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Setting the Stage for Parent Communication

By Pamela Barron, MPH, RN, PEL-CSN, BSN posted 07-13-2017 16:05

  

Parent communication can be positive or negative, as well as productive and non- productive. Summer time is a time for rest and refreshment for a School Nurse. It is also a time for reflection about past experiences, both good and bad. This summer I have resolved to start my new school year with a more positive and proactive approach to parent communications.

Too often my first contact with a parent occurs when there is an actual or perceived problem to solve. At that time, I scramble to start with the basics: who is the primary caregiver (parent, grandparent, guardian, etc.) and how can I best reach the parent? Once having made contact, the current situation is typically addressed first and the communication of background information then follows. This is ineffective for everyone in a number of ways:

- In an urgent situation, or when the office is busy, too much time is spent just attempting to make contact with the parent.
- Not knowing the background information, I often ask the wrong questions and/ or evaluate the incorrect aspects of the complaint. 
- If a parent cannot be reached, I have to act based on general assumptions rather than decisions that are student-specific.
- The result can be loss of time and energy in the least, and increased risk to the student at the most.

The middle school in which I practice School Nursing is large; up to 1400 students with only one School Nurse. The demographics are diverse and health resources in the community are not often accessed by families. Frequently, I am the first (or only!) healthcare that a family will utilize in addressing a child's health concern. Identifying those students in advance helps me to refer the family to resources in the community and encourage them to begin their healthcare at a more appropriate place and more proactively. 

Health concerns can be gleaned from a variety of sources: The report from the previous grade-school School Nurse, the Emergency form that all parents are requested to submit at the beginning of each school year, the parent or doctor's report on the physical, and of course 504 and IEP documentation. This year, in addition to creating a "Health Concerns List", I intend to call each parent of those on the list in order to make sure that I know how to reach the parent, understand the history behind the noted health concern, and have a basic plan of how to address any anticipated situations related to that concern.

The first weeks of school can be very hectic with mountains of paperwork and initial meetings to attend, but setting aside time to review the above documents and reach out to the parent of a student with known health concerns is a more positive, collaborative, efficient, safer, and appropriate way to ensure better outcomes in the long run - for everyone! 

If you think that your parents may need a reminder of some basics, check out this flier to distribute from the National Association of School Nurses:

NASN's Back to School Family Checklist
https://higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com/NASN/3870c72d-fff9-4ed7-833f-215de278d256/UploadedImages/PDFs/Professional%20Topic%20Resources/2017_Family_Checklist.pdf
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