From Beaufort County Schools

 

CHOCOWINITY — Erica Lassiter always wanted a job where she could help others, and that’s exactly what she finds herself doing on a daily basis during the school year.

Lassiter, herself a former student within the Beaufort County Schools system, serves as school nurse at Chocowinity Primary School and Chocowinity Middle School.

A Beaufort County native, Lassiter attended Bath Elementary School and Northside High School. After graduation she opted to further her education at Beaufort County Community College, where she obtained a degree in nursing. She is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in nursing at East Carolina University and she anticipates finishing her studies there in December.

Lassiter was inspired to become a nurse as a youngster, when she watched an aunt go about her duties at what was then Beaufort County Hospital.

“I enjoyed visiting her at the hospital when she was working, knowing that she was helping take care of others,” Lassiter recalled.

Even though school is out for the summer, Lassiter doesn’t sit idle; along with her school nurse job she works part time as a medical-surgical nurse at Martin General Hospital.

At Chocowinity Primary and Chocowinity Middle, Lassiter finds herself doing everything from bracing a student’s broken arm to checking a staff member’s blood pressure. Her job is definitely a multi-faceted one.

“I identify students with medical conditions, and I create emergency action plans to insure the staff is aware of how to handle emergencies,” Lassiter said. “That includes knowing how to properly use EpiPens and inhalers.”

She coordinates vision and dental screenings at the schools, and she makes sure that students who are in need of services receive them, assisting families who may be unable to make the proper arrangements on their own. In addition, she monitors immunizations and stays up-to-date on communicable disease outbreaks.

Lassiter also assists students who have chronic diseases and conditions, such as diabetes and asthma.

“The most rewarding aspect of being a school nurse is helping students become comfortable with their medical conditions and live a normal life,” Lassiter said as she organized students’ records at the end of the 2013-2014 school year. “As they learn to become independent they realize that they are no different than any other student.”