wheelchairs or crutches for long term use. Any student who has an injury which requires the use of a wheelchair or crutches should visit a doctor in order to be examined and then borrow or purchase the wheelchair or crutches from a medical facility. The wheelchair and crutches owned by the school are only for short-term (less than a day) emergency use.
Any student who is not able to climb the stairs in school should visit the Academic Office in T103 to request an elevator pass. In order to receive an elevator pass, the student must have a note from the school nurse or a registered doctor. The elevator pass is to be used only for the duration of the injury and only by the student who is injured. One peer helper may accompany the injured student in the elevator if necessary.