Been thought of as the bad guy?

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Specializes in Cardiology, School Nursing, General.

I been thinking that some of these parents think of me as the bad guy, which is hilarious when I'm trying to help. And all they do is complain to the front office girls about me.

The 2nd mother who yelled at me about her child's immunizations came and literally complained to the front office lady, who in turn was upset with me and I'm like, "I don't care if she's upset or not, I'm just doing my job and I won't let anyone yell at me." Which is true, but I can't but think that after I do my next batch of immunizations these parents will brand me as evil or something, which is stupid, when I'm just doing my job.

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Specializes in NCSN.

I'm the "bad guy" with a some of our parents and staff who want me to bend the rules. But then I am the lifesaver for a bunch of my other students' parents and with my staff, so I think it balances out.

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Specializes in Cardiology, School Nursing, General.

Random question: But if you have a student who got a reaction from the immunizations, what can parents do at home? I tell them to send them to the physician to let them know and the doctor can check on them.

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Same here! Especially with some of the teachers who does not agree with my decisions on sending a kid back to class. At the end of the day, they hired you as the nurse and not the parents or teachers or whomever got a problem with how you do things.

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Specializes in School Nurse.

C'mon now, "Bad guy" is in our job description. Next topic.

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Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.
Random question: But if you have a student who got a reaction from the immunizations, what can parents do at home? I tell them to send them to the physician to let them know and the doctor can check on them.

What kind of reaction? Swelling at the site? Low-grade fever? Soreness? Dizzy/nauseous/nearly fainted? All of those are non-adverse (and predictable) reactions. Parents don't understand (and it's not well-explained - at least it wasn't in my kids' pediatricians offices) that there are predictable reactions and adverse ones. Swelling is not an adverse reaction.

A true adverse reaction needs to be reported to VAERS. And you're right, have the parent contact the physician.

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Yep! I've been feeling like the "bad guy" a lot lately. One example - This group of teachers who have been overheard telling the front desk staff that they disagree with my or my assistant's decisions have even begun sending passive aggressive notes with instructions (i.e. "send this kid home", or my favorite: "No crackers!!") along with the student to the health office. It's my first year so it does bug me a bit, but I'm learning that the bad usually comes with the good :)

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Specializes in NCSN.
Yep! I've been feeling like the "bad guy" a lot lately. One example - This group of teachers who have been overheard telling the front desk staff that they disagree with my or my assistant's decisions have even begun sending passive aggressive notes with instructions (i.e. "send this kid home", or my favorite: "No crackers!!") along with the student to the health office. It's my first year so it does bug me a bit, but I'm learning that the bad usually comes with the good :)

Write them back. I had 2 teachers that did that to me when I first started so I started writing back.

"student has fever a needs to go home"--> Student temp is 98.2, no signs of illness, can stay in class

"Student forgot snack, give him one" --> Sent him to the cafeteria to see if they have extra fruit, because i don't

"Student is REALLY sick"--> Student spent the last 5 mins bouncing around my office, no fever, no signs of illness here. You can call the parent if you are concerned

It all stopped within a week of me writing back and we are good now.

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Write them back. I had 2 teachers that did that to me when I first started so I started writing back.

"student has fever a needs to go home"--> Student temp is 98.2, no signs of illness, can stay in class

"Student forgot snack, give him one" --> Sent him to the cafeteria to see if they have extra fruit, because i don't

"Student is REALLY sick"--> Student spent the last 5 mins bouncing around my office, no fever, no signs of illness here. You can call the parent if you are concerned

It all stopped within a week of me writing back and we are good now.

Great advice! So we have been writing back and it has helped but the sore spot seems to be the kids who claim to have vomited because we still get notes on those. It started when we sent a kid back to class who ate his weight in caramel for breakfast (after he hung out in the health office and talked the whole time) ...and then he proceeded to vomit in that teacher's classroom. Ever since they've been pushing back. (He, of course, was fine after he vomited but soon figured out the teacher wanted him home if he just claimed he felt the slightest bit nauseated).

Yesterday's note claimed the principal's rule is that all kids who vomit (witnessed or not) go home so they seem to be escalating. I've been digging around for the district's written policy (which states this is NOT the case) so I can do a blanket email and attach it but to no avail... super frustrating in the meantime and I have no other ideas. But I'm glad you all can relate!

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Specializes in Cardiology, School Nursing, General.
on my unit a lot of people left for positions at other hospitals, all but one stayed on per-diem. I've worked alot per-diem and my experience is that its basically feast or famine for hours. Could you go part-time? I'd suggest when talking to your manager to let her know you don't plan to leave, just need some time for yourself. Good luck.

Wrong forum my friend. I'm basically working at a school, no way of part time.

I'm not going to leave, I love my job. This is just a bump on the road.

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Specializes in Cardiology, School Nursing, General.
Great advice! So we have been writing back and it has helped but the sore spot seems to be the kids who claim to have vomited because we still get notes on those. It started when we sent a kid back to class who ate his weight in caramel for breakfast (after he hung out in the health office and talked the whole time) ...and then he proceeded to vomit in that teacher's classroom. Ever since they've been pushing back. (He, of course, was fine after he vomited but soon figured out the teacher wanted him home if he just claimed he felt the slightest bit nauseated).

Yesterday's note claimed the principal's rule is that all kids who vomit (witnessed or not) go home so they seem to be escalating. I've been digging around for the district's written policy (which states this is NOT the case) so I can do a blanket email and attach it but to no avail... super frustrating in the meantime and I have no other ideas. But I'm glad you all can relate!

This is why I have my student handbook and I have that section highlighted. I had problems early this year with this and I had to show this to parents and teachers, unless it's illness related, they can't be sent home unless the parent requests it.

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Specializes in Cardiology, School Nursing, General.
What kind of reaction? Swelling at the site? Low-grade fever? Soreness? Dizzy/nauseous/nearly fainted? All of those are non-adverse (and predictable) reactions. Parents don't understand (and it's not well-explained - at least it wasn't in my kids' pediatricians offices) that there are predictable reactions and adverse ones. Swelling is not an adverse reaction.

A true adverse reaction needs to be reported to VAERS. And you're right, have the parent contact the physician.

Basically swelling on site and soreness. I thought the same thing as you and basically just informed the mother to take her to the doctor.

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