What NON Nursing jobs are you "expected" to do?

Specialties School

Published

Determine outdoor recess? Seamstress? Glasses repair?

What else?

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Specializes in Med surg.

Hello,

I am a "health assistant" at a charter school. I am required to run the front desk in lieu of the receptionist. I answer phones, sign students in and out, answer a plethora of ridiculous questions per minute and whatever else the Big Kahuna asks of me. I am also in charge of dispensing loan uniforms to students that cannot be bothered to dress appropriately.

There are also things I am required to do that are way out of my scope, like cover classrooms for teachers.

How about you?

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

let's see - i am expected to be skilled in repairing glasses - i'm really not very skilled at this though.

i'm the fashion police - i get to make the final say as to whether a student is dressed appropriately

i'm the snack supplier for all the kids that have forgotten snacks in the school - this i don't mind terribly - i end up with an abundance of untouched wrapped prepackaged food from breakfast - don't want it to go to waste.

my office is somehow expected to be walmart - people are shocked to find that i don't regularly stock shoes of all sizes, belts, duct tape, velcro, nail glue, matches, tide to go pen, stamps, etc...

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Specializes in Acute Care, CM, School Nursing.

Yes, yes, and yes. LOL And for the record, I am terrible at eyeglasses repair!!

I am expected to be able to fix all broken shoes. Flip-flops kill me. How do you expect me to be able to get the little toe thingee to go back into the sole and stay put?! I have literally taped the sole of a flip-flop to a student's foot...

They expect that I can provide any sort of clothing/shoes that are needed (Even though I, too, have reminded everyone that I am not the mall). A little bit of spilled milk on a child's clothing doesn't really require a complete outfit change!

I am expected to "police" body odor and stinky breath.

I am expected to get kids to eat their lunches. I have had lunch monitors bring children into my office, with lunch tray in hand. They'll say, "So-and-so won't eat! She says she doesn't like it!" Ummm. But, I don't have a buffet in my office. What can I do???

I am expected to insert all earrings. I hate it, because I have really fat fingers. It's hard to get those little earrings in. I am constantly in fear of dropping one and losing it forever...

I was responsible for the whole "decide if there will be outdoor recess" thing, but luckily that is no longer my problem. Anyone can see if it's too muddy out there or not. Why do I need to go plodding around to check?!

*sigh*

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"Fat fingers" and "plodding around" made me giggle.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

I'm the only one on campus qualified to clean dog poop from shoes.

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Specializes in Community Health/School Nursing.

I am expected to be bug patrol. Had a teacher call me to the room and tell me she had a lot of ants. I asked her if she calls a nurse to her own house when she has pest issues? She got the point.

I really do have great staff and a wonderful Principal. They really try and keep non-nursing duties out of my clinic. I will typically help any way possible if my clinic is slow but I'm not going to busy myself with sewing/shoe repair/broken glasses/snack patrol and weather watcher if I have actual nursing business I need to take care of in my clinic.

I think the expectations for each nurse is different. Heck, each school in my district has different expectations for their nurses. Some of our nurses will keep clothing in their clinic for children and others leave it up to the social worker, counselor or front office to provide those. I really don't want 'healthy' children coming into my clinic when I have others vomiting or running a high temp just to change clothes. We have other provisions for those types of circumstances. :-)

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Specializes in Community Health/School Nursing.
Yes, yes, and yes. LOL And for the record, I am terrible at eyeglasses repair!!

I am expected to be able to fix all broken shoes. Flip-flops kill me. How do you expect me to be able to get the little toe thingee to go back into the sole and stay put?! I have literally taped the sole of a flip-flop to a student's foot...

They expect that I can provide any sort of clothing/shoes that are needed (Even though I, too, have reminded everyone that I am not the mall). A little bit of spilled milk on a child's clothing doesn't really require a complete outfit change!

I am expected to "police" body odor and stinky breath.

I am expected to get kids to eat their lunches. I have had lunch monitors bring children into my office, with lunch tray in hand. They'll say, "So-and-so won't eat! She says she doesn't like it!" Ummm. But, I don't have a buffet in my office. What can I do???

I am expected to insert all earrings. I hate it, because I have really fat fingers. It's hard to get those little earrings in. I am constantly in fear of dropping one and losing it forever...

I was responsible for the whole "decide if there will be outdoor recess" thing, but luckily that is no longer my problem. Anyone can see if it's too muddy out there or not. Why do I need to go plodding around to check?!

*sigh*

Great post! lol

I can relate to staff sending kids into my clinic to eat lunch. Why in the world would you send a child....with food....to an area where there have been or may be other sick students? I don't even like eating in my own clinic due to the possible germs laying around. Gross! No common sense whatsoever. Ugh.

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

oh, i forgot about kids coming in expecting me to make repairs to their jewelry - my fix is a small white pill envelope and to send it home. i had a parent call me once and and complain about this because her daughter was upset and that all i did was put the necklace in an envelope. I gently explained that I am a nurse, not a jeweler - and it still wasn't good enough for her...

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I'm the only one on campus qualified to clean dog poop from shoes.

NOPE! I drew the line there. An aide walked in with a student and said "There's dog poop on his shoe" and I replied "That is not a health issue. If you need a sink, there's one there"

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Specializes in Acute Care, CM, School Nursing.
... i'm the fashion police - i get to make the final say as to whether a student is dressed appropriately...

That is crazy!! Wouldn't that fall under discipline?? Sheesh...

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Specializes in Acute Care, CM, School Nursing.
"Fat fingers" and "plodding around" made me giggle.

Honestly, if you don't laugh, you'll cry. LOL

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