After-hours school nursing...

[ob-rnc]

Okay, so today was pretty busy and I ended up staying a little late to finish up as I am sure most of us end up doing 4 out of 5 days a week. Today I had one of those Agh! moments...15 minutes after it was time for me to leave, I had to break up a fight in the hallway of the main office. There were six kids still there waiting on their parents to pick them up (and the poor things always seem to have to wait long after everyone else leaves...a whole other story) and the principal and guidance counsellor were away at a meeting. Two of the boys were rough-housing with each other and aggrivating one of the sisters. I had already gotten onto them yesterday for the same kind of mischief and today made them sit in the chairs at the office until their folks arrived and tried to explain to them that their actions could end up with someone seriously injured.....

After that incident was out of the way, I was then approached by not one, not two, but 3 little girl-scouts who had stayed after school for a meeting. They are all frequent flyers to the nurse's station and all three had vague complaints...ie. my arm has hurt for 3 days...I have a rash that's invisible to the naked eye....I took a look at them, and told them they needed to tell their moms but they looked fine to me....no ice after school.

My problem is this....The teachers who stay after school for intervention, get to fill out a special form and get extra pay for their efforts. As a nurse, I could never ethically allow myself to not help a student or anyone else whose life was in danger...diabetic crisis, heart attack, RDS, etc..... However, is it my duty to stay after school hours and treat the girl-scout troup for free?! The girl scouts and other groups have made it a habit to use the school's cafeteria for meetings, plus these out of district kids who were fighting today seem to have to wait longer and longer everyday to get picked up. It is not just once in a while it is getting to be everyday. I am ready to ask the superintendent if I could fill-out a teacher form for extra hours too. So tired and aggrivated today! Any advice? Thanks I needed to vent!

[Kafergie]

I think you did the right thing! I also would never deny care to something emergent but you don't want people to just assume you are there anytime something is going on on your campus. I like the "no ice after school". I learned early on that the earlier I get to school the earlier they start coming in. Same with after hours. I'm amazed at how many kids come to my door once school is out. My kids also go here so I am often hanging out waiting for practices, etc to end so I can go home.

My school actually looked at having an hourly nurse after hours just because we have so many extra curricular activities and sports. They decided it wasn't in the budget....no surprise!

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

I actually headed up an after school activity last year - i directed the spring musical. And i have to tell you that once the kids out side of my activity figured out that i was still in the building, my after school practices would constantly get interrupted with minor complaints. I put the kibosh on it immediately. I told them to pretend like I wasn't here except for cases of life and limb. I would have parents come by after school and pull me out of rehearsals to discuss matters that did not warrant discussions since they knew I was there or try to and get annoyed when i'd refuse to hold an impromptu clinic with them because i was having a reheasal. Put your foot down. Unless it's someone needing an ambulance, a diabetic that is in dire need of your assistance or an asthmatic that desperately needs their inhaler, then as far as everyone else is concerned, you're not there.