Tales of a school nurse

One of my duties at school is that of 'nurse'. Students who are unwell during the school day or who have an ‘injury’ (usually cut feet from playing football barefoot) see me for first aid or basic medicine eg painkillers. Or they would like a note to be excused for wearing flip flips instead of shoes. I also have a supply of medicines for including antibiotics, anti-malarials and antihistamines. In the UK some of these medicines would only be prescribed by a doctor. However, there is no doctor in Korr, and students live at school so parents are not responsible for their ill children. There is a dispensary with a nurse but it is not always open and can take a lot of time to get seen. Seriously ill students are taken to hospital in town if a vehicle is available.

I am conscious that there are illnesses here that are not common in UK and that students’ immune system and general health is often not great. I brought a book with me called ‘Where there is no doctor’ and refer to it for advice on African ailments and best treatments. In most cases a plaster will do the job. For most other things painkillers, water or rest is sufficient. Surprisingly, some students are already sure of the diagnosis when they come to me (it’s always very serious!) and determined to take medicine which will deliver an instant cure.

Last week I saw a boy with a sore foot; a football injury. He was keen for bandage/painkillers/antibiotics… I told him that he’d probably be OK by the following day and prescribed rest, teaching him the phrase ‘time is healer’. He left me rather put out that I hadn’t at least given him a bandage. However the next day he came to see me and quite proudly told me that his foot was almost better. The swelling had gone down and it wasn’t sore anymore!