Moses Brown had cycled through multiple EHR systems over the years. Barret, the Nurse at Moses Brown, described the most recent one as “particularly cumbersome.” “It was not intuitive at all,” she said. “It didn't help me with my workflow in any way, shape or form. It was like Greek to me, it was really hard to figure out and our tech team had a hard time with it too.”
After years of frustration, finding August Schools felt different right away. “It’s been a godsend,” Barret said. What has stood out most is that August continues to improve. “You keep making improvements and we keep learning how to make the most of those improvements, and that's an evolution that continues to happen,” she said. “August has been an amazing, amazing fit for us in a lot of categories.”
For Barret, one of the biggest differences is that August does not stand still. Unlike older platforms, it keeps adapting to meet real school workflows. “The problem with some of these other EHR platforms is they’re very old and they aren’t changing or growing or evolving with the work or the workflows,” she said.
That same responsiveness shows up in the support experience. “I'll put in a ticket and I'll hear from Jake, here's what we're doing. That's been amazing. Very responsive.”
Barret pointed to check-in as one of the most helpful features. “I have an iPad, so I use the check-in every day,” she said. “The kids are well-trained at this point, they know they need to come in and check in and that is so helpful to me so that I know who's here.”
Check-in also helps her stay organized during a busy day. “I can go right into my recent check-ins and then come back to it when I have a chance and I have it timestamped and all of that. So that's extremely helpful to me.” Medication administration is another standout. “Once I have it set up, all I have to do is check the box. It's awesome,” Barret said. From the board view, she can quickly track what was given, missed, and why. “It just makes it so easy.” Barret found it difficult to choose just one favorite feature. “The notes, the reporting, the enrollment review process, they're all really my favorites; it's hard for me to single one out.”
Reporting was one of the biggest pain points in Moses Brown’s previous EHR and one of the clearest improvements with August. “Our former EHR, it was such a cumbersome task,” Barret said. With August, “you have so many built-in reports already, I don't have to reinvent the wheel.” That has made recurring tasks much easier, from allergy reports for food service to field trip documentation. “It’s just right there. It's so easy.”
Enrollment review has also become much more manageable. Barret described it as “probably the biggest body of work that we do every year.” “Last July I spent two weeks because I have about 588 student charts that I need to review,” she said. That’s why the platform’s ongoing improvements in enrollment and immunization registry connections matter so much.
August has also improved how Moses Brown handles trips and emergency information. Instead of relying on printed records, faculty can access what they need more efficiently. “Being able to communicate with them and give them access to student records without having to print out and kill a million trees is a beautiful thing,” she said.
For schools nervous about changing systems, Barret’s advice is simple: “Oh, absolutely go for it.” She acknowledged, “sure, there's a learning curve, but it's not going to be hard.”
At Moses Brown, strong internal tech support and August’s integration with Blackbaud helped make the transition smoother. “The Blackbaud piece working together was seamless, which was immensely helpful,” she said. She also highlighted August’s training resources. “The videos are great, I use the help function all the time. I go back to those and I learn things and I realize, oh I didn't know I could do that!”
What stands out most in Barret’s experience is that August understands the real work of school nursing. “Any tools or help that we can get to keep our kids safe, which is the number one concern for all of us, is a no-brainer,” Barret said. For her, that mission is clear. “We spend more time with these kids than their families do,” she said. “So having a tool that we can use to care for them in the best and safest possible way is absolutely a top priority.”
When asked whether she would recommend August to another school, Barret said, “Oh, absolutely, and I already have, I wouldn't hesitate. 100%.” Her praise extends to both the product and the team behind it. “The platform itself is amazing,” she said. “And those who work there have been so responsive and helpful in a million ways.”
