School Nurses: Non-Nursing Tasks????

Specialties School

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Hello fellow school nurses. I thought I'd start a topic about the little (or big) NON-nursing tasks you are forced to deal with on a daily basis?

I'll start with a few of my own:

1) Wiping off tattoos (sounds little, but one took me 10 min to completely wipe away!)

2.) Earring insertion and removal

3.)Untangling a child's hair from her headphones from computer class

4.) Helping children with homework while they are waiting to be picked up

5.) staying after school for STARR testing training

6.) Having to call parents when a child pees/poops themselves

7.) Having to find a clothespin or safetypin to pin pants together when the button falls off

8.) Finding clothes for students who came to school with a shirt that was too big, pants too tight, shirt too low cut,

What can yall come up with?

I'm getting annoyed just reading these. It's that time of year when I'm just done. Some of my requests have been: flossing a piece of food out from between teeth (I only did it because I'm also a dental hygienist), trimming fingernails, fixing hair that is falling in eyes, unbuttoning a certain child's pants everytime he needed to use the bathroom, stuck zippers, checking an entire class to see who pooped their pants, untying a backpack string that was knotted several times to a chair. It was dismissal time and the teacher couldn't do it. She called me because I have a degree in knots (sarcasm).

Ugh. I really do like my career, but somedays....

Btw, what do y'all use for gum in the hair if you don't have peanut butter?

Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

Btw, what do y'all use for gum in the hair if you don't have peanut butter?

A call home with a number of a good hair dresser... i don't do gum...

Yeah, if I would've attempted that and made the situation worse, I can just see it now - the parents coming down to yell at me, calling the district, ect. ugh.

Ha! True. I'm actually amazed that I have yet to encounter gum in the hair. I guess I'll leave that one to the parents.

I did get one sent to me because a child cut a chunk of another child's hair without his permission. This happened at home. And they sent him to me.

Vaseline works great for gum in hair. The petroleum disolves the gumminess.

Specializes in Pediatrics, school nursing.

Old thread, but rubbing alcohol with a lice comb works really well for getting chewing gum out of hair.

I am so tired of students being sent to me for extra clothes because they fell in mud at recess or are out of dress code. I think the parents should be inconvenienced and should have to bring the student new clothes. If they can't, let them sit in ISS (detention). Dress code is a DISCIPLINE issue, not a health issue.

I can't see well enough to fix glasses; I send the student back to class with my screwdriver so their teacher can work on them.

Let's see:

somehow un-stick coat zippers that get stuck

clean paint (from art class) out of hair, off of clothes

fix flip-flops

fix eyeglasses that have been bent beyond recognition ( and I can do that HOW???)

snap, fasten, zip pants that kids can't manage by themselves

extricate children that get their heads stuck in chairs or limbs stuck in playground equipment (actually this task is rather fun - once the child is "rescued" the classmates,who had been watching in horror, burst into spontaneous applause! And, thus, a new super-hero is made!)

Specializes in kids.

[quote name=

extricate children that get their heads stuck in chairs or limbs stuck in playground equipment (actually this task is rather fun - once the child is "rescued" the classmates,who had been watching in horror, burst into spontaneous applause! And, thus, a new super-hero is made!)[/quote]

Ha! had a kid stick his middle finger (of course) through a hole in a picnic table where there had been previously been a knot.....

The not so bright custodian poured vegetable oil on it and then asked for a hacksaw....all the while were are now being filmed and uploaded to YouTube.

I called the Fire Department and let THEM use the hacksaw.

Specializes in retired LTC.

WOW! Anybody UNSTICK a wet tongue on a metal pole in the wintertime (like in that Christmas movie about Ralphie?

Just asking :cheeky: Really hope no one has to do so!

Haven't had to do it but if it happened here it would 100% be my job. I find that if no one knows who does something they just assume it's me.

The ones that irritate me most are "wet pants" that aren't from urine, they just went down the slide after it was raining, or spilled milk on themselves, or (my favorite!) "I spilled water on my shoes." If it's in an awkward place I'll have them stay in the bathroom and hand me their pants and I'll dry it with a hairdryer. The littler ones always seem so scandalized that I don't care about them getting water on themselves!

I've had a few belts too tight, glasses came apart, needs a hair tie, etc, but for the most part the teachers only sent me kids who at least had something nursing related.

WOW! Anybody UNSTICK a wet tongue on a metal pole in the wintertime (like in that Christmas movie about Ralphie?

Just asking :cheeky: Really hope no one has to do so!

I didn't get the chance to unstick him because his friend yanked him off the pole. I then dealt with the aftermath of that!

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