Any Advice?

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I am exploring School nursing K - Sr. High.

What would your 1 best piece of advice you would give a nurse new to this specialty?

What ailments and issues will I likely see the most?

Do you have a Log Book where you record who you have seen, why, treatment/counsel given?

I don't guess each student has a chart? Or do they?

Parent notification - how do you do it? That is, why, for what situations?

Etc.

Thanks in advance for any tips.

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I have pre k-12th roughly 750 students my self with the help of secretaries. I am in my 3rd year.

I use health forms or nurse passes to even let them in the door. I then enter everyone I see into the computer system that we use. I file the pass in each students own health history file.

Depending on the nature of the visit on if I contact parents the nurse passes I use have duplicates I send those back with students to go home in their folder so parents know they were seen by me in the office.If it is something more than a bloody nose or a tummy ache then I usually call, send a text, or an email.

Best advice I can give is be patient and flexible. Some days are harder than others, but some days are more paperwork than anything.

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

We can see the span from the mundane, malingering to the emergent. Id say what i see the most depends largely on the season. Early winter is usually a lot of stuffy noses and headaches (due to congestion) give it a few weeks and nosebleeds and chapped cracked lips will fill my office because it's dry here.

My charting is electronic. Every student has their own electronic chart as well as own physical chart which has their vaccine records, physicals, copies of medication orders, dr notes, etc.

I call parents when I feel something needs to have a follow up.

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Specializes in kids.

oh my...yay for you!!! hardest job I have ever loved!!

paper file in addition to EMR

cramps to ruptured ovarian cysts or appy

mild strain/sprain to compound fractures

head aches to brain tumors

and everything in between...huge increaed on anxity related issues

huge increase in kids and families struggles with substance misuse

But overall it can be a great job! I'm in a small community where education is valued and we reallt get to know our families and kids.

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Specializes in School Nurse.
On 11/16/2019 at 5:50 PM, Kooky Korky said:

I am exploring School nursing K - Sr. High.

What would your 1 best piece of advice you would give a nurse new to this specialty?

Be prepared to be the only person on campus that knows what you actually do

What ailments and issues will I likely see the most?

Stomach aches & headaches - however be prepared for ANYTHING!

Do you have a Log Book where you record who you have seen, why, treatment/counsel given?

Most districts have online charting

I don't guess each student has a chart? Or do they?

Real charts only for someone who may have special needs, complicated medical issue.

Parent notification - how do you do it? That is, why, for what situations?

Call, text, email, notes home - sometimes every way. Significant injuries, illness of course, kid returns for third time in one day, a lot of other random things.

Etc.

Thanks in advance for any tips.

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Specializes in School Nurse, past Med Surge.
On 11/16/2019 at 6:50 PM, Kooky Korky said:

I am exploring School nursing K - Sr. High.

YAY!!

What would your 1 best piece of advice you would give a nurse new to this specialty?

Know how your boss views your role. Are you expected to weed out the fakers to keep kids in class & learning. Or are you to cater to the little darlings' every whims and appease parents (think long and hard about the job if the latter is the case).

What ailments and issues will I likely see the most?

Being K-12 you'll see it all, I would imagine. I'm K-3 so I get a lot of tummy aches, headaches, PE bumps and imaginary boo-boos. But you could see drug issues, fights, period problems, pregnancy scares...just about anything.

Do you have a Log Book where you record who you have seen, why, treatment/counsel given?

I don't guess each student has a chart? Or do they?

My district uses CareDox to chart medical information. There's lots of different systems out there. So, yes...each student has a "chart."

Parent notification - how do you do it? That is, why, for what situations?

I don't call for every visit. I call for just about any bump to the head, just to CMA. I call if a kid's face is going to look different when they get home (i.e. bonked cheek on the playground that may bruise, fat lip, etc). Sometimes I call if there's been an altercation between students and there's scratches or bruises, sometimes the principal handles that after I check them out.

Etc.

Thanks in advance for any tips.

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Lots of good info

Many thanks!

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