Cough Drops/ OTCs

Specialties School

Published

Help me understand school nursing or lack there of. (I'm a LTC nurse)

It is a small Catholic grade school. We have a school nurse from the local school district. She is only there once a month and it isn't to see children but just complete paperwork? I think she goes to all the local Catholic schools in the district.

So, what happens when the children get sick? What should happen?

Right now, only inhalers and epi pens are permitted and in the absence of a RN or LPN, the child is only permitted to administer the medication. It doesn't say anything about insulins (we haven't had diabetic children than needed insulin....we did have a child with a pump a few years back)

So...no more cough drops at all. A letter came home stating that parent can send in 2-3 cough drops that the home room teacher will keep for the child. The child must take them on their own. This will be fazed out because cough drops are used as "crutches". I get the fact that cough drops, even Ludens non menthol, are considered meds...in LTC we need an order for them too.

I guess I have an issue that we really don't have a school nurse. We had a child that had a seizure once. I think they were told "we can't handle him" I'm assuming this is where the parents would need to get a nurse to go to school with the child?

Do you have the secretary call the parents to come in to give cough drops? Tylenol? Tums?

What suggestions do you have for kids with a cough? Sip on water? Cough med at home before school (not really effective)? Keep the kids home for the week or so until the cough subsides?

Petition the school to become the school nurse in exchange for free tuition? :) ....if only this was an option! I have my BSN but no school nurse cert!

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Specializes in School Nurse. Having conversations with littles..

I hear your concern. I have only worked in public schools, so the rules are different (I do believe). I go to 3 different districts (4 buildings). When I am not there, the Secretaries/adms. are trained per state protocols to handle the meds. etc. When I am in each building, I oversee that all is being handled according to Policy and Prodecures.

I am sorry, I am not much help for a Private School. But, hopefully there will be some nurses familiar with this setting, and can be helpful.

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Public school here as well. I know your concern is cough drops, but mine is more than that. No nurse/medical person at all? :(

Why..is it budgetary?

As for the cough drops. I don't have them. That being said, I know for a fact that SOME of my 750 (12-21 year old) students must sneak in some cough drops. I'm not searching back packs.

Not much help here, sorry. I have the kids suck on ice, hydrate, gargle if their throat is sore, etc.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

It's my understanding that Private schools are kinda like private nightclubs. If you agree to their rules and can afford the membership you can come in. They are answerable only to state and federal statutes. It's a bitter sweet deal. Private schools have their advantages but not having a school nurse "ain't" one of them. So, unless and until, it becomes a priority for the administration of the school it's not gonna happen. I don't think it's a budgetary issue. Good luck and keep hammering at em,

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Oh. I don't go to private nightclubs.

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:saint: I don't go to night clubs either, LOL. I'd love to try school nursing but getting the certification isn't in my budget now :(
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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
Oh. I don't go to private nightclubs.

How about public nightclubs?

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How about public nightclubs?

Is that like public lice?

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
Is that like public lice?

I think so

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I think so

Then I'm going!

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
Then I'm going!

See ya there. I think there is still a cover charge unless we go on ladies night then you get in free; if there is such a thing.

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I live in Canada. Our public schools (in my region, anyway) never have school nurses. It's just not a thing that's done. We have public health nurses that cover about a dozen schools each and, I'm pretty sure, deal mostly with immunizations and care planning for super medically complex kids.

When I was in high school not that long ago I had tons of meds with me all the time. Advil, Tylenol, cough drops (god forbid). I had friends who carried their own prescription meds - inhalers, whatever else. All school staff were trained how to use epi-pens and so were all the kids, actually. I remember learning how to use an epi-pen in the second grade because I grew up with a kid with anaphylactic allergy to peanuts. It is crazy to me that teeangers can't be trusted to carry their own cough drops?

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