California Nursing Practice Act/insulin admin

allnurses Guide · Nov 15, 2008

I'm a type 1 parent and also a RN. Just wondering what this california practice act means.
who will administer the insulin?
I assume that whoever is administering the insulin now will have to go through training yearly.

Can you be more specific, please?

steph

frann · Nov 15, 2008

http://www.nursingworld.org/FunctionalMenuCategories/MediaResources/PressReleases/2008PR/ANA-CA-School-Nurse-Insulin-Win.aspx

The California Nurses ANA sued the cal. dept of ed about who can admin. insulin and won last week. The CA ANA says that only licensed personnel can administer insulin. Since CA has a high school nurse to student ratio- 1 nurse to 2400 kids.

We have nurses in I think every school here in VA. ,at least every school my child has been in. I would have been terrified to leave my child in a school without anyone trained when she was first dx.

Of course I'm not in CA, but I have friends with type 1 kids that are worried about what will happen. Will they require all the type 1 kids to be shipped off to school with nurse? Will they hire more nurses? Will they train someone to give the insulin?

Will there be a nurse in every school in CA

allnurses Guide · Nov 15, 2008

Thank you! I'm not a school nurse but this explains why my local small school district needed one of our nurses to come admin insulin last week and why they are advertising for a nurse to come on Thu/Fri to do this.

I'm thinking of applying - I work part-time as a hospice nurse while I'm in school (RN to BSN program). My background is OB/ER/Med-surg.

steph

cali_nurse_1976 · Dec 15, 2008

Well, I'm a CA school nurse and boy do I have mixed feelings about this legislation! As an RN it seems pretty basic to be so careful with insulin, right? I mean, in the hospital we have to check it with another RN. But as a reasonable, practical person...I have some major concerns about how schools are going to be able to deal with this!

My district doesn't have any kids who need insulin shots (they all self administer), but I would be the the only one giving the shots if needed. My district is also experiencing a huge budget cut, including mid year cuts. So there will be no other nurse hired at my district. What if I am out of town or God forbid...SICK? who would handle the insulin???? I think the CSNO has effectively secured low paying jobs for school nurses in CA for years to come. My district is not the only one having budget troubles, all of CA is! But if I were to leave and go get a good paying job, my school would be up a creek!! They can't afford to pay the county to send a nurse and they had a hard enough time filling the position in the first place. The whole situation is ridiculous.