Most Frustrating Thing ?

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School Nurse's, I would like to know what frustrates you with your job as a School Nurse?

Me......Parents who bring in an inhaler for their child to use, because of severe asthma, and the box the inhaler comes in reeks of cigarette smoke >>>>> :eek:

So what get's to YOU ?

Specializes in School Nursing, Public Health Nurse.

Just had a teacher email me a list of half the students in one of her class because she wants vision testing done on them. I don't even have enough NASN VSP coupons for all of them even if they all qualify!

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This has to be the greatest, I never gave up trying to get the epi pen for this child. Parent brought it in 5 days before school was over. That same day was the day I sent letters home for parents to come set up a time to pick up medications at the end of the year.

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I had a very nice mom tell me her insurance won't pay for an epi-pen and so she was wondering if it would be ok not to send one to school with her highly allergic-to-bees son?

Anyone have this experience - that insurance won't cover at least part of the epi-pen?

Yep. I've heard from more than one pt that insurance won't cover it or even with the $100 copay card it's still over $200 out of pocket. There's a generic auto-administer self-injector epi device (don't call it a generic EpiPen, it's more a generic Adrenaclick which used to be TwinJect) and the new Auvi-Q that might have better coverage. Government plans (Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare) won't accept ANY copay assist coupons for any rx. Our EpiPen rep says it should be tier 2 on most plans but it's got such a high copay even with insurance coverage. It's ridiculous that a life-saving medication is so expensive that pts would rather not get it than pay over $100 for it.

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Specializes in Peds, Oncology.
Yep. I've heard from more than one pt that insurance won't cover it or even with the $100 copay card it's still over $200 out of pocket. There's a generic auto-administer self-injector epi device (don't call it a generic EpiPen, it's more a generic Adrenaclick which used to be TwinJect) and the new Auvi-Q that might have better coverage. Government plans (Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare) won't accept ANY copay assist coupons for any rx. Our EpiPen rep says it should be tier 2 on most plans but it's got such a high copay even with insurance coverage. It's ridiculous that a life-saving medication is so expensive that pts would rather not get it than pay over $100 for it.

Or they could be like me and have high deductible insurance. Luckily, I opted for a HSA to pay my medical needs. My epi pens were $374, I used the $100 card, which has a max value of $100, so I paid $274 which is still a ton. My insurance denied the Auvi Q (which is what my doctor wrote for) because it's $100 more expensive than the Epi Pen.

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OK, I've related to everything you guys have mentioned and here's one I bet you can relate to too/also :). I've identified a condition I call "post emesis paralysis." This is a position a student becomes frozen in after they vomit and only a school nurse has the knowlege and expertise to unlock them. How many times have you been called into a room and the student is paralyzed in some awkward position over a pool of vomit, unable to move, and no one able to help them, until you come in and unlock the paralysis?????????

Today I identified "epistaxis hemiparalysis"! Where only ONE HAND can be moved to clutch a napkin to the face, and the other half of the body is frozen clutching whatever was in the hand when the nosebleed began. Seems to affect the legs too, as walking results in a hesitant, tip-toe gait.

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Grandma is FURIOUS that her baby boy was PUSHED on the playground and HIT HIS HEAD. (On the grass.) And why on EARTH didn't I send him straight home, and why didn't I say that he was PUSHED?! (1 - he is totally fine, not even a bump, much less a headache. 2 - not my department, discipline goes through the teacher.) And HOW can I be so CAVALIER about the fact that he was PUSHED!!! (God forbid kids play on the playground.)

Aaargh, I'm just so done with this one. The kid is an angel, an asthma kid I see frequently, never in trouble, always polite. The mom and grandma are SUPER over-protective though and freak out about EVERYTHING!! I wish I hadn't called home -- but now I'm thinking how much worse it would have been if I hadn't.

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A child an hour from me died from the enterovirus D68. The local mom's FB page is going nuts over EV D68 being in the school... even though the Superintendent sent a mass email assuring people we DON'T have any confirmed cases of EV D68.

One crazy mom talked to me (chewed me out - I'll write about that in a separate post) 2 weeks ago so now she is "updating" the town via FB On what's happening in the nurse's office. Not sure where she got half the crap she is spewing but she knows more than I do!

