38C fever, no ride home?

Published

Hello again nurses,

Im just wondering if you would keep a child in your clinic and ask parents to pick up when there's no other symptom other than 38C fever and it's 30 minutes to home time.

I did send the child with the school bus because there are no other symptoms, no N/V, no stomach ache etc. Parent was informed and student was given paracetamol.

Flare, ASN, BSN

5 Articles; 4,431 Posts

Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

i would have probably done the same thing. keep in the clinic until the end of the day, tell the parents to keep home tomorrow. Ideally a pickup would be best, but hopefully the student could sit alone on the bus.

Farawyn

12,646 Posts

Has 25 years experience.

I have to calculate my Celsius to Farenheit first.

kidzcare

3,393 Posts

Has 5 years experience.

I've gone both ways on this. If they've made it that far into the day, they can usually muscle through until home.

Sometimes I don't take a temperature that close to the end of the day... :)

RNqueens

33 Posts

i would have probably done the same thing. keep in the clinic until the end of the day, tell the parents to keep home tomorrow. Ideally a pickup would be best, but hopefully the student could sit alone on the bus.

I agree. Sometimes unfortunately a pickup is not doable for the parents. However, if it was earlier in the day they would have to find a way. I wouldn't send them back to class.

amnesiac1c

56 Posts

In my district, we do not send kids on the bus with temp >= 100F, parents must pick up.

Elixer

34 Posts

Has 3 years experience.

Great!

Usually kids with fever gets picked-up by parents but if it's too close to going home time, i'd rather send them home with the school bus than sit and wait for parents to arrive another hour.

Thanks all! I really appreciate all the answers I get here :)

Specializes in School nursing.
Great!

Usually kids with fever gets picked-up by parents but if it's too close to going home time, i'd rather send them home with the school bus than sit and wait for parents to arrive another hour.

Thanks all! I really appreciate all the answers I get here :)

Same thing happened here recently with 10 minutes left in the school day. Options - home on bus and home in 15 minutes, wait for parent to come on public transport to pick up student, then take student home on public transport, student home in 1+ hours.

Student sits alone on bus filled with students he and his germs have already been around for an entire school day. Parent was meeting student at bus stop, ok'ed trip on bus, so student sat in the nurse's office for those 10 minutes, then went home on the bus.

NutmeggeRN, BSN

8 Articles; 4,584 Posts

Specializes in kids. Has 40 years experience.
I have to calculate my Celsius to Farenheit first.

Yup, me too!:nailbiting:

bell1962

345 Posts

Specializes in family practice and school nursing. Has 30 plus years experience.

sometimes parents can't come. No choice but to send on the bus

Elixer

34 Posts

Has 3 years experience.
I have to calculate my Celsius to Farenheit first.

@Farawyn and Nutmegge, sorry guys I dont work in the US of A. I'm using C here, so my instinct was to use that on my post above :). 38C =100.4F

allnurses Guide

Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN

11,302 Posts

I have to calculate my Celsius to Farenheit first.

Me three . . . .:facepalm:

We just don't use Celsius much here. Had to learn it, but when you rarely use it, looking it up is necessary.

We are trying very hard not to get other kids sick - have had an outbreak of Hand, Foot, & Mouth Disease going around so desks are wiped down at recess and lunch and the kids are encouraged to wash their hands often.

As to fever that late in the day . . . . in our rural area, I'd have the parents or someone else on the list to do pick-ups come get the kiddo. 1.5 hours on a bus with a kid with a 100 degree fever is a long time. The kiddo can stay in the main office with the office staff - we have a place for them to sleep there and the office doesn't close until 2 hours after the kids leave. I don't have to stay there.