I've been back from maternity leave since the beginning of January after break. I've been quiet around here but have been reading. But today I need to vent!!
I'm losing my mind over the teachers sending in students for issues that aren't even nursing related. And most of the teachers know that I have to pump at work. I don't get breaks, so I have to squeeze it in twice a day. I usually am able to do it without any issues but today was tough. I also was trying to send in the immunization report which is due tomorrow.
If I get one more student in here because their zipper is stuck, because dog poop is on their shoes, they have an eyelash in their eye, they have an old scab from a thousand years ago that needs a band aid right this second or simply because a student is acting up and the teacher has no patience so they send them to me!
I usually don't mind and am very lenient. And I have no problem at all of course to stop pumping if there is an emergency, someone is bleeding, etc. But come on here! Teachers get their lunch break, prep break, etc. I get zero and must be in my office at all times. Today just sucked. It wasn't over the top difficult and I feel silly complaining because my worst day here is still a thousand times better than at my previous job. I just need to vent. Tomorrow is a new day.
Maybe turn the suction down on your pump. Seriously though, I find in the school system that people are frequently passing the buck to others. For teachers I get it because ultimately all the crap rolls downhill to them so they just don't want to have to deal with more. Administration is always telling them new things they have to do (outside of teaching the kids). To me it is akin to when you work in the hospital and every week you find out you have a new piece of paper or task to do for every patient. By the way, you're legally entitled to breaks at work and if you're not getting them you should discuss this with your supervisor or seek support so you can take at least a short break in the school day. You could probably just close the door to your office for 15 minutes or send out an email to the school staff that says the nurse is not available from x to Y time unless it is an emergency. You can do it! Set some boundaries!
foggnm
219 Posts
Maybe turn the suction down on your pump. Seriously though, I find in the school system that people are frequently passing the buck to others. For teachers I get it because ultimately all the crap rolls downhill to them so they just don't want to have to deal with more. Administration is always telling them new things they have to do (outside of teaching the kids). To me it is akin to when you work in the hospital and every week you find out you have a new piece of paper or task to do for every patient. By the way, you're legally entitled to breaks at work and if you're not getting them you should discuss this with your supervisor or seek support so you can take at least a short break in the school day. You could probably just close the door to your office for 15 minutes or send out an email to the school staff that says the nurse is not available from x to Y time unless it is an emergency. You can do it! Set some boundaries!