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You have my 100% sympathy :yes:

mc3:cat:

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Let's see... I've been on the job for nearly 7 months now :wacky:

Lack of training: I came in at the end of Jan this year. I showed up on the first day (not experience as a school nurse) and the principal simply said welcome and pointed me to the office. One of my first "patients" was a child with cochlear implants and bahas. My jaw just about dropped when he asked me to help fix them. I'd never seen them before. I had a retired school nurse in for 2 days to help me and that was it! Eeek!

Lack of administrative support: My principal is new and in his early 30s. The secretary is new. And I am new. Some days it's the blind leading the blind. I spent hours and hours updating health records on our state forms for all our news kids (about 125 new kids + transfers). According to state law, families are supposed to hand in vaccine and PE forms at registration but we will give up to 30 days grace. We are 6 weeks into school and I still have no idea if some of our kids have ever seen a doctor because the principal refuses to follow. Of course it will be on me when the state comes to audit us (even though school nurses cannot exclude in my state; it's an administrator's issue).

Being under a teacher contract but the not afforded the same courtesies: Apparently, I'm not allowed to take lunch. I took my lunch 15 minutes before dismissal a couple weeks ago and a child came to my office with a belly ache. The secretary told her to come back later. She came 5 minutes after dismissal (with an aide) on her way to aftercare. She had no fever and was otherwise ok - just a little fatigued. But no reason to keep her out of aftercare. The aide called mom and said child was not feeling great. Child threw up an hour later. Mom chews me out for 15 minutes the next morning about the public school system "failing" her child. Seriously??? I wish I could predict vomit!!!

Ever changing contact numbers: We are 6 weeks into school and I already have kids with contact #s that don't work. 6 weeks!!! I expect that by January.... but October???

Parents that refuse to follow a doctor's order: Today a kid came to school with a doctor's note stating he should be out today. His mother tried to tell me that the doctor said it was up to her. Huh??? Then she got snippy with me for sending him home. Of course the child admitted that he was in school because no one could stay home to take care of him. *sigh*

Crappy parents: Then I get the kids whose parents wants me to medicate them and send them back to class. I had one father arguing with me for 5 minutes about just giving his kid Tylenol. I tried explaining that I can't , it's illegal, etc. He kept saying he couldn't leave work. I finally said, "I'm sorry sir, we are not a sick child daycare." He went into a fit of rage about my rudeness. I hung up on him. He flew into the school and complained to the principal.

Another mom refused to get her child and told me to put her child in aftercare.

Sometimes I gotta have fun though. We had a child who kept complaining of being sick and her mother was trying to get her home instruction. The principal asked me about her diagnosis. I went through her files and sucked in my breath. I looked up and said (very seriously), "She has.... presyncope." His eyes got really wide and he said, "What is that???" Almost fainting. ;-)

Did I mention how much I HATE when anyone calls me "Nurse." Just "Nurse." None of the teachers get called "Teacher." The secretary isn't called "Secretary" and the principal isn't called "Principal."

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Specializes in School Nursing, Public Health Nurse.

I swear some of these parents are paying Doctors off to write some of these ridiculous orders. Is common sense not a requirement in Med School these days? Sheesh.

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Specializes in School nursing.

Did I mention how much I HATE when anyone calls me "Nurse." Just "Nurse." None of the teachers get called "Teacher." The secretary isn't called "Secretary" and the principal isn't called "Principal."

Kids do this to me all the time. And every time I just repeat my name (which is on my door) and ask them "would you like me to call you 'student'?" With a smile on my face of course ;). It usually gets the message through.

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Did I mention how much I HATE when anyone calls me "Nurse." Just "Nurse." None of the teachers get called "Teacher." The secretary isn't called "Secretary" and the principal isn't called "Principal."

I was JUST complaining to my aide about this. We have a new principal and I'm quite sure she has no idea what my name is, as she always refers to me as "the nurse". I also love it when they stand in my clinic door (my office is further back into the clinic ) and shout "NURSE!", when it's not even an emergency. :madface:

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