A lot of hard work and dedication goes into making schools safe and healthy places, and Fern Ridge School District nurse Sarah Elliott does more than her share.
Elliott serves all four schools in the district — Elmira High, Fern Ridge Middle, Veneta Elementary and Elmira Elementary — as well as working outside of the district in the emergency unit at McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center in Springfield. With 18 years in the nursing industry, she brings a lot of experience to her role as a school nurse.
Regardless of where Elliott is, she said she is able to respond to calls quickly to be where she is needed most.
“I try to keep a regular schedule,” she said. “I have one day at each school or schools, and then I have one day where I’m in the office where I can catch up on work. If I’m at another school, they can call me over.”
Elliott grew up in Corvallis and learned her trade from a nursing school in Louisville, Kentucky. Before getting her nursing degree, she earned a bachelor’s degree in biology.
She said she was inspired to become a nurse after watching the nurses at her office assistant job do their work. She thought she would be a great fit for the career and was determined to continue to support herself and her children.
“I have my own kids in the district, so I have a little skin in the game,” she said, “but I just want all the students to be as healthy as they can so they can learn and focus on school. I am motivated to support the student however I can so that they can do their best.”
Elliott is able to handle all of her responsibilities in stride, making sure that the students who need it can get their prescribed medicine. She is there to care for and make sure injured students can get the medical attention they need.
“I get called often to sort of follow up if there’s anything that happens to one of the kids in the district,” she said. “For example, somebody maybe hits their head really hard over at the middle school. They’ll call me over to assess the kid.”
When asked what kind of advice she would give any future nursing student, she said: “It’s a really great career. There is always going to be work in the health care field. It’s projected that there will be a shortage of nurses due to retirement, so pay attention in your science classes, and make sure you don’t have a weak gag reflex.”
Elliott said the most difficult part of becoming a nurse was getting into a school, because a lot of people would like to be a nurse but there aren’t enough schools.
She said she would describe herself as hardworking, easygoing and a dedicated parent. She said her best strengths include being able to learn fast and being able to jump into her work fast.
If she had to choose a different job, she said she would like to be either a professional guitar player or a veterinarian.
At the end of the day, Elliott is passionate and loves her nursing job, where she is able to spread a good message and make a difference.
