I work with a talented group of public health professionals who have largely gone unnoticed in this pandemic. We were on the front lines in the very beginning of this public health crisis and continue to be.

Our jobs have doubled in workload and in hours. Most of us do not receive additional compensation for this. Nor were we asked if we were willing to take it on. It was just expected, and we rose to the occasion.

We are not allotted all PPE like the rest of health professionals, though we are often up close and personal as we administer care for those we serve. We are one of the lower-paid groups of health professionals in our class, and we are often looked upon with disdain for our chosen niche. We are school nurses.

Schools have not magically stayed open through this pandemic. They have stayed open in part because of the work of school nurses – school nurses, who are usually the only health professionals for their community.

I typically would not blow my own horn. But this group has been working selflessly and tirelessly for months now. Someone needs to recognize the contributions we have made during this pandemic. The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention alone has not been contact tracing and managing school families’ needs. School nurses have done that.

We deserve a shout-out from someone who is not one of our own. Will anyone else give it? School nurses are deserving of at least that much.

Sharon Stathoplos
Wells

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