Student health record (SHR) software is often heralded as a way to streamline form collection and improve compliance. And while yes, these benefits ring true, there’s more to SHR than meets the eye.  

We recently spoke with three nurses about their experiences and advice for using SHR software. Take a look at how these K-12 schools are benefiting from a solution like Magnus Health.  

Bridging the Communication Gap 

Communication is one of the biggest hurdles in K-12 healthcare. In medical situations, you need to be able to share information quickly and contact emergency personnel with ease. SHR software empowers health staff to communicate in a secure platform, access parent or guardian contact info immediately, and automate redundant messages like due date reminders.  

For schools with multiple campuses, SHR software can serve as a bridge between locations. Charlotte Country Day School, for example, extends across three locations and two campuses with a third on the way. “Having a connected Magnus Health community is key for us since we’re so spread out over the city,” says Wendy Barber, School Nurse. “Just being able to all talk in one place and have information stored in a safe and secure system; that was our impetus for going with Magnus Health.” 

Emma Perry at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School credits Magnus Health with improving communication for both school staff and parents. For staff, SHR software has empowered school counselors and nurses to collaborate more than ever. Mental health information and physical health information are both stored in Magnus Health and accessible by authorized users, making it easy to “have one central space for documenting important health information.” Treatment notes are documented and kept in one place for easy access even if someone leaves the school or is out sick one day.  

On the parent side, Perry and staff use the Magnus Health SHR to share health office visit information with parents and improve transparency about their child’s wellbeing. 

“We started noticing a lot of overlap between kids that are frequent flyers in the nurse’s office. Those are the same kids, oftentimes, that are struggling academically or struggling with their mental health… or they’re coming in at the same time every day because they’re avoiding math, or they’re avoiding recess because they’re struggling socially. Magnus Health is a way to share information and communicate with parents so they know if their student is coming in constantly.”

Emma Perry, School Nurse, RN

Expediting Access to Information 

Prior to implementing an SHR, Sierra Canyon School struggled with parent compliance for student health forms. They would spend hours making phone calls and trying to track down missing information. Since switching to Magnus Health, they’ve benefitted from an automated process that both streamlines internal workflows and improves parent experience. 

“Efficiency and the ability to access information quickly is what has really helped us with Magnus Health. From streamlining forms for parents, to the reminders that they get and having medication forms online and being able to look up a Tylenol approval form for them… it’s all been so helpful.”

Holly Calig, School Nurse

Similarly, St. Margaret’s Episcopal School has improved their immunization tracking efficiency with SHR software. “Before, we had to collect immunization information from every single student and ask for the record. With Magnus Health, there’s an ability to sync with the state registry. Now at least half of my kids are already in there. There’s a lot less paper chasing. Magnus Health has made it way easier for me,” says Perry.  

Treatment note templates are another efficiency booster for schools like St. Margaret’s Episcopal. While the Magnus Health SHR comes with various pre-built templates, schools can also create their own custom templates based on their unique student population. Perry and team built their templates based on their twenty most common student health visits. “We created templates for a head bump, basic scrape, bee sting, allergic reaction… it’s a lot easier for charting — and a lot quicker — because we’re only plugging in the little details that are different based on each visit.”  

Providing Care to Faculty and Staff 

While SHR software is built to improve student care, some schools use a solution like Magnus Health to manage faculty and staff care, too. At Charlotte Country Day School, newly hired employees are added to the SHR along with their initial physical, drug test (if applicable), and other relevant information like spouse contact details. In case of an emergency on-campus, health staff can quickly access this information instead of waiting for human resources. 

“We don’t chart every visit to the health office, but if there’s something significant, we can add it to their vital health record,” says Barber. “For example, if a pregnant teacher needs to have her blood pressure checked regularly or needs a record to share with her doctor… or if someone has atrial fib and you need to check their heart rate and blood pressure regularly… it’s nice for us to be able to look at that together and see where they’re trending. They can share it directly with their doctor.” 

Unlocking New Potential 

These are just a few of the many hidden benefits provided by a solution like Magnus Health. Perhaps the biggest advantage of using an SHR is exploring new capabilities for your health office that you didn’t even dream of. “If you try to use it the same way you used your old system, you’re probably not using it to its full potential,” says Perry. “Think of all the things you do manually; most of those you could probably automate with SHR.” 

To learn more ways your school can benefit from a modern solution for your health office, get a copy of our free SHR Software Buyer’s Guide.