Q&A
Wait times and challenges in securing nurses for student transportation
0:41:54
·
3 min
Council Member Rita Joseph presses for details on the wait times and challenges in securing nurses for student transportation. Dr. Cheryl Lawrence explains the process and acknowledges the difficulties faced.
- The wait time for securing a nurse can vary from a few days to several weeks
- Factors affecting wait times include nurse availability, parent approval of assigned nurses, and the ongoing nursing shortage
- In some cases, students may wait up to 30 days or more to attend school due to lack of a nurse
- Alternative solutions during the wait may include:
- Home instruction
- Assigning a paraprofessional if possible
- Using school nurses instead of one-to-one nurses when appropriate
- Every effort is made to ensure students can attend school, but significant challenges remain in meeting all needs promptly
Rita Joseph
0:41:54
AND WHILE THEY'RE BEING REVIEWED, WHAT HAPPENS TO THE STUDENT TRYING TO GET TO SCHOOL?
Dr. Cheryl Lawrence
0:42:01
THAT'S A COMPLETELY QUESTION.
0:42:03
SO IN TERMS OF A student that is still waiting for a review.
0:42:07
They may attend school if they if they do not need a nurse.
0:42:11
There's a it's a few parts of that question.
0:42:13
So if a student is being reviewed and is determined that the student does not need a nurse and that Parra can provide the services, then the student will be referred for Parra services so that they can attend school.
0:42:27
If a student requires a nurse, then the process to obtain a nurse is is made for that student.
Rita Joseph
0:42:33
How long does a student wait?
0:42:35
How long is the wait?
Dr. Cheryl Lawrence
0:42:36
That's variable because the once it's the review process is relatively quick,
Rita Joseph
0:42:41
how long is the review process?
Dr. Cheryl Lawrence
0:42:43
That can take anywhere from a few days to maybe a week or more.
0:42:50
If you have to be able to get in touch with the provider to be able to obtain any clarification of the order.
0:42:56
But once that is done, that process is then to obtain the nurse.
0:43:00
And those are typically agency nurses that we get from our contracted service
Rita Joseph
0:43:05
How long does it take to get a nurse?
Dr. Cheryl Lawrence
0:43:07
So in terms of getting a nurse for contracted services, the difficulty isn't requesting, but it's but once once a a nurse is identified, then the parent is given the opportunity to determine if they like that nurse.
0:43:22
And sometimes they do not like that nurse and you have to go back in the pool and get obtain other nurses.
0:43:27
I mean, we do have a nursing shortage, so we have to admit that piece.
0:43:31
But we go out to multiple agencies to be able to identify a nurse that fits the needs of that child.
Rita Joseph
0:43:38
And I'm gonna go back to my original question.
0:43:41
How long does it take for that child to get to school if a nurse is not provided?
0:43:45
That
Dr. Cheryl Lawrence
0:43:47
I mean, that is a barrier, and we have to acknowledge that, but that can be variable.
0:43:52
So it really depends on when the services are able to be obtained.
0:43:56
So it can be as long as a a few days.
0:43:58
It can be as long as a week.
0:44:01
Because of all of the other points that I mentioned before as to why a nurse may not be placed assigned to that student on
Sarah Catalina Naro
0:44:08
time.
Rita Joseph
0:44:08
What's the longest a student had to wait for a nurse?
Dr. Cheryl Lawrence
0:44:13
I'll have to get back
Flavia Puello-Perdomo
0:44:13
to you on that.
Dr. Cheryl Lawrence
0:44:14
But I but but I'll be honest with you.
0:44:16
It's it's variable.
0:44:18
So it can be a few days, like I said, and that could be much longer.
0:44:22
We've had What
Rita Joseph
0:44:22
does what does not much longer look like?
Charlize Ellis
0:44:26
If a
Dr. Cheryl Lawrence
0:44:29
If a nurse is identified for his child and the parent does not like the nurse, we will have to keep searching for another nurse and that can take a number of weeks if the nurse if if the parent doesn't like the child.
Rita Joseph
0:44:44
So 30 days, the child not in school because there's no nurse.
0:44:48
Is that possible?
Dr. Cheryl Lawrence
0:44:50
It is possible.
Rita Joseph
0:44:51
And what do we do meanwhile?
Dr. Cheryl Lawrence
0:44:53
In the meanwhile, we try to what we have been doing is trying to figure out if there are other services that student needs in the meantime, such as if the student requires home instruction in the in the interim.
0:45:07
If the student can have I mentioned before, if they can't get para in the interim, but every effort is made to ensure that the student is able to attend school.
0:45:16
One of the things that we're able to do as well is, in some instances, the one to one nurse is not needed.
0:45:22
And if the one to one nurse is not needed because there is a nurse already in the school, we will provide additional services such as the para for them to attend, but every effort is made for them to attend.
Rita Joseph
0:45:32
Please get that information back to us I would like to acknowledge council member, Denowitz, and council member, Brewer.
0:45:42
I'm gonna pass it over to council member.
0:45:44
I have
Julie Won
0:45:44
a few follow-up questions.
