Composed of 17 campuses and spanning from preschool through 12th grade and adult education, the Portland Public Schools are home to a large and diverse student population. Tina Veilleux is the School Nurse Coordinator for the district, overseeing the nurses in each school in addition to a variety of other roles. I had the opportunity to talk with her about her work, and hear her thoughts on pursuing a career in school nursing.
Tina worked full-time as Reiche Elementary School’s nurse prior to the Covid pandemic, when she took on her current role. But pediatric nursing wasn’t always her focus. She began her career on the cardiac floor at Maine Medical center, later working as a case manager, and, as her children grew up, substituting as a nurse in the Portland Schools. She has always been interested in public health, and emphasized the extent that school nursing is, indeed, a public health profession.
Today, Tina’s work varies widely from day-to-day. Still based out of Reiche, she communicates regularly with the district physician regarding standing orders and policies. She is also responsible for monitoring supplies at each school (such as changing AED batteries and pads as needed), scheduling substitute nurses, and coordinating district events such as vaccination clinics and hearing/vision screenings, as well as monthly meetings with all of the nurses and regular professional development for them. Additionally, she spends many days substituting in various schools when the regular nurse is absent. Tina is the point person for the nurses in the district, yet she doesn’t claim to be an expert. Instead, she told me that some of the nurses have been working for much longer than her, and she merely serves as a resource to talk through ideas with.
A unique aspect of the Portland School District is its school-based health center, located in three of the high schools and one of the middle schools. Separate from the nurses office and staffed part-time by nurse practitioners and physicians, these clinics often serve as a primary care provider for students, especially those who need free or reduced-cost services. The center is funded by Greater Portland Health, and also contains a dental clinic (Tina mentioned that there are no dental offices in Portland that accept MaineCare). Tina is proud of the work being done in these health centers, but she acknowledges that, still, it can sometimes feel like “you’re not making much of a dent.” She cited Portland’s high level of need as her greatest challenge, and described how much of the nurses’ jobs can feel like a constant back-and-forth of phone calls, and lots of work for seemingly little progress. With a high population of homeless students and asylum seekers, keeping all students healthy and adequately cared for can feel like a daunting challenge.
When asked about the most controversial topic in school nursing today, Tina didn’t have one immediate answer that stood out. She mentioned Covid protocols, which have “backed off” in recent months, leaving more up to nurses and more “gray area.” Additionally, the question of what tasks can be delegated to laypeople is a common concern among school nurses. For example, can a teacher administer seizure medications if the nurse is away? Tina acknowledged that neither of these issues are particularly “hot topics,” but they still need to be addressed and considered by nurses in the district.
I concluded our discussion by asking about advice for aspiring school nurses. Tina responded that experience in public health nursing would be beneficial. In Maine, school nurses must be certified by the state, which requires three years of practice and a BSN (however, she did acknowledge that there may be a waiver when I mentioned that I would like to possibly get into school nursing right after college!) She also recommended working in an emergency room or urgent-care setting, where assessment skills can be learned quickly. Finally, she encouraged me that school nursing is a challenging but exciting profession, with many opportunities for autonomy and problem solving. Since Covid, school nurses have gained more respect from districts and families, a trend she is confident will continue and lead more nurses to the profession. I walked away from this conversation with not only a lot of insight, but also excitement to keep learning and pursuing this path!
