Located in Villanova, PA, the Academy of Notre Dame de Namur (ND) is an all-girls independent Catholic school with 560 students in grades 6-12.

When the school transitioned to Veracross as its student information system (SIS), it opened the door to allow leadership to rethink how student health information was collected, managed, and used. By adopting Magnus Health in 2022, the school replaced paper-heavy processes and disconnected systems with a secure, integrated, and intuitive platform that supports nurses, athletic staff, administrators, and families alike.

In this case study, Director of Information Resources and Technologies Tyler Gaspich details how Magnus Health helped modernize, streamline, and enhance student health management at ND.

The Challenge: Paper, Patchwork Systems, and Manual Follow-Ups

Prior to implementing Magnus Health, the Academy of Notre Dame de Namur relied on a combination of Health-E Tools and manual paper collection processes to manage their student health records and important document collection. This approach created several challenges for the school:

• A heavy reliance on paper forms
• Limited ability to securely collect sensitive documents
• Time-consuming manual follow-ups for missing information
• Disconnected systems that didn’t leverage the school’s new SIS Veracross

As the school strived to modernize their technology solutions across the board, leaders wanted a student health record (SHR) solution that could reduce administrative burdens, improve data security, and integrate seamlessly with Veracross.

Evaluating Solutions: A Focus on Integration and Usability

The SHR evaluation process was driven by a small team led by Tyler Gaspich. When vetting vendors, the school identified several non-negotiable attributes that were essential to their SHR:

• An integration with Veracross
• A secure, digital way to collect sensitive health documents
• Daily usability for a school nurse and athletic trainer
• A user-friendly, intuitive interface for employees and parents

After hearing pitches from multiple vendors, Tyler shared that it was clear “Magnus was the most robust solution for us.”

While the platforms strong reputation as a partner in the SHR space stood out to leaders at the school, peer validation also played a key role. Conversations with local schools who used Magnus, frequent exposure to the platform at ATLIS events, and positive feedback from the Head of School all reinforced confidence in the decision.

A Smooth Implementation Process

Mr. Gaspich described their Magnus Health implementation as “extremely easy across the board.” For families, Veracross’s single sign-on feature eliminated friction by allowing parents to access Magnus without having to create another account. Many families also opted to use the Magnus mobile app, which has received positive feedback. He also shared that the school receives very few technical questions about accessing Magnus “which speaks volumes to me about its ease of use.” 

While staff usage is concentrated within the athletic and health offices, those who use the platform find it intuitive. Training is straightforward, with most users able to grasp the core functionality in a single session. This ease of onboarding ensures continuity even when substitute nurses or temporary staff are involved.

While the school did not need to rely heavily on Magnus support during their implementation process, the support they did receive was very effective. Their implementation representative was knowledgeable, quick to respond, and instrumental in helping the team get oriented — especially valuable as the school was still relatively new to Veracross at the time.

Transforming Operations with Magnus Health

Today, Magnus Health is seamlessly embedded in daily operations at the Academy of Notre Dame de Namur. Especially within the athletic and health offices where accurate, up-to-date information is essential daily. Rather than functioning as a once-a-year compliance tool, Magnus is used continuously throughout the school year to support student care, streamline workflows, and ensure the correct information is always available to those who need it.

By serving as a single, secure source of truth for student health records, Magnus enables staff to move quickly and confidently. The platform reduces administrative overhead while increasing visibility and consistency across health-related processes.

Beginning of the School Year

What was once a manual, paper-based workflow, Magnus Health is now central to the digital collection of required documentation for each student at the beginning of a school year. This includes:

• Immunization records
• Physical exam forms
• Athletic permission slips
• Medication and allergy information
• Technology and acceptable use policies

Additionally, automated reminders through Magnus ensure families complete requirements on time, dramatically reducing the amount of manual follow-up work for staff.

Ongoing Operations

• School nurses and athletic trainers log daily check-ins to track student visits
• Treatment notes are shared promptly with families
• Significant documents such as permission slips, concussion testing protocols, and acceptable use policies are collected seamlessly

Field Trips and Athletics

Emergency information cards (911 cards) are generated for all athletic events and field trips. This ensures chaperones and coaches have immediate access to critical student health information when off campus.

Strengths and Benefits

The Magnus Health integration with Veracross has been a defining factor of ND’s success with the SHR. Keeping health data within the same ecosystem as academic and administrative systems has streamlined workflows and reinforced data accuracy and security at the school.

The ecosystem built within Magnus Health has also been major highlight for the school. “How it’s connected to Veracross, and the ease of use within the platform is top notch.  It appears designed by healthcare professionals and is quite intuitive once you start using it,” explained Tyler.

Additionally, as technology trends continue to change rapidly year to year in schools, Tyler confidently shared that “Magnus has kept up with those trends,” securing its place as the most complete, secure, and easy-to-use solution for managing student health records. A trend that will only continue as Magnus Health enters its next generation shaped by the people who use it every day. This next generation of the platform builds on its trusted foundation, enhanced by a modern design, smarter workflows, and a flexible architecture ready for the future.  

Advice to Other Schools

For schools considering a new SHR, Tyler’s top advice is: “Do some research and consider what are the needs your school is trying to address.  If you are strongly considering an all-encompassing platform that integrates well with your SIS, Magnus is worth a look. 

By adopting Magnus Health, the Academy of Notre Dame de Namur has transformed student health management from a fragmented, paper-heavy process into a streamlined, secure, and fully integrated experience. What began as a search for better document collection and SIS alignment has evolved into a platform that supports daily operations, improves communication with families, and enhances preparedness across the school community.

For schools looking to modernize their approach to student health while maintaining simplicity, security, and trust, Magnus Health offers a proven path forward. To learn more about how Magnus Health can support your school’s unique needs, reach out to request a demo today and see the platform in action.