sick child and clinicals

Finallyat40 · Jun 24, 2005

chronic illnesses, I encourage you to set up multiple back up plans for the when and if's......For any given clinical or class day, I had three possible options, depending on how sick he was. I finished school in December 2004 and only missed one clinical day and it was because I had a back spasm and couldn't walk!

You will probably have to get creative and whoever agrees to be your backups will need to be available at whatever time you need to leave. I used to give mine a call the night before, just for a heads up, and warn them that I might need them the next day. It all worked perfectly. My situation was complicated by the fact that much of that time my husband traveled extensively, so I couldn't depend so much on him.

Jamie

MIA-RN1, RN · Jun 24, 2005

Hi everyone I need some advice. I am a new nursing student who is beginning my clinicals this Spring 2006. I am worried that I will not be able to finish clinicals because I have a small child about the age of 3 who has asthma and seasonal allergies. ALthough her conditions are mild and controlled very well on medication. I am afraid that I will not be able to get through school because she may get sick alot and can't attend daycare. I love my daughther and I have always been there for my daughter since birth however I have been working so hard to get into nursing school and it is my dream to be a good nurse. Does anyone have any advice or things to suggest.

Get a good backup plan. My daughter also has asthma related to her seasonal allergies and it can be challenging. In fact, first semester she ended up in the PICU with severe pneumonia and I ended up withdrawing and beginning again the following semester. The point is that its possible to attend school.

Have you looked into allergy shots? They have done my daughter a world of good.

I missed a lot of work while we were trying to get her under control but it sounds like you have already gotten your daughter under control which is great. Truth is that you're dealing with a chronic illness and you can't put your life on hold for it. Have a backup plan for childcare and keep communication open with your instructors.

While its true she may get sick a lot, she also may not. Something else to think about is to start her in daycare early. Maybe it will give you a jump on things, as I know that kids pick up every bug there is when they first start school/ daycare. Maybe by spring she won't be picking up quite so much. The daycare I used to send my daughter to knew of a nurse who worked in people's homes as a sick-child nurse so they could go to work. Maybe your daycare knows of someone? Or maybe you can call a local nanny and see what resources are out there.

You can do this.

nurse051 · Jun 24, 2005

Get a good backup plan. My daughter also has asthma related to her seasonal allergies and it can be challenging. In fact, first semester she ended up in the PICU with severe pneumonia and I ended up withdrawing and beginning again the following semester. The point is that its possible to attend school.
Have you looked into allergy shots? They have done my daughter a world of good.
I missed a lot of work while we were trying to get her under control but it sounds like you have already gotten your daughter under control which is great. Truth is that you're dealing with a chronic illness and you can't put your life on hold for it. Have a backup plan for childcare and keep communication open with your instructors.
While its true she may get sick a lot, she also may not. Something else to think about is to start her in daycare early. Maybe it will give you a jump on things, as I know that kids pick up every bug there is when they first start school/ daycare. Maybe by spring she won't be picking up quite so much. The daycare I used to send my daughter to knew of a nurse who worked in people's homes as a sick-child nurse so they could go to work. Maybe your daycare knows of someone? Or maybe you can call a local nanny and see what resources are out there.
You can do this.

Coopergrrl thanks for your support. I will try to find some alternate nannys that would workout and be willing to help.Thanks so much for your advice. It really helped to hear your story. I was starting to think I was alone in this issue. :)

MIA-RN1, RN · Jun 24, 2005

Coopergrrl thanks for your support. I will try to find some alternate nannys that would workout and be willing to help.Thanks so much for your advice. It really helped to hear your story. I was starting to think I was alone in this issue. :)

You are very welcome! :)

txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN · Jun 24, 2005

Bring her to me Ill take care of her so you can go to class. I already have a daycare with 5 kids of my own. There are some places that work exclusivley with these type of children. I took out a loan to pay for daycare, it is worth every dime Ill pay in interest later.let me think on this some more. What part of the country do you live in?