Linda Starosta, the school nurse for both Evans City elementary and middle schools, updates medical records for every student in the summer.

Most employees of a school district look forward to the summer months for relaxation, refueling and a chance to take a vacation.

But the exact opposite is true of school nurses, who in the summer are in the midst of one their busiest times of year.

Linda Starosta, the school nurse for both Evans City elementary and middle schools in the Seneca Valley School District, said the summer gives her a chance to update medical records for each student.

It's not a small population of students she's tasked with overseeing. Because Starosta is the nurse in both schools, which are housed in the same building, she covers students from kindergarten through seventh grade, which means she is responsible for more than 1,100 students each year.

The summer work includes updating each student's medical record, including any possible problems such as allergies, asthma, diabetes or other special needs.

She also must check each student's record to make sure vaccinations are current, something that is especially important for students in kindergarten and in the seventh grade.

The nurse also must collect data from each student's doctor, data that shows the results of their most recent physicals and dental records.

Every piece of medical information is of utmost importance, Starosta said. If just one piece is incorrect or omitted, at worst, it could endanger the health or life of the student. At best, outdated information could easily inhibit the learning process.

“You cannot educate a student who isn't healthy and ready to learn,” she said. “Basically, that's what school nurses do. We remove the medical barriers to learning. That's why we're here. That's our job.”

While the summer proves to be rather hectic for any school nurse, the workload picks up even more when school starts.

Each student must, at some point, visit the nurse's office for health screenings early in the year. Those screenings include measurements for height, weight and vision, and are required for each student.

There also are added requirements for every student in kindergarten through third grade, students who must pass a hearing test. There also are extra tests for sixth and seventh graders for scoliosis.

The winter doesn't provide much of a relief either because that's when flu season kicks in. By the time she's done dealing with that, spring comes around and it's time for field trips, always a busy time for nurses.

Then it is back to the summer months.

Starosta doesn't mind the pace of her job, but that doesn't mean there aren't things both parents and students can do to make it a little easier.

“The most important thing for kids is to get a good breakfast, get enough sleep and limit your (TV) screen time,” she said. “The most important thing parents can do is make sure their contact information is up to date and to make sure their kids' immunizations are up to date.”