Erin Lawrence, a longtime nurse for the Los Alamitos Unified School District, has been named the Orange County Coordinating School Nurse of the Year. The Orange County School Nurses Organization honored Lawrence, who has been with the district for 20 years, at their annual conference this week in Irvine. The award recognizes nurses who have advocated for children, helped families deal with serious health issues or served as a role model for colleagues and students.
“I can’t image anyone who is more deserving of this award,” said Dr. Heidi Olshan, director of Special Education and Mental health Services for the district. “Her dedication to health care is unsurpassed, her passion for lifelong learning is evident, and her ability to work with staff, students and parents is truly outstanding.”
Lawrence, who holds a master’s degree in management and leadership and is licensed as a registered and public health nurse, wears many hats in many places in the 10,000-student district. She oversees a staff of one other school nurse and a small group of health clerks and licensed vocational nurses. She provides direct health aid to students when needed, participates in district-wide vision and hearing screenings and makes home visits and welfare checks on students.
Concerned about a student with diabetes who was attending Outdoor Science School in the local mountains, Lawrence drove up to the facility on her own time to make sure the student was well taken care of and could participate in all the activities without health problems, Olshan said.
“I am surprised and humbled to receive this honor,” Lawrence said. “I work with an amazing team, and we have spent many years making our health services efforts work effectively for all of our students in the district.”
