An exclusive interview

Navigating school nursing during a pandemic

“I have more of a roundabout journey than I think many nurses. I did not start out wanting to be a nurse. I didn’t have any interest in nursing at all. I was an artist, and when I went to college I studied art therapy and psychology. When I was in art therapy towards the end of the program where we had lots of practicums, immersed in the modality of our therapy within a hospital, I happened to be on the psychiatric floor of a general hospital. There was a group of nursing students coming through for their psych rotation. I realized from watching their interactions really carefully, that while I had lots of information about the psycho-emotional component of what was happening, I didn't understand the physical component of what was happening. I felt like I needed a more well-rounded understanding of mind, body, and spirit.”

Robin Cogan has been working as a school nurse for over 20 years. She received her master's of education in Clinical, Counseling, and Applied Psychology from Wilmington University in 2009. She is also a part-time lecturer and clinical coordinator at the Rutgers-Camden School of Nursing. In addition, Robin writes a weekly blog called The Relentless School Nurse, where she aims to elevate the profile of nursing and writes about pressing health and safety issues for school nurses. Find her on Twitter as @RobinCogan.

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