CONGRATULATIONS to Laurel Andrews for the School Nurse of Excellence Award (SNEA)

Meet our recipient for the School Nurse of Excellence Award

The 2022 recipient of the School Nurse Excellence in Alaska award is Laurel Andrews, BSN, RN.  A cum laude 1996 graduate from the University of Alaska Anchorage and Sigma Theta Tau member. She has been the school nurse at Lake Hood Elementary in Anchorage since August 2012.  From 1997-2010, she created and ran a non-profit foot care clinic, The Foot Project, for the homeless population at Bean’s Café.  A colleague highlighted that community outreach along with her experiences from float pool hospital nursing to urgent care clinic nursing brought “a strong and diverse suite of clinic competencies” to her school nursing role. Laurel notes: “I try to give every chance to the student to have their voice heard.  I believe that one of my greatest duties it to enable students to advocate for themselves. I love that I am in charge of my office and the autonomy that I have to care for each student in a respectful, competent manner.” Stressing the importance of hand-washing, Laurel created grade-level progressive hand-washing lessons. A yearly volunteer at flu vaccine clinics, during this pandemic, she volunteered at Covid vaccination clinics and worked as a contact tracer.  Laurel with another nurse met with store owners of a local mall to hold a rolling flu vaccine clinic that went from store to store.  Laurel states Covid taught her “that being a school nurse is really being a public health nurse.” Described as a persistent, fearless life-long learner, she currently serves on the Anchorage School District nurse leadership team and mentors collegiate nursing students during their pediatric rotations.  Quoting a colleague: “An excellent school nurse should combine clinical competency, creativity, courage in a variety of settings, and a strong sense of service to the wider community.  Laurel Andrews epitomizes each and every one of these qualities.”