Across our 58 schools, 45 nurses provide healthcare for nearly 30,000 students every day. They check temperatures and supply Band-Aids, of course, but they also monitor health care plans to ensure that students have the medical support they need to attend school and focus on their education.
For National School Nurse Day, we asked three of our nurses to share about their experiences working as nurses in our schools. We are so grateful to every SPS nurse today, and every day!
Mykette McFarlane, BA, BSN, RN
Classified Registered Nurse
Jefferson Elementary School
How long have you been a nurse at your school? How long have you been a nurse with Spokane Public Schools? I have had the honor of being the nurse at Jefferson Elementary School for four school years now, the same amount of time I've been with Spokane Public Schools.
What do you love most about your job? What I love most about my job is getting to know and be a part of the lives of the students at our school. I love helping them learn how to care for themselves in all ways — physically, mentally, emotionally. I'm honored to be on the team of each of them as they grow and reach their full potential.
What are some of the biggest challenges you have experienced in your position, and how have you overcome them? I would say the biggest challenge of my job is being the only medical professional in my building, but I also like to think of my job as having just the right amount of well-supported autonomy.
I have an excellent lead nurse who is just a phone call away if I have a question or want to run a unique scenario by her. Just knowing [Health Services Coordinator] Meredith Clarke, MSN, RN, NCSN, and [Executive Director of School Support Services] Becky Doughty, MN, RN, are available and supportive at the district level is priceless peace of mind as well.
We try to plan ahead for every possible healthcare scenario, but we work with growing, changing children. Unique situations arise and it can be hard at times to ask for extra time before answering a question or concern from a parent. Knowing I have other knowledgeable and caring nurses surrounding me with whom I can collaborate brings me enormous relief.
What’s something that people would be surprised to learn about being a school nurse? I think the public perception of school nursing is that it is easy and is just ice packs and Band-Aids, but we do a LOT more than that. We keep children safe by recognizing emergencies and watching for health issues that may be of long-lasting concern. We team with parents, administrators, school counselors, teachers, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech therapists, and many others to provide the safest and most comprehensive healthcare planning possible in order to maximize every student's educational experience.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our community? I'd like people to know that we school nurses are here as part of each student's team to assist with lasting success in health and in life. Get to know us! We're a great group of knowledgeable people, ready and willing to help however we can.
Stacy Fredrickson, RN
Classified Registered Nurse
Flett Middle School
How long have you been a nurse at your school? How long have you been a nurse with Spokane Public Schools? I have been at Flett for 3 years. As a new building and school, it’s been great watching it grow from the beginning to now. I have been an SPS nurse for nine years, and was previously an oncology nurse for 12 years.
What do you love most about your job? I love building relationships with students at the middle school level. There are many challenges at this age level with puberty, mental health, trying to figure out who they are and where they belong. As these students’ advocates, they trust us to give them guidance and acceptance.
What are some of the biggest challenges have you experienced in your position, and how have you overcome them? The biggest challenge is always at the beginning of year when trying to connect with families to get Health Plans and Medications at school on time. If these are not on file, students can’t start on the first day of school.
I send out a letter to remind families at the end of school year, and then our office sends reminders again in July and August. There was improvement from this year with less exclusions than in previous years!
What’s something that people would be surprised to learn about being a school nurse? The many caps you wear throughout your day.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our community? I am just only a Nurse at Flett, I am also the Varsity Volleyball coach, where I can grow great relationship with students, families and the community.
Sarah E. Weekes, BSN, RN
Classified Registered Nurse
Rogers High School
How long have you been a nurse at your school? How long have you been a nurse with Spokane Public Schools? I have been the nurse at Rogers High School for a little over a year and a half, and with Spokane Public Schools since January 2023.
What do you love most about your job? One of my favorite parts of my job is getting to watch the growth of students over time as their health needs are met. Additionally, seeing the progress in their ability to advocate for their health needs and manage chronic conditions more actively makes the work I do well worth it.
What are some of the biggest challenges you have experienced in your position, and how have you overcome them? The biggest challenge I face is assisting students to meet their health needs when they don't have the means to access the services or supplies they require to manage their health. This can be anything from the need for immunizations to the need for daily diabetic supplies.
The CHAS Health Clinic at Rogers, along with the others throughout the city, has been an integral part in bridging the gap for a lot of these students to obtain services. In working closely with the clinic, we have been able to help provide students with the resources they need to be healthy and successful in school.
What’s something that people would be surprised to learn about being a school nurse? I think oftentimes people are surprised to hear that school nurses have a slightly modified goal in schools than they would in a typical healthcare setting.
School nurses face the challenge of addressing health needs for the overarching goal of keeping kids in school so that they can maximize their education potential and achieve academic success. Nurses in schools further must triage situations on an everyday basis and make judgements of what situations can be managed in the classroom to minimize lost learning time, and what needs are more emergent and require immediate attention.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our community? School nurses aim to achieve healthier and safer schools in general for staff and students alike and getting to collaborate with different specialists, teachers, and others helps us approach these goals in a well-rounded manner.