Even though school-based telehealth runs on technology, when it comes to training, Nurse Practitioner Kelli Garber from the Medical University of South Carolina says she prefers to train school nurses in person.
School-based telehealth allows school nurses to connect to a provider over video. This allows students to be seen in school, minimizing commutes and missed classes.
At Mitchell Elementary, Garber goes over the newly delivered equipment, standards, and student consent forms. She says training does not take long, but the time she spends with the school nurses helps her build a growing relationship, that is helpful once they start connecting to her as a provider.
Lidie Collier, Mitchell Elementary’s school nurse, is the recipient of last year’s South Carolina School Nurse of the Year award. She is training with Garber, and says she thinks telehealth will help students in her school get care they might not be receiving for a variety of reasons including setting up appointments and transportation.
Collier says, “I think a whole new world of health care came into Mitchell today.”
While Mitchell Elementary is starting to use telehealth, watch how school-based telehealth is being used in other parts of the state.