By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–Before answering the most obvious question, Shauna Wisener laughed, then turned serious.
“I pray a lot,” the Union City Schools nurse responded to the query of how she avoided regular sickness in a job where she encounters those under-the-weather many times each day.
“Seriously, by the grace of God … He knows I don’t need to miss work.”
Wisener, a 1991 graduate of Union City High School, is in her eighth year of working as the school system’s nurse. She says the recent rash of infections – flu and otherwise – has spiked the number of students she’s seen, but insists “our schools probably are the most-healthy environments many children are in.”
“We have both night crews who wipe down walls, doors and desks with disinfectant wipes and teachers who regularly sanitize their rooms and work areas and spray Lysol daily. We take all the precautions we can, but there are germs everywhere – in homes and in public places. And, sometimes, I think students and adults are just going to get sick, no matter what.”
Wisener, who worked both in a hospital and a surgery center after receiving her degree from UT-Memphis, spends most of her day at the elementary school, where she has an office and a mini-clinic. She also visits the middle school, where she gives insulin injections, and spends time at UCHS when the need or an emergency arises.
Her responsibilities are made easier at both the middle and high school with the presence of Kristen Miles (UCMS), who is an RN in addition to the School Health Coordinator, and Jessica Tuck (UCHS), who teaches nursing services and medical therapy and is registered nurse.
Courtney Duggar, an LPN at the elementary school who is an educational assistant, also helps out with school health when the need arises. So, too, does Elizabeth Becton, an LPN and EA at UCES.
Wisener’s “normal” day starts out by dispersing medicines to students. She then deals with sicknesses – mostly headaches, stomach aches and sore throats, she said.
She also treats some faculty and administration, checking blood pressure and administering shots.
“You can usually look at a student and tell if there’s something really wrong, or they just want attention,” Wisener said. “If they’re coughing or wheezing with their breathing, it’s something I pay real close attention to.
“Other times, though, they might just need a little attention or a few minutes away from class. And I’ve learned to spot those who are just trying to get out of work.”
Wisener said her busiest times are usually the months of January and March – the former due to various strands of the “bug,” the latter due to the first hints of pollen and other things that lower air quality and lead to breathing issues and asthma.
“Overall, I just think kids and society in general are just sicker now. I see some kids who have some major stuff going on,” she claimed.
“And I think sometimes adults send their kids to school even when they might not be totally healthy. It’s like, ‘Go on, you’ll feel better, and if you don’t the nurse will call me.’ Sometimes, that works out. Sometimes, it doesn’t.”
Close relationships with many students who merely need encouragement is an admitted rewarding part of the job for Wisener.
“When you see a kid in the cafeteria and they just come up and hug you because you made them feel better, that makes you smile,” she said. “A lot of times they’ll say, ‘I still love you, Nurse Shauna.’ I guess that comes from times you have to do things treating them that are unpleasant to them.”
And in these times of widespread sickness outbreak, Wisener constantly preaches the following:
“Wash your hands. I’ve put signs up in our bathrooms around school. I’m a big soap-and-water person, and I can hear the paper towel dispenser when they’re in the bathroom. There’s plenty of Germex everywhere in my office and other places too.
“Don’t cough in my face or anyone else’s.”
And, on top of that, a little prayer won’t hurt.
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