sick (pardon the pun) of teachers

Specialties School

Published

1) I don't get gum out of hair

2) I don't clean the childs shirt if they spilled something on it

3) I wont sew up your pants or a students pants

4) I wont recheck a student who YOU THINK is sick.

5) I will not notify the entire school for one student having lice..and no I will not check yours if you ask.

6) I only stock advil and Tylenol. STOP asking me for Midol, Aleve, Tums, robitussin etc

7)If your sick, YOU tell the principal YOU are going home using a sick day, Do NOT tell the principal that I am sending you home. Last I look you are a stinkin' grown up

8) I need my lunch hour to regroup and take a breath, DO NOT send the student down for a sneeze, a cough, a stomach ache, a hair tie, a new shoelace etc.

9)I will not allow a student to hang in my office because you simply cannot handle his outburst...call his caseworker

10) please stop telling me how great your kids school nurse is because she never calls you especially when you told me you sent them in with a high fever today....

whew, just the tip of iceberg, but thanks for listening.

Specializes in Acute Care, CM, School Nursing.

I hear you... Oh man, I am SO READY for Christmas break.

Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

i about hit my boiling point today when i called looking for a student and a teacher got all flustered and said "I am ON my PREP!!" I asked her to get the student from the assembly the student was at, since my office was full. She knew better than to pursue the fight of boo hoo losing my prep time with me. I'm contracted to get 2 prep periods a day and a lunch period and i'm lucky if i get the whole lunch in. I, in reality get zero preps a day.

SIX DAYS LEFT!

Can I add:

I am not a dentist or an orthodontist. I don't have the tools to fix broken braces or replace wires nor can I determine if a student has a cavity by looking in their mouth.

I can do NOTHING, repeat NOTHING, for a tooth that is loose. I will not pull it out. It may be uncomfortable until it comes out. Suck it up.

Teacher comes in not introducing himself: Do you have any Tyenol ™ cold and sinus meds?

Me: Hi, I'm Patti, nice to meet you.

Him:...

Me: *waits*

Him: A cough drop?

Me: No.

Him: What kind of Nurse's office is this?

Me: *Looking around* I'd say it's a pretty basic Nurse's office. CVS is down the block if you need a cough drop.

Him: *leaves*

Well said Sister !!!!

Specializes in Med-Surg and Neuro.

As a former teacher, please remember that teachers need to CYA. We need to be able to say to parents or the principal that we did try something to resolve a situation. I've sent kids to the nurse knowing there's not much that can be done, but the next day when momma marches in in a huff about her kid's bruise, I can say she went to the nurse and the nurse verified that it wasn't a serious injury that necessitated a call home or EMT's to rush to the school. There's also a record from the school nurse in the system that backs up the fact that I did send the child to the nurse, in case the lawyers get called, which covers my butt. Parent are nuts!

Also, teachers aren't experts in medicine. When I was a kid, the whole grade level did get checked when one kid had lice. They might not know things have changed.

As a former teacher, please remember that teachers need to CYA. We need to be able to say to parents or the principal that we did try something to resolve a situation. I've sent kids to the nurse knowing there's not much that can be done, but the next day when momma marches in in a huff about her kid's bruise, I can say she went to the nurse and the nurse verified that it wasn't a serious injury that necessitated a call home or EMT's to rush to the school. There's also a record from the school nurse in the system that backs up the fact that I did send the child to the nurse, in case the lawyers get called, which covers my butt. Parent are nuts!

Also, teachers aren't experts in medicine. When I was a kid, the whole grade level did get checked when one kid had lice. They might not know things have changed.

To your first point: none of the complaints in this thread have been about CYA boo boos. Gum, shoelaces, symptoms that have already been checked and determined to be okay -- none of that falls under CYA. (Yes, some of our kvetching threads do talk about things that are probably CYA. But none in this thread.)

To your second: when we provide written teaching, written documentation, verbal presentations, about how lice is and is not spread and what is and is not effective . . . the teachers have lost the ability to say "well I'm not an expert I don't know." We know they don't know - that's why we teach about it. But we get ignored and undermined and over ruled, because they're all grossed out by lice and don't believe the evidence we present.

To your first point: none of the complaints in this thread have been about CYA boo boos. Gum, shoelaces, symptoms that have already been checked and determined to be okay -- none of that falls under CYA. (Yes, some of our kvetching threads do talk about things that are probably CYA. But none in this thread.)

To your second: when we provide written teaching, written documentation, verbal presentations, about how lice is and is not spread and what is and is not effective . . . the teachers have lost the ability to say "well I'm not an expert I don't know." We know they don't know - that's why we teach about it. But we get ignored and undermined and over ruled, because they're all grossed out by lice and don't believe the evidence we present.

This.

Substitute lice with flu shots, infection, antibiotics, concussions, etc. You can see how it gets frustrating.

Ugh on the multiple visits when clearly the student is not ill. My teachers fold too easily. It gets ridiculous.

After 2 visits with no apparent problem, I call the parent. Just so they know their child is spending a lot of time out of the classroom.

Also:

I am not a dog crap on a shoe cleaner. (Seriously????)

I don't pull teeth/fix braces.

I am not a dumping ground for students with behavioral problems. We have a School Counselor, Principal and Psychologist. Yes, I know they are 'busy." So am I!

Thanks for listening.

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