Barstow has a new edition to the staff this year: the school nurse. Nurse Rachel Shustek joined Barstow this year after 7 years as a nurse and 9 years as a nurse’s assistant in the Kansas City area, which is also where she’s from. This is her first job in a school.
“I really enjoy education,” she said, on the unfamiliar experience of working at a school. “I’m actually working on my master’s degree in education. And this way I get the best of both worlds.”
Her previous work included the emergency department, delivery room, and neonatal intensive care. Despite this extensive experience, she still said she felt nervous about working in a school. “I’ve never not worked at a hospital.”
So far, she feels that while the environment is different, it has been very welcoming, and she really enjoys it. And though it might seem like Barstow is much slower paced than an emergency room, a slew of students visits the nurse’s office every day. For instance, Nurse Shustek has already had to treat one child for a severe allergic reaction to fish. However, this experience pales in comparison to when she had to treat an accidental gunshot victim who was still fully conscious.
“[The bullet] ricocheted off of something and hit him in the head,” she said. “He walked in, we thought he was joking. On the CT [computed tomography scan] we could see, it didn’t go all the way though. He got very lucky.”
Nurse Shustek says she finds her job fulfilling because it involves, “meeting people and learning their stories.” “That’s why I became a nurse,” she continued. Her passion for nursing took over what she originally wanted to do.
“I thought I wanted to be a dental hygienist,” she stated. “Then I started taking courses, and I decided I do not want to be a dental hygienist. Mouths are kind of gross. A lot of prerequisites are the same as nursing, and I found myself being pulled that way.”
Long term at Barstow, she is excited to form closer relationships with families, and to help the counselors with the health and education program. “At Barstow, I get to know families more, because it’s a longer term interaction, than while it’s just at the hospital.” Her children also attend Barstow.
She is excited to be at Barstow, and is excited to help people with the resources that she can. Students can visit the nurses office near the entrance to the lower school, adjacent to Price Hall.
