Last Tuesday marked National Nurse Appreciation Day, an opportunity to celebrate and show appreciation for school nurses here at Clements High School. Here, school nurses RN Laura Arena and LVN Claudia Fahmy share their experiences.

How long have you been working at Clements? 

LA: Three years.

CF: Three years and a half.

How long have you been working as a nurse? 

CF: 1997. I was a CNA. And then I got my LVN in 2013. 

LA: Since 1979.

Why did you decide to become a school nurse? Was it something you knew you wanted to do, or is it just something you found? 

LA: Something I fell into, it wasn’t my plan.

CF: I’ve always loved working with kids, so I started working one on one with a special needs student at a school setting. So I felt that that’s what I liked.

What kind of obstacles did you face to become a nurse?

LA: There really weren’t any obstacles. I knew I wanted to be a nurse, and it was an easy decision.

CF: Yeah, I always wanted to be a nurse, but I was married, and then I had kids, so I had to just do it slowly, one step at a time. So balancing family and everything was my obstacle. 

What do you like most about working at CHS? 

CF:The students. I love the students, and the environment, and everything. I love it. I’m just saying, the staff is great.

Has there been a memorable moment that you would like to share while working at CHS? 

LA:  Nothing stands out. Can’t say every day is a blessing. 

CF: You just never know what could impact. It’s really a blessing that we’re here. I love any challenge that comes up.

What has the administration done to celebrate you for Nurse Appreciation?

CF: Oh, they get us flowers, and some lunch. Little gifts like that it’s very sweet of them. I appreciate it.

How have students celebrated nurse appreciation? 

CF: No, I don’t know if they do stuff. 

LA: StuCo does, because they gave that lollipop to you? They usually do something. 

CF: Yeah, StuCo does. But I don’t know if the whole student body is aware.

Do you have any additional thoughts you’d like to share with students?

CF: I encourage the students, since you all are in high school, I hope more of you guys decide to consider nursing as a career, because it’s really rewarding, and I think it’s great for everybody, and always you’ll have a job opportunity. There’s always jobs for nurses.