It’s been 100 years since Seattle first hired nurses for the public schools. Back then nurses would make house calls to check on ailing students, sometimes even tending to other family members. Scarlet fever and mumps are no longer on their list of concerns, but school nurses still deal with immunization pushback and everyday scrapes. State-mandated health screenings and emergency-care plans for life-threatening situations take up much of their time. The Seattle school district can’t afford a full-time nurse for every school, but some schools hold fundraisers or set aside budget for more hours. The school nursing profession in the U.S. celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2002, 100 years after the successful placement of Lina Rogers Struthers, R.N. in a New York City public school.