May 6-12 is Nurses Appreciation Week and tomorrow, May 12 is School Nurses Day! Continue reading to find out more about the FLEC Clinic and our wonderful school nurses, Nurse Lisa and Nurse Aline. |
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Getting to Know the Nurses |
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Nurse Lisa has worked for FLEC for a little over a year as the full-time school nurse, but has volunteered or worked part-time in the clinic for another 5 years. She "feels blessed to be part of such a dedicated and God-loving school...working with amazing nurses and administration, and knowing God led me to be a part of these precious children's lives and hopefully help them feel better so they can have a successful day at school." Fun fact about Nurse Lisa is that she has known she wanted to be in the medical field working with children since she was 12 and took a CPR/First Aid course for babysitting. |
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This year we added a second nurse position to the FLEC Clinic and we were blessed to have Nurse Aline join the team. She loves working with Nurse Lisa and enjoys working at FLEC because she loves the staff and how everyone is working together for the benefit of our children. Being a school nurse brings her joy because the kids are adorable and melt her heart every day. Fun fact about Nurse Aline, she served as an Army nurse for almost 5 years and is a retired U.S. Army Captain. Thank you for your service! |
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"They give me pills, medication, bandages and icepacks to make me feel better. They give me water and snacks."
- PreK Class
"They have things to entertain you while they're taking care of you."
- Ms. Archer's 4th Grade Class
"They're nice and take care of you when you're sick."
- Alison, 2nd Grade
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"If we didn't have them, we wouldn't have anyone to help us when we're hurt."
- Chloe, 4th Grade
"When they're taking care of you, they listen to what's wrong and try to calm you down if you're in pain."
- David, 4th Grade
"They are always ready for whatever problem a student has."
- Thomas, 4th Grade
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The FLEC Clinic was started during the 2010-2011 school year under the leadership of Melinda Goodman, BSN, RN, Jill Villemain, BSN, RN, and Principal Janet Ledesma. As medical conditions such as asthma, anaphylaxis, seizures and type 1 diabetes became more prevalent issues for FLEC students, administration realized that these were medical issues beyond what the FLEC teachers were prepared to handle on their own. It started with an in-service by Melinda for all FLEC staff on how to handle allergic reactions, but Melinda continued to advocate that a school the size of FLEC needed a dedicated clinic staffed with a Registered Nurse. With the help of Jill, the FLEC Clinic was eventually created.
Originally, the Clinic was located in the space right behind the Receptionist. After a few years, they realized that there was not enough privacy behind the Receptionist area and moved to one of the offices that is currently one side of the Clinic. Soon the Clinic was bursting at the seams and after some other office moves in the main building, they were able to expand into both of the office spaces that make up the space of the Clinic today.
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This year, the FLEC Clinic sees about 50-60 students on average per day and sometimes a few staff members as well. The most common reasons students come to the Clinic are bumps/scrapes, insect bites, stomachaches (usually from not eating or drinking enough), asthma treatments, ADHD and diabetic management. Though it's a pandemic year, our campus has stayed relatively healthy and the nurses would like to thank our students and staff for being so positive, resilient and compliant with healthy precautions to prevent COVID spread.
In the last 11 years, the FLEC Clinic has had some great nurse leadership starting with Melinda and Jill, then Nurse Naida, Nurse Jenn, and now Nurse Lisa and Nurse Aline. It's a HUGE job and one that was made possible with the support of the FLEC Family through AdventHealth sponsorships, family donations, volunteers, prayers and the group of nurses that filled in when Nurse Jenn was on medical leave.
What also keeps our nurses going is the reward of knowing that parents feel safer sending their children with medical needs such as anaphylaxis, asthma and diabetes, teachers feel better prepared and supported for medical needs, the medical care and observations they provide help with the continuum of medical care for the students outside of school, and best of all...when students see them and hug them at the store or church.
To all the nurses in our FLEC Family who have kept us healthy and safe, especially during this pandemic year...
THANK YOU!!!
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When you were a student, when would you go to the nurse?
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For any and all ailments, big or small.
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Forest Lake Education Center
1275 Learning Loop
Longwood, FL 32779
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