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Libertyville school nurse keeps students healthy
Cameron Traut graduated from Libertyville High School, where she is a school nurse. | Buzz Orr~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: December 30, 2012 6:11AM
LIBERTYVILLE — Cameron Traut says most people have no idea the role school nurses play in the health of students today.
“I do so much more than supply cough drops and Band-Aids,” said Traut, nurse at Libertyville High School. “There is so much more that people are missing.”
Traut, an alumni of the school, said that one of her current roles is intervening between doctors and teachers when a student-athlete suffers a concussion.
Q. Why did you pick LHS?
A. I graduated from here. I knew it is a good school. I know the school’s role in rounding out students and its academic excellence. That rounding out could entail taking art or being involved in athletics. We treat each student as an individual. The school does a great job in helping students be sound adults. We are successful when we help students excel. It might take a team — a counselor, the school nurse, a social worker and a coach – to work with one family or be involved with a student.
Q. What are your favorite school events?
A. Graduation and homecoming. Homecoming is fun. The students are excited and a lot of former students come back. Graduation is a special time. At graduation, you see how an individual has grown in four years.
Q. What has changed at LHS since you were a student?
A. So much has changed. There are more students. There are more people. With this school, one thing that hasn’t changed is the small-town feeling.
Q. What inspired you to be a school nurse?
A. I worked in a hospital before and I found I enjoyed working with kids. I volunteer with my church’s youth services. Someone suggested I put my passions of teenagers and medicine together and be a school nurse. I can be involved in the best of both worlds.
Q. What are your future goals?
A. I want to continue to provide excellent care to students. I want to continue to find ways to be a better nurse. In volunteering, I am the Young Life area community chairman. It is one of my passions. I would like to reach even more teenagers. I would like to increase the visibility and reach of Young Life for kids in Lake County.
Q. What is your proudest moment?
A. One of my proudest moments, without question, is when we saw a seriously ill student finish high school shortly before he passed away. He received a standing ovation when he crossed the stage. I knew what it took to get him to that point. It was such a team effort.
Q. What are some of the worst excuses you have heard for trying to get out of school?
A. “I swallowed a paper clip” and “I went to — insert movie premiere — last night and I’m tired and want to go home.” We do have our frequent fliers (students coming to the office regularly to try to get out of class).
