He works, in turns, at three elementaries, one middle school and a severe behavior center for students in kindergarten through grade 12. Wray said his work benefits many lives because he sees the same children repeatedly, enabling him to repeat his health advice. Wray has been a school nurse for five years, after earning a bachelor's degree from Wright State University and certification as a school nurse in accord with a WSU program and the Ohio Department of Education. Before that, he was a medic in the Air Force for 14 years, and he is in the Air Force Reserve Nurse Corps at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Wray and his co-workers try to instill simple habits for good health, such as hand washing to cut down on the spread of viral and bacterial illnesses.
Many students require instruction in asthma management.
With middle school students, behavioral issues and the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases, smoking and alcohol and drugs are major concerns. The nurse needs to know psychology as well as physiology to communicate with this age group, Wray said, but he likes the challenge of dealing with the various age groups. Wray advises anyone interested in being a school nurse to be flexible and comfortable with an unpredictable schedule and to understand what children are saying and what they are not saying. Wray's long-range goal is to enter a PhD program. By using Dayton Daily News you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement .