Help me understand school nursing or lack there of. (I'm a LTC nurse)
It is a small Catholic grade school. We have a school nurse from the local school district. She is only there once a month and it isn't to see children but just complete paperwork? I think she goes to all the local Catholic schools in the district.
So, what happens when the children get sick? What should happen?
Right now, only inhalers and epi pens are permitted and in the absence of a RN or LPN, the child is only permitted to administer the medication. It doesn't say anything about insulins (we haven't had diabetic children than needed insulin....we did have a child with a pump a few years back)
So...no more cough drops at all. A letter came home stating that parent can send in 2-3 cough drops that the home room teacher will keep for the child. The child must take them on their own. This will be fazed out because cough drops are used as "crutches". I get the fact that cough drops, even Ludens non menthol, are considered meds...in LTC we need an order for them too.
I guess I have an issue that we really don't have a school nurse. We had a child that had a seizure once. I think they were told "we can't handle him" I'm assuming this is where the parents would need to get a nurse to go to school with the child?
Do you have the secretary call the parents to come in to give cough drops? Tylenol? Tums?
What suggestions do you have for kids with a cough? Sip on water? Cough med at home before school (not really effective)? Keep the kids home for the week or so until the cough subsides?
Petition the school to become the school nurse in exchange for free tuition? :) ....if only this was an option! I have my BSN but no school nurse cert!
I don't carry cough drops. Students can have them in my clinic but parents must provide it. If I started to supply my own cough drops it would be out within 2 days. I tried having mints for kids for stomach aches and too many kids took advantage of it.
I'm a homebody, but when I do go out it's a sports bar thing or somewhere that has food and live music.
My club days are ovah, said the guy at the door not letting me in.
Remember the days when we took showers at 9 PM to get ready for prime time??? Cold beer in hand, rocking out to Bruce or the Eagles....to then go get $2 pitchers of some God Awful beer!!!
Remember the days when we took showers at 9 PM to get ready for prime time??? Cold beer in hand, rocking out to Bruce or the Eagles....to then go get $2 pitchers of some God Awful beer!!!
Yea, I remember going out at 12:30. Now if I'm not in my jammies by 8, I am miffed.
Michelle- Come to Missouri. No certification required, and we have an amazing State School Nurse Consultant. I am the School Nurse that I am because of her. True Story.
Hmmmm. Tempting, but my kids would probably find me Can anyone point me to the laws/ regs for PA?
Hmmmm. Tempting, but my kids would probably find me Can anyone point me to the laws/ regs for PA?
That could be interesting. Living on the state line, I know most things that are regulated in Pa. are lax, but I have heard their nursing board is very strict. I am in the process of getting Pa licensure, the nursing board website looks pretty comprehensive. You can also check out the Pa. school nurse association, they should probably be your first stop.
Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
All joking aside
I will try to answer your question.
I went to private Catholic schools for 12 years and don't believe there was ever a school nurse for sure not in K-8. The principal had a cot in her office and if a student got sick they went there. Often allowed to lie down or a half hour or so and if feeling better sent back to class. If said student had a temp greater than 100 or was vomiting a parent (remember this was in the late 6o's early 70's) usually a SAHM would come and pick the child up. Of course back in those days kids weren't on as many medications as they are today. There is no school nurse at the private school my son attends. His asthma inhaler is kept in the office and if he needs it he goes there or the teacher can send a runner to the office to get t. Thankfully he hasn't needed it in years. I just keep one on-hand as a safety net.
There was a bill in California two or three years ago that would have allowed teachers to be trained to administer Diastat (Premeasured rectal Valium) for a child with a seizure disorder. After all Physicians have been training parents and babysitters to do this for years. This bill was roundly blocked by California nurses association as being unsafe. California does not have a nurse in every public school so in case of a sudden seizure the child might wait as long as 18 to 20 minutes for paramedics to arrive. When in most cases the rectal valium in it's idiot proof dispenser could stop the seizure within a few minutes.
In high school I think we had a nurse who sat in the infirmary and dispensed things like Tylenol, tampax, and a few meds some kids were taking regularly.
Can anyone point me to the laws/ regs for PA?
Farawyn
12,646 Posts
No, but I once are a whole pack of the wild cherry in about 1/2 hour and threw up. It's the caranuba wax, which is the second ingredient. Wax.