Pickett Elementary’s nurse of the month: Chelsie Verbick
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV)-- Chelsie Verbick, a school nurse at Pickett Elementary, was recently named KQ2's Nurse of the Month for September, as we honor all the work she does to support students and staff.
Verbick said she feels honored to receive the recognition and is thankful to everyone who nominated her.
“I think school nurses are very important since we are the only health care provider that is in a school so we deal with emergencies, daily medications and more,” she said.
Verbick has been a nurse at Pickett for three years and has worked as a nurse for 13 years.
Her favorite part of the job is, without a doubt, the kids and getting to interact with them every day throughout the school year.
“Seeing them every morning, comforting them when they just need someone to comfort them and make them feel better,” she added.
When it comes to having a role model in the industry, Verbick knew exactly who it would be.
“My Aunt Amanda is also a nurse and I look up to her a lot and its just something that I have always wanted to do,” Verbick said.
While the students are one of her favorite parts of the job, being a school nurse can also come with some challenges.
Verbick said things can get extremely busy, especially when multiple emergencies happen at once and several students are coming in and out of the nurse’s office.
"Then there are days when things are much quieter," she said, "So it really depends on the day."
Verbick said she loves being around kids, and her past experience caring for critically ill children in a hospital has made her appreciate her role at Pickett even more.
Being able to care for children and help them feel better makes her job rewarding every day.
She also enjoys getting to know the families of her students.
“That’s one good thing about Pickett is that its a smaller school so I get to know all the kids by name, I get to know their parents, I get to know their siblings and it feels nice to give back to the community,” she added.
Looking ahead, Verbick hopes to continue being the best nurse she can be for the students.
She also wants to keep learning something new every day, grow professionally and continue building strong relationships with her coworkers and the Pickett community.
