We chatted to Stella, the new Senior Nurse at Palmer, and Sue, one of the longest serving members of our nursing team, to find out more about the eventful working lives of school nurses. Palmer Health Centre is committed to promoting the physical and psychological health and wellbeing of all students at Bloxham School. We also provide mental health support to our students both at Palmer and through our counselling services, peer listening scheme, prefects, matrons, tutors, House Parents and teachers. Medical staff are on site to provide health education, advice and support to staff and parents, and care for students who are unwell during school time.
How long have you worked at Palmer and what did you do before?
Stella: I’ve worked at Bloxham since December 2022. I stated my nursing career in 1994 working as a Trauma Nurse at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. I then trained as a midwife and practiced for a couple of years after qualifying at Wycombe General Hospital. I went into Practice Nursing in 2001 and worked in London for 11 years. I subsequently moved overseas and ran The Health Unit at The American Embassy in Muscat, Oman from 2012-2016. On returning to the UK, I worked at a GP surgery in Brixton for four years, then at Banbury Cross Health Centre for two years before joining Palmer.
Sue: I first started in Palmer as a Senior Nurse in November 2011, and I was there until August 2019 when I left and went into the Health Service. I returned here in January 2022 as one of the Sisters. I’m really enjoying it! I’m a Specialist Practitioner in Occupational Health, so prior to working at Bloxham I’d done all sorts of Occupational Health roles. I was the lead nurse for the Radcliffe Trust in Occupational Health and before that I set up the Thames Valley Police Occupational Health Service, where I was appointed as their Occupational Health Manager. There’s some crossover between Occupational Health and school nursing; some bits are the same but there are also some big differences.
What made you choose to work at Bloxham?
Stella: I chose to work at Bloxham because I have always enjoyed looking after young people. I went to boarding school myself, as did my son, and I felt I could make a difference.
Sue: In 2011, I saw the job being advertised and at the time was very keen on a career change. In my previous role, I had to travel to Oxford and back every day and spend hours in the traffic so coming here reduced my travel and gave me a new challenge and a better work life balance.
What are the most common ailments which people come to you about?
Stella: We deal with a variety of illnesses and accidents, but most commonly colds and viruses and sports related injuries.
Sue: I agree, there’s just so much variety. Everything you could think of has come through the door at some stage. We deal with a lot of sports injuries as Stella said, particularly in rugby season. Lots of fractures, lots of broken fingers and toes, concussions, just a huge amount of injuries. Otherwise we deal with all the minor ailments which come through the door. It can be anything from a headache to a child that’s vomiting. We deal with lots of psychological things, and what I’ve noticed since coming back in January last year is there’s a lot more psychological support needed for the children post-lockdown. They’ll come to us if they’re anxious or stressed, or if they’ve got a chronic health condition and something feels wrong, or if they’ve got symptoms they can’t explain. It’s very broad.
What does a typical day look like at Palmer?
Stella: No two days are the same at Palmer! Early shifts start at 07:30, where we see any boarders on medication, those who have been unwell overnight or who are requesting Off-Games slips. We deal with any emails that have come in overnight and use any time between pupil visits for admin, organising first aid kits, training, GP and physio appointments and generally reacting to any emergencies (fainting, sports injuries etc.). The late shift starts after lunch and that brings more of the same. We may need to send poorly children home or back to House, or sometimes keep them in Palmer for observation. There are multiple meetings to attend and a lot of paperwork throughout the day. We take it in turns to be on-call by phone from 8am to 7:30am the following day to offer advice to House Parents or tutors. We also teach PHSE once a week (e.g. First Aid, CPR, anaphylaxis) so have many strings to our bows. In Michaelmas Term we also go pitch-side to offer Rugby First Aid, a potentially very busy time.
Sue: There is no typical day! There is a structure in that we’ve got clinics that we try and get the children to attend in the morning, lunchtime and evening. If they’ve got something they just want to drop in and deal with as a routine, they can come then, though obviously if they’re ill through the day they can come any time. We’ve got set days where the doctor or physio comes in, but we’re always here for the children.
What has been a highlight from your time so far?
Stella: The highlight in my short time has been meeting the Palmer team who are all fantastic and gradually getting to know the students. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the school production of Cyrano De Bergerac, despite having to deal with a head injury just before the performance!
Sue: The children are the main highlight. I really enjoy looking after them and building up a relationship with them. When I first came, Palmer were located in what’s now Exham House and were called ‘Palmer Hospital.’ We’ve developed hugely from there and changed beyond recognition. There was lots of work to be done. The development of Palmer has been a real positive for me, with lots of policy writing as well as changing the building and moving to where we are now. All of those changes have been while I’ve been in the post and that’s been good.
What’s the most surprising injury or illness you’ve come across at Bloxham?
Stella: I have learnt to expect the unexpected. Not much surprises me but I have been astonished at how accident-prone children can be! I think I’m going to enjoy the challenge of working at Bloxham and look forward to the day when I know everyone’s names. I’ve been really impressed by the friendliness and helpfulness of staff and pupils alike. Bloxham really is a fabulous school and I’m proud to have joined the team.
Sue: There’s something almost every week that comes through the door that’s a surprise and that you don’t expect to see. I remember I hadn’t been here very long and a girl came in with her finger up. She’d managed to sew her finger with a sewing machine and the needle was stuck in there! At the time I wondered how you could possibly do that! Like Stella said, with children, you expect the unexpected. It’s all part of life as a school nurse.
