I'm afraid to go to school with child

Specialties Private Duty

Published

Mom wants to send her DD child to school. He has a trach and needs frequent suctioning. He has G-tube too. I have gone with mom to doctor visits with the portable suction machine that doesn't work well.:crying2: I am scared. What if that suction machine fails? I think I would feel self conscious too because I would always be causing noise with the suctioning and disturbing the classroom? Not to mention my back and having to carry "all the other stuff-ambu bag etc. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I don't know if he is going to go to a public or private school yet. Mom says she has to fill out a bunch of paperwork first before any school will take him. She is hoping he can go to school starting in Sept.

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Good luck, good thing you are anticipating what you need to do to prepare.

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I had a trach patient who also required a lot of emergency equipment and the bag that I pulled was VERY deep so everything fit in there (ambu bag, small O2 cylinder, extra trach, extra mic-key button kit, lubricant, nebulizer and all the other stuff you may need) then of course I had the portable sxn machine. If the sxn machine is not functioning properly when it is unplugged but does when it is plugged in then just take the powercord and keep it plugged in. Obviously if it doesn't work well either way then just get a new one. Some days, if I knew that she was going to be EXTRA junky, I took the power cord anyway, just in case. It can be a bad feeling to feel "stuck" at school and worry that you forgot something or that you can't just leave.....but you do get used to it!

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Thanks so much for all of the good advice. I feel so much safer at the home where everything is plugged in and is working good. I will give school a try and hope for the best. ;)

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Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.

Blackcat,

I am a school nurse in a district that requires a personal care nurse for any student with a trach/vent and/or running central line. I have a few such students in my buildings, and can't say enough for the dedicated personal nurses who make it possible for these children to attend school, interact with their peers and gain an education. Nor can I say enough for the benefit these children bring to our buildings in terms of staff and students gaining an appreciation for their own health and the abilities of their "challenged" peers.

Public schools do not get to pick and choose their students. The district in which your patient resides must either make the accomodations necessary for him to attend school, or arrange for transportation to, and pay the cost of, his attendance elsewhere.

You have the advantage of plenty of advanced planning time. Please use it to meet with the school's director of special services, school nurse, principal and teacher to plan for the child's needs, including having equipment in place at school so that you don't have to transport everything back and forth each day.

On my very first day as a school nurse, I learned (quite by accident) that a student with a brand new central line was going to start attending in 2 days. (Her parents hadn't thought to make anyone aware of this monumental change in her condition over the summer.) We made it happen, although I'd have a few less gray hairs if I'd had more time to plan :)

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Thanks Jolie. Yes, I am hoping that some of the emergency equipment can be kept at school. My fear now is that my back will not be able to carry all the stuff back and forth everyday. I do have a suitcase on wheels I may need to use.

My patient is on medicaid. :confused:I don't know if medicaid will pay for extra emergency supplies to keep at the school. I sure hope so.

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Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.

Well I just started going to preschool with my patient and I love it. My patient goes to a school for special eduction so the patient is picked up in his chair by the school bus. All the buses have extra helpers onboard as do the classroom. The classroom has a lot of basic supplies and equipment such as nebulizers and kangaroo pumps etc. The only thing I take is his suction machine and change of clothes plus emergency supplies. All of this fits on the chair. Is your machine rented? If so they should replace it for you if it is mafunctioning. Generally I've found the suppliers prompt with replacement within hours

Honestly I love it and am very sad that I now have 2.5 weeks while we wait for summer school to start. The pt is really blossoming developmentally now and its so good for him to be around other children. Professionally it's nice to be around adults and to have the back up of the school nurses. Also I actually get to sit and eat lunch.

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MY suggestion is if you're scared to do your job, tell the family so they can hire someone else who's up to it :)

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MY suggestion is if you're scared to do your job, tell the family so they can hire someone else who's up to it :)

My client is having this problem lately. She is telling the agency not to send nurses who aren't able to comply with her wishes and is complaining about the nurses that she has allowed to stay on the job. I have gently reminded her that the agency has only so many nurses available in their pool and she may run out of possibilities and be forced to seek help from another agency.

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Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.

Also bear in mind that the portable suction machines never have as much omf as the reg plug in models. Also see if you can get the ent to give you one of the suction syringes for emergencies.

I find my current pt needs suction less at school

because he is more active. You'll have to meet with the school nurse before you start with him anyways to fill out paperwork that will allow you to be there so that would be great time to work out the details

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Thanks all so much. OK, it looks like school will be starting soon so I am going to be brave and try it out. His first feeding starts at 7am which is when I arrive at his home. He is suppose to be at school by 7:45am. Do you think Mom will expect me to rush in start the feeding, do his bath etc. as soon as I arrive at 7am? Isn't it dangerous to be giving a bath at the same time the child is receiving a feeding by electric pump? Am I going to electrocute my patient? Yikes!!!!!:eek:

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A bath and a feeding and dress and travel to school between 7 and 7:45? Methinks too much. Mom should give the feeding and bath before you get there. He should be dressed and ready to go at 7 am. The night nurse should do all of this. The bath can be given the previous evening.

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