Long past are the days of mothers of students volunteering to be the school nurse for a week or two. The centralization of large schools has created the need for specialized, professional nurses able to help students with of ailments ranging from stomach-aches and concussions to cancer. Here at LHS, we are gifted with two of the finest nurses in the state of Illinois.
The nurses who keep the halls safe from disease and injury are Cam Traut and Linda Wenstrom.
Traut, an ’82 graduate of LHS, is the president of the Illinois Association of School Nurses. She is in her 24th year of nursing. Graduating from Valpraiso School of Nurses, she pursued her nursing career, working in the Intensive Care Unit of Children’s Memorial Hospital for nine years before moving to Warren and starting her career as a school nurse. She stayed at Warren for eight years, then moved to Libertyville. It is her sixth year at LHS.
Elected for the 2009 year, Traut leads the IASN, which consists of over 650 school nurses. While serving her one year term from October 2009-October 2010 she will handle the politics of the group which can encompass working with legislators to School Board Execs.
Linda Wenstrom graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and has been in the nursing business for 33 years. Working in the greater Chicagoland area, Wenstrom had experience in community nursing, infant nursing and other areas before turning to school nursing.
On a daily basis, up to 2000 students could walk in and demand aid for numerous reasons. Traut has responded to everything from an emergency situation involving the amputation of a student’s finger to aiding a student whose swimsuit was too tight and cutting off circulation.
Little do people realize how intense the roles of nurses are. The nurse’s day starts early, as soon as 6:30, and ends around 4:00 every day. It is not just tending to students’ physical needs. Psychological aid, participation in school groups and special needs students all encompass their job. The nurses also attend meetings with other members of the LST’s support staff.
Nurses act as the middlemen, advocating both sides when medical issues run into the classroom. It is up to the nurse to be able to inform teachers of any pre-existing conditions and what to do in case of an emergency situation involving the student’s condition.
Safety is one of the top concerns for administrators in school. Intruders are dealt with by security, and injuries and disease are handled by nurses. Like most of the other support staff at LHS, the nurses do not tend to receive as much face-time as teachers. We as student need to be appreciative of those who may one day hold our life in their hands. So go out and thank a nurse, whether it be for saving your life, or giving you a few ibuprofen for the scrapped knee from gym.
graphic illustration by Mark Siebert