Common Cold

[ruralSchoolRN]

Hi all,

Would like some advise...We are seeing an increase in the "common cold" this last week. No fever, lots of mucus, and scratchy/sore throat...I do not send kids home with any of these symptoms, and teachers and parents are aghast! My instructions...Good hand washing, lots of fluids, and to blow their nose! Thoughts?

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

I sit with the kids and review things they can do to support their body's fight against the cold virus. My party line to teachers is "if parents decide to send the kids in, we don't exclude for cold symptoms." God help us when allergy season starts...

[Farawyn]

I'm using this.

[WineRN]

Jedrnurse;9359511 said:

This is wonderful.

[Windchaser22]

I saw the same afebrile kid 2 times today because she was sneezing. Really??? Um bless you, blow your nose, wash your hands, and drink water. Maybe I should've given her and the teacher saltines.

[peacockblue]

It always impresses me when you guys say you have a choice about sending kids home. By the time mine get to my office, they have already texted the parent and they are coming to get the little darling. And yes, I always recommend the child (high school) stay with a head cold.

[DiplomaNurseRN]

"...I wish I had a magic pill that I could give them, but I don't...."

I wish the pharmaceutical company's would develop a clueless parent pill. We could name it 'T-DAPP' and administer PRN. Big money here people....

[ohiobobcat]

DiplomaNurseRN said:

I wish the pharmaceutical company's would develop a clueless parent pill. We could name it 'T-DAPP' and administer PRN. Big money here people....

Some wouldn't take it though, because T-DAPP looks like a vaccination and they might catch autism from it.

[SaltineQueen]

If parents are aghast that you're not sending their snowflake home for cold symptoms, why are they sending them to school with cold symptoms?

[Amethya]

I had a mom call me because her special snowflake (8th grader mind you, big guy.) is getting sick so much and he's blaming the students, can't I do something about it? Uh.... no? I already sent a letter telling parents to keep the kids with fevers at home and that's all I can do, as well remind students to wash their hands and to cough in their shirts or tissues, I can't do anything else but that. If a kid is coughing around and not covering their mouth, that's all on them. I can't go to every classroom and apprehend every kid for coughing.

[NurseBeans, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

Amethya said:

I can't go to every classroom and apprehend every kid for coughing.

Well, why not?

[MrNurse(x2), ADN]

Amethya said:

I can't go to every classroom and apprehend every kid for coughing.

You could police this while doing your lice hunts. Multitask. So want Davey Do to illustrate this.

[kidzcare]

ohiobobcat said:

Some wouldn't take it though, because T-DAPP looks like a vaccination and they might catch autism from it.

Critical thinking ?