Quite the knack for nursing
LOREN BENOIT/Press Idaho Nurse of the Year Erin Dever, from Skyway Elementary School, reads a card from a Canfield Middle School student next to Winton Elementary School nurse Lia Moore, in red, and Lynsey Foster, far left, during Dever’s award celebration Wednesday at Skyway Elementary School.
Erin Dever accepts the Idaho Nurse of the Year Award from lead Coeur d'Alene School District nurse Nichole Piekarski Wednesday at Skyway Elementary School. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
By DEVIN WEEKS
Staff Writer
COEUR d’ALENE — Bumps, coughs, scrapes, spills, chills, slivers, fevers, bruises, tears.
Skyway Elementary School nurse Erin Dever has seen it all, and she handles each ailment and injury with a magic healing touch.
“She’s special to me because when I went to Fernan, she was a substitute for another nurse and last year when I got hurt, she was awesome, and she still is awesome,” said Skyway fifth-grader Kingston Erickson, who has Type 1 diabetes and has been to Dever’s office a few times.
“She deals with my attitude sometimes, she deals with my blood sugar being 49,” which is pretty low, he said. “She’s just an amazing person in general. She doesn’t just care for one person, she cares for all of them.”
The much-loved nurse who takes care of Skyway’s kids was nominated by her peers and honored by the School Nurse Organization of Idaho as the Gem State’s 2018 School Nurse of the Year. She was celebrated Wednesday, National School Nurse Day, during an award ceremony in the Skyway gym.
“I love that I get to be here. If there’s a student that needs a little bit more of my time, I can make time,” she said. “I get to know the students … I love that I get to have that one-on-one relationship with them and form bonds not only with the students, but also with the staff members because they know that they can come to us school nurses and if they have a question or if they have a problem, they can talk to us about it.”
Nichole Piekarski, who leads the school district’s Health Services staff, said Dever’s “sincerity, passion, warmth and inviting personality endears her to staff and families alike.”
“Erin has demonstrated exemplary skills in every part of her nursing care,” she said. “She has an excellent rapport with her nurse colleagues, district staff, students and parents.”
Dever joined the Coeur d’Alene School District in 2006. Before Skyway, she served as school nurse at Coeur d’Alene High School, Lakes and Woodland middle schools, the district’s developmental preschool and Fernan, Winton, Borah, Dalton, Ramsey and Bryan elementary schools.
Dever’s son, Caden Dever, 10, is a fourth-grader at Skyway and feels super lucky to have such an esteemed school nurse as a mom.
“She is just really good with the kids and she helps them, even if it’s after school,” he said. “She’ll take charge and do it, even if it’s after hours. I’m really proud of her.”
Dever received her associate degree in nursing through North Idaho College and her bachelor’s in nursing from Lewis and Clark State College. Her dream of being a nurse began when she was just in second grade.
“I love it,” she said. “It fills my heart to be able to be here, take care of the kids, help them make sure that they know they’re safe and cared for at school, along with their teachers who are amazing. I truly just love what I do.”
Nominations for the 2019 Idaho School Nurse of the Year are now being accepted.
Info: https://snoi.nursingnetwork.com