Franklin Regional nurse wins state association's Excellence in School Nursing Award

As Franklin Regional Middle School nurse Beth Frydrych was about to be recognized with a statewide award, she found herself forced to reinvent her role as the coronavirus pandemic made its way into Western Pennsylvania.

“It’s all new, and who knows what will come up?” asked Frydrych of Murrysville, who is in her 13th year working as a nurse in the school district and was the recipient of the Pennsylvania Association of School Nurses and Practitioners 2020 Excellence in School Nursing Award for southwestern Pennsylvania.

Frydrych was to receive the award at a March 28 dinner in State College that had to be canceled. She attends the PASNAP conference every year and has seen the effort it takes to earn the award.

“To see the nurses who’ve done so many great things, I was honored to be among that group,” she said.

Frydrych finds herself with a new challenge now: adapting to her role as a health care provider at a time when students are not even in school, let alone able to come to her office.

“We’re looking at the dynamics of being in the house all day with parents who are now working from home mostly,” she said. “I’ve been looking up articles that can be useful to parents. We look at a lot of mental health pieces during something like this.”

As schools across the state began to shut down, Frydrych began reaching out to students who’d experienced a recent concussion.

“Typically they’re told to stay away from screens, but we (were) about to start screen-based instruction,” she said. “So we touch base with parents and students to see how they may be able to handle that, or how we can help them adapt to that sort of thing.” Frydrych also began reaching out to parents whose children take daily medication at the middle school.

“I want to make sure they’re staying consistent with that so that students can take accountability for their education during the school day,” she said.

As a nurse practitioner, Frydrych’s license limits the type of services she can provide, especially in this new environment.

“When I see someone, I can look at their symptoms and help them get through the day, but I generally recommend that they run things by their pediatrician,” she said. “A lot of times, though, people don’t think of the school nurse as someone kids come to with social, emotional or mental health concerns, but I can also serve as a resource and I’m working closely with our counselors.”

When Frydrych made the shift from an emergency-room nurse to school nursing, she had to take some time and adjust to her new role. Now she finds herself doing it again amid the covid-19 pandemic.

“Having to be home and almost redefine what my role is, it’s quite challenging trying to figure out how I can care for and work with students in this new platform,” she said.