Good afternoon.

I'm heather good.

In for susan dinkel.

A growing crisis all across the country could be putting your child at risk right here in the wabash valley.

It's a shortage of school nurses.

We first told you about the issue yesterday..

Right here on news 10 first at five.

News 10's sarah lehman continues our coverage.

She spoke with some school officials today.

She joins us now live with what you need to know.

//////// heather... it's being considered a national epidemic and it's happening right here at home too.

Multiple school corporations in the wabash valley don't have a full time school nurse... or they have one nurse for multiple buildings.

That's something that's becoming more and more common.

Indiana state univeristy's dean for the college of health and human services "caroline mallory".

She's says there are a few reasons why students who graduate with a nursing degree don't become school nurses.

One..

Is salary.

Another is that most schools want someone with years of experience.

"mallory" says with the "baby boomer" generation gettin closer to retiring..

Colleges and elementary schools may want to partner up to give that experience to future nurses while they're still in college.

That way the shortage of school nurses doesn't continue or get even worse.

"school nursing is really essential and yet we haven't really provided the incentives for nurses to enter that field.

I saw that as an oppurtunity of maybe when i'm older something i would be interested in uhm because i like kids, but it could be difficult too now..

If you go to the vigo county school corporation website you'll see they have a handful of nurses all of which cover at least three schools in the corporation.

So, it clearly is or could become a problem here.

Coming up on news 10 at 6..

I'll have more from the vigo county school corporation on the issue.

Reporting live at indiana state university..

Sarah lehman news 10 back to you.

Currently..

There are "no" federal laws regulating school nurse staffing.

However..

The american academy of pediatrics recommends at least "1"-registered nurse i every