Weakley County Schools stresses need for nurses
WEAKLEY COUNTY, Tenn. — Weakley County Schools is in dire need of school nurses.
Supervisor Beth Kempton says it’s a problem that has been getting worse over the last few months.
“I usually have five or six substitute nurses that I have on hand in case my nurses get sick, I have meetings, just different problems or appointments that come up. And we just don’t have nurses available anymore,” Kempton said.
Kempton says it’s making it incredibly difficult this time of year when you already have flu and strep throat season approaching. And that is on top of the challenges they already have due to COVID-19.
“It has been tough. We’ve had to be quarantined in the past and during the time that the nurse is in quarantine, we have to cover that school and it’s very difficult. We’ve had nurses in Weakley County have to go back and forth between two schools,” Kempton said.
She says it adds a tremendous amount of stress on the current nurses knowing they have that amount of responsibility.
“They feel very guilty. They have cancelled doctors appointments. They’re extremely stressed. They’re exhausted. We have a couple personal days a year that they can take to use for whatever they need it for, and they haven’t had a chance to do that,” Kempton said.
Kempton says what’s causing the nurse shortage is the fact that some nursing are retiring, and there are not any applications coming in to replace them.
“They want full-time positions. There are so many positions available that they can have exactly what they want, they can get the salary they want, they can get the benefits they want because these employers out there are doing whatever it takes,” Kempton said.
She encourages people to apply and be a part of helping kids stay in school.
“Everyday is different. You could be taking care anywhere from 30 to 50 students a day, but even if you have a day that you don’t see maybe the number, you might have some children come in that really kind of need just to talk to you,” Kempton said.
In order to apply, you have to be a registered nurse, have a CPR certification, a current Tennessee license, good references, and a background check.
You can see job opportunities with Weakley County Schools here.
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