Cathie Buffett recognized with national nursing honor Posted 08/07/2014 10:00AM Cathie Buffett received the National Association of School Nurses Outstanding Private/Parochial School Nurse Award at the associations annual conference. (Photo courtesy of National Association of School Nurses) Western Reserve Academy Director of Health Services Cathie Buffett is the recipient of the National Association of School Nurses Outstanding Private/Parochial School Nurse Award for 2014. Buffett received the award at the association’s 46th annual conference in San Antonio. “I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to represent Western Reserve Academy, as well as private and parochial school nurses across our country, in my work with the National Association of School Nurses,” Buffett said. “I feel very honored to have received this wonderful recognition from our private and parochial school nurse membership and the national association’s leadership.” A member of the WRA community since 1997, Buffett, a licensed school nurse, oversees WRA’s team of registered nurses who work in the specialized practice of school health nursing, ensuring the health and well-being of the school’s students. They seek to facilitate positive student responses to normal development; promote health and safety; intervene with actual and potential health problems; provide case management services; and actively collaborate with the school community to build student and family capacity for adaptation, self-management, self-advocacy and learning. In addition, the Health Center provides professional counseling services 24 hours a day to provide students with preventive mental wellness strategies, and to afford a high level of psycho-socio-emotional support to students. “WRA is a terrifically satisfying and busy place, and it is a lot of fun to work with our great team of nurses, counselors and especially our WRA teenagers,” said Buffet, who also serves on the campus Safety Committee and the Freshmen Health Curriculum Team, and teaches Health-Ethics to upperclassmen. Buffet is an honors graduate of Texas Woman’s University and carries double licensure as a Registered Nurse and Licensed School Nurse. She also holds national certified school nurse credentials and membership in the National Honor Society of Nursing (Sigma Theta Tau), the National Association of School Nurses, Private & Parochial School Nurses, the Ohio Association of School Nurses and the American School Health Association (Health Education Section). “For 17 years, Cathie has been the face of the school’s health services staff, working tirelessly to provide our student body with exceptional care,” said Head of School Christopher Burner ’80. “The award from the National Association of School Nurses reaffirms what we already know: Cathie is one of the best. Congratulations from the entire WRA community on a well-deserved honor.” The National Association of School Nurses is a non-profit specialty nursing organization, first organized in 1968 and incorporated in 1977, representing school nurses exclusively. The association has more than 15,000 members and 50 affiliates, including the District of Columbia and overseas school nurses. The group’s mission is, “To advance school nurse practice to keep students healthy, safe and ready to learn.”
Posted on: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 19:29:31 +0000