In honor of School Nurse Day on May 8th, we wanted to highlight Martha Lang, LPN, a school nurse at Buchanan Primary School in The OrganWise Guys’ home state of Georgia! Martha was named School Nurse of the Year for the 2012-2013 school year by the Georgia Association of School Nurses (GASN) and is very enthusiastic about promoting health and wellness as well as using The OrganWise Guys in her teachings.
OWG: What are your primary responsibilities as a school nurse/LPN?
Martha: I provide a variety of health services as a school nurse/LPN including:
- facilitating the student’s optimal physical growth and development
- preventing serious health problems within the school environment
- supporting the education process by working with school personnel to interpret the health status of students
- initiating referrals to parents, school personnel, or community health resources for intervention, remediation and follow through
- serving as health liaison between the school and community health agencies
- maintaining up-to-date and accurate records of student visits and parental followup
- administering daily medications prescribed for student
- conducting educational classes as invited
OWG: What are some of the activities that you encourage children to do that helps teach them about healthy living?
Martha: During each clinic visit, an assessment is made of the student’s complaint and appropriate counseling is given to encourage the student in making healthy lifestyle choices. I have conducted oral health classes, personal hygiene training (i.e. proper hand washing); conducted oral health coloring contest during Oral Health Month; initiated educational classes for making healthy eating/nutrition choices with rewards for students who completed a calendar month of eating fresh fruits and veggies. These are just a few examples.
OWG: You were named the Georgia Association of School Nurses LPN of the year! Congratulations on that accomplishment! What do you think makes you and your school stand out to be recognized with this honor?
Martha: While I don’t feel that I’ve done anything more outstanding than any other school nurse, I do believe in educating our children in not only academics but in health and nutrition at as early an age as possible.
OWG: What OWG materials are most popular among your students?
Martha: OrganWise Gal is definitely a hit with the students.They love learning about the organs of their bodies and how they function; especially, how to be healthy from the inside out. OrganWise Gal accompanies me to the classrooms and other activities and provides an opening to healthy conversation and teaching.
OWG: What is your favorite part of using OWG in your work?
Martha: It’s difficult to single out one part, however, having multiple OWG resources to choose from is very helpful. I have had success using The OrganWise Guys adventures.
OWG: Can you share any unique success stories or stories that you have seen involving The OrganWise Guys.
Martha: I recently conducted “boot camp” training for all 2nd graders using OWG Basic Training for Better Health. OrganWise Gal and I dressed up in our boot camp gear and visited all 2nd grade classes and conducted training. Our boot camp training continues this month with Pepto’s Place.
Thank you Martha for all of your hard work and effort to create healthier children!
