Category — 3.2 The “N” Professionals

Nurses are members of the medical team and have medical degree. They are often described as doctors’ “right hand” helpers (Fig. 1). They work in hospitals, clinics, and in Canada, public health agencies. Nurses:

Figure 1. “Right hand” helpers

• Visit families of newborn babies in order to make sure the baby is doing well;
• Offer immunization or vaccination services to infants, toddlers and children;
• Perform day to day operations in hospital settings, such as administering medication and taking vital signs;
• Run the health or nurse’s station in schools.

Nurses often serve on the Individual Education Plan (IEP) (see full Glossary) teams of children with medical conditions or conditions that require the child to be on medication. In school settings, they offer:

• Information about medical conditions such as epilepsy, asthma and cancer;
• Information about the medication that a child may be taking and its side effects;
• Information about medication that a child with a mental health condition, such as anxiety disorders, may be taking and its side effects;
• Information about what to do in crisis situations related to medical conditions. For example, nurses will have a plan for what to do if a child with epilepsy has a tonic-clonic seizure on school grounds.

Information about medication children may be taking is very important. Some medications have serious side effects that include drowsiness, nausea and upset stomach. Information about these side effects will help teachers and special educators make plans regarding the timing of tests and field trips.

For information about the different types of nurses available, please visit the birth to six section of this course.

see References

A neurologist is a medical doctor who specializes in the human neurological system which includes (Fig. 1):

Figure 1. Neurologist

• The central nervous system (that is, the brain and the spinal cord);
• The peripheral nervous system (see full Glossary);
• The muscles;
• The autonomic nervous system.

Neurologists work with other specialists to diagnose and treat medical conditions that are neurologically-based. Such conditions include cerebral palsy, epilepsy and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

When neurologists first see patients, they usually conduct a complete physical examination paying special attention to how the person’s nerves are working. Part of a neurological exam also includes looking at cognitive functions (such as memory and concentration) because difficulties with these functions could indicate a neurological impairment. Neurologists also perform complex machine-based tests  to measure the neurological skills of an individual. Such tests include the electroencephalography (EEG) test (see full Glossary), the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) test (see full Glossary), the Computed Axial Tomography (CAT) (see full Glossary) scan  and the Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan (see full Glossary).

see References