{"id":409,"date":"2013-11-20T20:11:43","date_gmt":"2013-11-21T01:11:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.allergyhome.org\/blogger\/?p=409"},"modified":"2016-03-11T22:57:30","modified_gmt":"2016-03-12T03:57:30","slug":"food-allergies-and-your-school-nurse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.allergyhome.org\/blogger\/food-allergies-and-your-school-nurse\/","title":{"rendered":"Food Allergies and Your School Nurse"},"content":{"rendered":"

AllergyHome is proud and excited to introduce our first guest\u00a0contributor, Sally Schoessler. \u00a0 Sally\u00a0is\u00a0Director of Nursing Education for the National Association of School Nurses <\/a>and a leader in the\u00a0management\u00a0of life threatening allergies and anaphylaxis in US schools. Thank you Sally for joining us.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Share<\/a><\/div>\n

Written by Sally Schoessler, MEd, BSN, RN<\/b><\/p>\n

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“We worked together and helped the entire school community to understand the importance of solid information (about food allergies), staff awareness and a strong connection between home and the school nurse.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Food Allergies Then<\/h1>\n

When I became a school nurse back in the early 1990\u2019s, there was very little information and very few resources available to me as a school nurse that talked about the care and management of life-threatening food allergies and other causes of anaphylaxis.\u00a0 Christie, a parent who was new to our school, \u00a0(a good nurse ALWAYS changes the names of parents and students to maintain confidentiality) walked through the door of my Health Office to tell me that her son Riley would be attending our school in the Fall and that he had a very severe peanut allergy.\u00a0\u00a0 She told me that Riley had experienced such severe reactions, that he had needed to be resuscitated twice in his five years of life.\u00a0 I knew immediately how much more I needed to know.\u00a0 And I knew that I had to become an expert VERY quickly.\u00a0 For Riley\u2019s sake.<\/p>\n

Food Allergies Now<\/h1>\n

Fast forward to 2013, there are many great sources of reliable information on the management of food allergies and anaphylaxis\u2013 at home and at school.\u00a0 School nurses are very well versed in appropriate strategies to prevent allergic reactions and in the appropriate treatment.<\/p>\n

Three important foundations<\/h1>\n

Three important foundations that the National Association of School Nurses has taken in our work in school health in general, in addition to food allergy, include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

1) The importance of depending on evidence based material.<\/h2>\n