School Nurses / Essential Workers
Scraped knees and runny noses and band aids and ice packs. These are the things often associated with school nurses. It is not an inaccurate list. But it is far from complete.
School nurses also coordinate health screenings and medications and reports. They educate students on healthy habits, work with families to find care, support teachers and staff, and respond to a variety of illnesses and diseases that find their way into a school. And, since the spring of 2020, they have been on the front lines of a global pandemic as much as any essential workers, supporting countless public health efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19.
These photographs of the nurses of Des Moines Public Schools were taken in the spring of 2022 as the end of the pandemic came into view. As we returned to “normal.” And as their work continued.
