Am I a mean, horrible school nurse?

Specialties School

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Specializes in School Nursing.

First thing this morning I had a kid come in saying their tooth fell out. I always look at the socket to make sure it is not bleeding, and this kid's socket was strangely perfect. I asked her when the tooth came out and she said last night at home! I asked why she brought the tooth to school and she said because her mom wanted to see it (???), but her mom is not at the school. She could not answer me when I asked why she did not show her mom at home and leave it there. So, I usually give out little treasure boxes when kids lose teeth. I told this girl that the boxes are only for kids whose teeth come out at school, and not for kids that lose them at home. I mean come on, if I had to give a box to every tooth that falls out at home, I would be over my budget in a month! I asked how she got the tooth to school and she said in her pocket, so I told her to take it home the same way!

Here is the kicker. Minutes later I get ANOTHER kid with the same situation! Tooth came out yesterday at home and she wants a box! Not in the same class either. She also had no good answer to why she brought it to school, so I told her the same thing. If the tooth does not come out at school, no box!

Am I a mean rotten nurse, or are these kids trying to take advantage of this? I swear next year I am giving out ugly mini envelopes instead of the colorful plastic boxes. This just seems ridiculous to me that they would think to do this! Deep breaths...only 11 more days...

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Specializes in LTC.

I feel you're pain which is why I no longer give out those little treasure boxes. So I guess I'm a mean health aide too. I have a few left but the children did the same to me. After given out ziplock baggies my visits slowed down.

My other personal favorite is when the student and teacher expects for me to pull out the lose tooth. Uh no... Go to the dentist for that !

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Specializes in School Nursing.

hey purple, i get this all of the time too ! like you, i only give out the tooth keeper containers when they lose a tooth while at school. period. i have even had the parents come in and ask for a keeper for their child !! hey, they are expensive and it comes out of my hr budget. if we gave them out to every kid who has lost a tooth in the past year, we would be bankrupt ! :coollook: i think you have done the right thing. sometimes we have to take a hard line...... hey, have a great rest of the year :smokin:

praiser :heartbeat

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

Only peripheral to this topic ... but ... We never got any sort of boxes when we were kids. So, that is one expense you could probably save the taxpayers.

However ... I used to plan on pulling all my teeth in school. I rarely lost any at home. My reward was the fun I had disrupting class when I announced that it had finally come out in the middle of ... math class, spelling, etc. It would add a little fun and excitement to the otherwise boring day at school. :-)

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Specializes in School Nursing.

Thanks, everyone. I am glad to know I am not the only "mean" nurse, LOL!

On the bright side I do get to be at my own school for summer school, which I was worried about. It is 4 weeks from 8-12, easy breezy and I will get to clean out my closet! On the negative side, I am on call to SIX other elementary schools! Let's hope it is a quiet summer.

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Specializes in LTC.
Thanks, everyone. I am glad to know I am not the only "mean" nurse, LOL!

On the bright side I do get to be at my own school for summer school, which I was worried about. It is 4 weeks from 8-12, easy breezy and I will get to clean out my closet! On the negative side, I am on call to SIX other elementary schools! Let's hope it is a quiet summer.

I lie to you not... just as I was replying a student comes in and ask for a tooth treasure box. I couldn't be upset though, she's in kindergarden and her tooth came out at school. I just think its funny how it happened at this very minute.

Anyway- Have a wonderful summer and I'm sure it'll be calm in the 6 other health rooms. :onbch:

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Specializes in School Nursing.
i lie to you not... just as i was replying a student comes in and ask for a tooth treasure box. i couldn't be upset though, she's in kindergarden and her tooth came out at school. i just think its funny how it happened at this very minute.

anyway- have a wonderful summer and i'm sure it'll be calm in the 6 other health rooms. :onbch:

jut too funny ! i just gave one out a little while ago too ! s-c-a-r-r-y :chuckle !!

praiser :heartbeat

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Specializes in School Nursing.

Ha, ha! I could not believe when the second one came in with the exact same issue. People say things happen in threes, well I had a little boy come in who lost a tooth and I had to stop myself from grilling him on when it happened :D. He did have a bloody socket so it was obvious it just happened, it was still strange! Today is tooth fairy day!

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

I think you're sending the right message to the kids....don't be dishonest...don't ask for things you didn't earn......don't be materialistic....etc. Plus, the nurse can't be fooled. LOL

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

I always tell the kids that my eyes and ears are certified baloney detectors. I do not give out boxes to children that lose teeth at home (only exception was a foster child who brought tooth in - this kid never gets any perks out of life - and it gives foster mom a place to store her teeth as they are shed). I also do not treat scratches, cuts, bumps etc. that happened at home and were not serious enough to be treated at home.

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No, your not mean and horrible -

I don't have the little boxes, so I tape the tooth to an index card, fold it in half, and put it in a sealed envelope, and write on the envelope "HIP HIP HOORAY, I LOST A TOOTH TODAY". If I have stickers I put one on the envelope. Even the 4th graders like it!

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Thanks for reminding me why I got out of school nursing, or at least part of the reason:)

But what really broke the final straw was, get this, a student who had a mother

that was a PA. She wanted me to give the kid the inhaler just before school

let out so that she "didn't have to bother" with it when she came home!

Now, mind you, the student had no respiratory distress, was breathing w/o c/o

and her mother called, insisting that I pull the child off the school bus and give

her the inhalation treatment!!

Thank God, the bus driver was very patient, but still had his schedule to keep.

I knew that was it for me.

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