Baltimore County Public Schools issued the following announcement on Oct. 11.
School nurses never know what might come their way during the course of a school day. When Alison Merani, BSN, arrived at Pikesville High School this morning, she had no idea that special guests would arrive to announce that she is the 2018-2019 Maryland School Health Nurse of the Year.
The award was presented by Mary Nasuta, MSN, RN, president of the Maryland Association of School Health Nurses. According to the association, the award is presented to someone who exemplifies the best in school nursing practice through clinical expertise, research and education, management, mentoring, advocacy, and/or leadership.
“Nurse Merani is very deserving of this distinctive honor due to the far-reaching and positive impact she has on the overall wellness of our entire learning community,” said Pikesville High Principal Sandra G. Reid. “She consistently looks for ways to assist our school and always goes beyond the call of duty. Pikesville High School is fortunate to have her on our team. We are indeed thankful for the substantive services she renders every day to promote emotional, physical, and academic health to our stakeholders.”
Merani, a resident of Timonium and graduate of Dulaney High School, has been the school nurse at Pikesville High for four years. She has worked for BCPS for a total of 14 years, beginning with a position at Meadowood Education Center. After graduating from Towson University with a bachelor’s degree in nursing, and before joining BCPS, Merani worked as a nurse at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore and Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY. She has also taught at CCBC and the Union Memorial School of Nursing. She works part-time as a triage nurse for Patient First and will begin working on a master’s degree in the spring. This November, she will seek board certification in ambulatory nursing.
As the state winner, Merani will be honored at the annual Maryland Association of School Health Nurses Annual Conference (to be held in Ocean City in March 2019), and she will be honored by the National Association of School Nurses.
Eileen Ertel, MSN, RN, the supervisor of health services for BCPS, nominated Merani for the honor. She wrote of her: “Nurse Merani is an extraordinary nurse who demonstrates compassion, dedication, and boundless energy in her work to advance health outcomes for the Pikesville High School community.She is acutely aware of the health needs of the school community and has organized countless programs addressing issues impacting teens including healthy dating relationships, tobacco and drug use, vaping, breast cancer, nutrition, distracted driving, healthy technology use, and bullying.Nurse Merani’s kind, caring, non-judgmental demeanor allows students to be open about how they are feeling and empowered to ask for help.It is not unusual to see students stop by her office for support, encouragement, and guidance.Nurse Merani is dedicated to the nursing profession and serves as a positive role model for students as the sponsor of the Future Nurses of America Club. Activities she has coordinated for these future nurses include field trips to local universities, nurse’s week activities, guest speakers, internships at local hospitals, and health promotion activities.Nurse Merani embodies what it means to be a school nurse and her superb nursing care will positively impact members of the Pikesville High School community for years to come.”
Original source can be found here.
Source: Baltimore County Public Schools
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