West Hartford school nurse named Connecticut Nurse of the Year

Beth Bornstein, a school nurse at Northwest Catholic High School in West Hartford, was named Nurse of the Year by the Association of School Nurses of Connecticut.

She says the award came as a surprise.

“I got a phone call one morning. I was shocked,” said Bornstein, who has been at the school since 2015. “I had no idea.”

Bornstein services over 400 students at the school.

“I enjoy it. I love working with kids,” she said. “Part of what I really enjoy doing is working with the students to educate them about healthcare.”

Before joining the school system, she was a critical care and emergency room nurse for 20 years.

“This is a little slower pace, however you never know what the challenge is going to be,” she said. “As the only medical nursing person in the building, I can only rely on myself to make decisions. And you know I hope that I make the right ones.”

The award is given to recognize a nurse who, “demonstrates excellence in school nursing practice and leadership in school health.”

In addition to her day-to-day duties, Bornstein serves as a resource for students. She is hands-on with students that require emergency medication, has taught the school’s sports team’s captains how to locate and use AEDs and has partnered with local first responders to conduct mock drills at the school.

“We do a lot of collaboration,” she said. “I think we have a great team at Northwest Catholic of administrators, guidance counselors. We work together to meet the needs of our students and our community.”

Bornstein will be honored on National School Nurse Appreciation Day at the ASNC Spring Dinner on May 8. She says her future plans include continuing to be a school nurse.

“I would urge parents to reach out to your schools and ask if you don’t have a full-time school nurse, how you can get one,” she said.