Re: Split between two schools and both Hispanic populations without being bilingual.
O.M.G.
I foresee nothing by frustration and burn out here. And not from your hispanic parents either. This principal clearly doesn't know what a school nurse does. And believe me you are going to need her on your side because there WILL be situations that only an administrator can handle. This is not a challenge, it's a warning: When somebody shows you their true character, believe them the first time.
As far as your hispanic population I'll tell you how I handle that. My school is 50% hispanic. Almost all of my kids speak enough English to articulate their problems to me. Almost none of their parents speak English. If the situation is minor I just deal with the student. If I it's more serious *head injury, severe vomiting, broken bone, breathing problems,etc,) I call another Spanish-speaking staff member to translate for me. That happens maybe every 2 weeks.
I also made a chart of phrases, one for illness and one for injury, and had our school system interpreter translate it*with phonetic spellings*. Basically it says *in Spanish* " Your child has a _______(head injury, high fever,severe abd pain, breathing trouble,whatever.) Then, "You must come to school." "This may be serious." "Your child needs to see a doctor right away." It's not as good as having someone to interpret, but they get the message. Sometimes after I've said my spiel I'll put their child on the phone. That usually makes the parents feel better. I did have one boy tell me,"Your Spanish is good, but you have a terrible American accent!"
I rarely have a problem reaching my hispanic parents or getting them to pick up their children when I call. La familia, gotta love it.
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You are not a miracle worker and you cannot do your job without administrative support.
School nursing is great. This job is not. Keep looking.
Re: Split between two schools and both Hispanic populations without being bilingual.
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