Who informs the parent?

moreoreo · Jul 11, 2017

If there is an actual altercation that is being written up, I check in with the principals to see if they would like me to wait on calling the parent. (To avoid our making multiple calls home.) When I do call, I specifically state that I am not in charge of disciplinary measures and am simply calling to inform the parent of the child's complaint and my assessment findings. I either let them know to reach out to the teacher (if it's a minor altercation) or the principal (for larger altercation) if they would like more information. I make sure the teacher is aware of the incident if it did not occur in the classroom. I make sure that teachers and recess/lunch supervisors are aware that I am not a disciplinarian and do not complete an incident report unless there is an injury that requires follow-up care. I am lucky that my supervisor supports that my role is to provide health services, not to discipline students, which could lead to a disruption of my therapeutic relationship with them and lead to unsafe dynamics where they do not want to come to me for needed care. However I am happy to call parents to report my side of things as I feel it is my responsibility to communicate with them in regards to the student's physical well-being!

I do not think if it's fair if you are the only person ever contacting parents in regards to altercations though!

happylemon · Jul 11, 2017

Hi! Im also a school nurse from the Philippines. :) In my opinion, for behavior issues, it is no longer a nurse's job to intervene. The teachers are the ones responsible in informing the parents regarding their child's classroom behavior. Sadly, not all teachers are cooperative and most of the time they are just playing safe. í ½í¹ In the school that Im working at, the school nurse informs the parents about their child's health concerns including injuries (major or minor). However, for injuries caused by rough play or behavior issues, I attend to the victim while the teacher disciplines the other student. Im the one who informs the victim's parents while the teacher sends an Incident Report to the parents of both students. In cases like this, I just go on with purely medical stuff like, "He has a bump but eventually subsided after cold compress, etc." If the victim's parents will get frustrated, I'll simply say, "Your child's teacher will contact you soon and she will address your concerns." Just bounce the ball back onto their courts as our job is done after rendering medical intervention. Hope this helps! Goodluck í ¾í´—

Flare, ASN, BSN · Jul 12, 2017

if there is an injury as a result of a fight, i am happy to make a call to a parent to report that. But the admins understand that I report on the injury and only the injury. I will tell a parent that Joey has a split lip from getting hit by another student, it's been cleaned, iced, treated and whether i feel further med attention is needed or not - but I will not answer any questions about the event itself other than when it occurred (or more to the point, how long ago i saw the student). All other inquiries get directed to the admin.

If the admin's point was to get me to do their dirty work, which let's be real, sometimes it is - it's not going to happen. Because the parents ALWAYS want to know the rest of the details that i am unwilling to share.

scuba nurse, BSN, MSN, RN · Jul 12, 2017

Like the others have posted, I only comment to parents on the medical issues (scratches, bruises, and what I did for them). When the parents ask about discipline issues (for either party involved) I refer them back to the principal or assistant principal and tell them that I can only comment on the medical stuff.

avecta · Jul 13, 2017

Thank you guys for answering. I usually do the same thing. I only tell the parents the treatment I made and what home care they can do. However, most of the time, the management kinda "EXPECT" me to call the parents "ALL THE TIME", even for minor cases that really doesnt need any reporting to the parents. And IF I didn't call the parents and the next day, the parents suddenly came to them, they will all point their fingers to me as if Im the one who caused the injury to the kid. The mangement and teachers doesnt want to face an angry parent so they keep on telling me to call the parents even for minor cases. My point is, its should be my discretion whether to call the parents or not (ofcourse based on the severity of the injury) they should not be telling me to inform the parents all the time so that they can save their face off. Im seeing 100 kids for 8hr shift. I dont have time to call all the parents of the kids Im seeing.

3peas · Jul 17, 2017

Just like Flare it's my responsibility to report medical injuries and I followup that the parent will receive another call regarding behavior issues. I'm faster than admin and teachers and they have learned that now, so they get on the phone pretty quick. I will always call because it's my responsibility, but I can't answer the questions regarding who, what, where, when, and how. I listen to the parent and reassure them they will get those answers from someone else.

aehtam · Jul 26, 2017

I am also a school nurse from the philippines :) glad to know there's a kababayan here. With that matter, i think it depends on the school. In my previous school, working for a japanese employer, the admin was the one making the calls. When i transfered to a different school, it was just the nurse's job to call the parents. It depends on the policy. But yes, you can definitely raise this with your school coordinators to set this matter. I always followup and update the parents personally when they come to school.

grammy1 · Jul 27, 2017

In our Jr. High School the duties are shared. Our administrators are really good about contacting the parents. If there was an altercation and it's a minor injury, we let administration know and they will tell the parents when they call. If it is major, needing an ER visit, we will call the parent and an administrator will usually be in the clinic and talk with the parent when they get there. We don't call for every little thing that happens or we'd be on the phone all day. Anything to the face or head are called, other bumps and bruises I usually just send them back to class with ice and tell them to return if it gets worse or more painful, then document it all.