School Health Professional's Duty: Responding to a Student's Self-Harm - Essay Sample

Introduction

School health professionals have a duty to ensure the wellbeing of students. As individuals who receive a variety of information about health issues that affect learners, they play a vital role in addressing student's problems (Selekman, 2013). In the given case, a teacher reports that a 10th grader girl has cuts on her forearms. Therefore, the professional has to intervene to minimize the possibility of the girl inflicting more harm on herself. Such a case requires a careful, trust-oriented approach for the nurse to get through to the adolescent and help her. Cutting, as a form of self-inflicted injury, is a signifier of deeper underlying issues that affect psychological welfare (Sornberger, Heath, Toste, &McLouth, 2012). Hence, the health professional ought to act on the information shared by the teacher.

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Cutting is a type of injury caused by the act of making lacerations using sharp or pointed objects. They use items like razors, knives, or glass to break the skin and cause bleeding. People cut themselves on different parts of the body, such as arms and legs. Depending on various factors, people can inflict superficial or deep wounds by cutting. There are different reasons for pruning. These include the need to take away emotional pain by triggering physical pain. Thus, it serves as a relief and a source of calmness from psychological pressure (Sornberger et al., 2012). Others cut themselves as a way to feel alive and escape the numbness that surrounds other areas of their lives. In some occasions, people choose to cut themselves as a means of communicating distress. Cutting also serves as an outlet for intense feelings.

When handling such a case, collaboration with others is essential to create a safe environment that eliminates the need for the adolescent to cut herself. Within the school setting, the health professional can involve the school's counselor to facilitate a detailed analysis of the mental wellness of the child as well as examine the causes that trigger self-harming thoughts. As a skilled individual who knows how to communicate with children, the counselor can help discover the problems affecting the child (Selekman, 2013). Engaging her pediatrician is also necessary for a medical checkup to take place. It is crucial to assess and determine whether the past cuts exposed the girl to health risks due to excessive blood loss or infection of the open surfaces.

Since the adolescent is a minor, calling her parents is necessary. The parents need to understand what is going on with their daughter and how they can help become part of the solution. Given the different reasons that lead people to cut themselves, it is essential to engage the parents. While cutting is non-suicidal, if unaddressed, it could evolve into a worse condition (Sornberger et al., 2012). Therefore, it is essential to have adults who are aware of their children's emotional state and welfare. As for the teacher seeking information about the case, the professional can only share a general overview. It is vital to note that it is illegal for health professionals to divulge patient data. Thus, the best option is to assure the teacher that the child is receiving the necessary care and attention to prevent future cutting incidents.

Suicide and Mental Health

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death across the globe. It is death that results due to the actions of an individual who has the intent to die. Suicide mostly affects people aged between 10-34 years ("Preventing Suicide," 2018). Hence, it is the second leading cause of death for people in this age bracket. It is a glaring problem that requires a unique intervention. The report of suicide committed by one of the popular jocks on the school's basketball team highlights the impact that the act can have on the community. The student population, having received the news of the death over various news outlets, reported to school on Monday filled with fear and worry.

The school nurse has to review the mental health considerations surrounding suicide and help the administration address the crisis at the institution. Before committing suicide, individuals often think and plan about it. Choosing to attempt suicide is a sign that there is a lack of adequate protection measures to buffer people from suicidal thoughts and behaviors ("Preventing Suicide," 2018). Some of the factors that lead individuals to commit suicide include mental illness issues, depression, intense feelings of anger, sadness, or loss of a loved one. Young people also opt to end their lives due to feeling hopeless. Therefore, due to experiencing highly stressful live events, they begin to perceive death as a better option.

It is vital for the school nurse to educate all the members of the school community about suicide. One of the crucial bits of information that the nurse can share with them is identifying signs of suicidal thoughts and behaviors as well as how to help such individuals. Some of the symptoms that the students or teachers can look out for include increased preoccupation with death, withdrawal from social circles, not caring about things that mattered before and giving away valuable possessions. While these signs may not necessarily imply that one will commit suicide, it is essential to consider the presence of risk factors such as loss of loved ones or exposure to physical or emotional abuse.

The goal of the enlightening the school community about suicide is to ensure that everyone works toward preventing it. Emphasizing the effects of suicide and suicide attempts on the individual, their families, and surrounding society are vital. For instance, survivors may suffer from long-term health effects such as broken bones, organ failure, and depression. Besides, the cost of treatment creates a burden on the family. Also, suicide deaths affect the wellbeing of those left behind. They suffer from shock and experience feelings of anger, guilt, and depression("Preventing Suicide |Violence Prevention |Injury Center |CDC," 2018). After sharing the information with the community, the nurse can challenge the members to participate in suicide prevention by promoting connectedness. By having a support system where people care about each other's welfare, they can prevent suicidal thoughts and practices.

Emergency Management and Disaster Planning

Disaster preparedness refers to the actions that communities take to prepare for and mitigate the adverse effects of various catastrophes. It is essential for learning institutions to take the initiative and get ready for disasters. These are diverse calamities which occur due to human and natural causes. Their occurrence significantly disrupts the daily functioning of a community. Catastrophes lead to loss of human and animal lives, destruction of properties as well as critical infrastructure systems (Rawls &Turnquist, 2010). Examples of hazards that can affect an institution such as an elementary school include earthquakes, floods, disease epidemics, and fires. When preparing for such events, it is crucial to consider and prioritize the needs of children with long-term illnesses.

Members of the disaster planning committee have a role in ensuring that the school is aware that calamities can strike at any moment without warning. Therefore, it is essential to set aside resources that will help in managing the outcomes of disasters. The goal of disaster preparedness is to minimize the impact of calamities and promote the health wellbeing of affected populations(Rawls &Turnquist, 2010). Considering the needs of students with chronic diseases, the committee has to designate an appropriate location that will serve as a center for coordinating the response. The selected venue will serve as a supply and resource collection as well as a distribution center.

As a member of the committee, my role would involve analyzing the overall student population to figure out the specific number of children who will require specialized attention in case disaster strikes. The process would entail carefully going through the student information database. As the data collector for the group, my task is to form a comprehensive list that will ease the identification of the needs of children with chronic illness. Also, the data will form a basis for gathering of supplies that will play a vital role in attending the children. It is essential for the committee to ensure that there are adequate medical and food supplies to avoid challenges and shortages that arise due to disrupted access to facilities.

The committee has to put in place measures that will facilitate fast and effective response in the event of a calamity. Lack of preparation within the elementary school will inhibit the provision of immediate assistance to the children(Rawls &Turnquist, 2010). Such a failure will compromise the overall health of children with chronic illnesses. Avoiding a scenario like this requires the committee to design a location with efficient storage capabilities that can withstand destructive elements associated with catastrophes. Thus, the objective of the committee is to ensure that the occurrence of a calamity will not disrupt service or attending to the targeted student population.

References

Preventing Suicide. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/suicide/fastfact.html

Rawls, C. G., &Turnquist, M. A. (2010). Pre-positioning of emergency supplies for disaster response. Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, 44(4), 521-534. Retrieved from https://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/handle/1813/10809/nonpapers_template_cgr7_laptop.doc.pdf?sequence=1

Selekman, J. (2013). School nursing: A comprehensive text (2nd). Davis Company.

Sornberger, M. J., Heath, N. L., Toste, J. R., &McLouth, R. (2012). -Non-suicidal selfinjury and gender: Patterns of prevalence, methods, and locations among adolescents. Suicide and LifeThreatening Behavior, 42(3), 266-278. doi:10.1111/j.1943-278X.2012.00088.x