Mainly just a minor vent. I'm all COVID testing, all the time. I built our program from scratch. I'm proud of it. I have opt ins from EVERY SINGLE family - that is huge.
But I'm also just exhausted.
We welcomed back all our students last week. I run about 600 COVID tests weekly. We do an individual PCR baseline on new returning students, then do pooled testing after that on students, individual PCRs for staff. Had a positive pool come back this morning, calling families and re-swabbing to run individual reflex PCRs all before 8 AM. I'm at my desk every morning at 5:45-6 AM.
I am getting a promotion come June with the official title of School Nurse Leader - something so very, very rare in the charter world and I'm excited about the growth and that my school respects and trusts me. But with respect and trust come the texts all the time. And to be honest, the staff needs way more from me than any of the families. The anxiety levels are high.
Luckily next week is our April vacation. And I have never needed it more. I will finally travel slightly on a vacation for me and my husband - both fully vaccinated - and see my family (mom/dad/grandparents now fully vaccinated) that I did not see for any holidays.
God bless ya'll! We've been open for in person learning ALL year with no huge increase in covid numbers- or any shutdowns. We are strict with our distancing, masking etc..... Feel lucky to be in a smaller area.
Jen, no pushback on opting out, but unfortunately nursing was not heard in the district and we did not have a say in the matter. Kinda stupid, but it is what it is I guess. My kids district is doing it, so there is that at least.
You can test positive for three months after COVID and not be contagious. I can barely keep up with the quarantines, isolations, and contact tracing in addition to my regular work. I am exhausted. How could I possibly do this? I am one person with over 600 students. To me this is as useless as taking temps in the morning before entering the building. With the false positive and negatives, and the prolonged positives of up to three months, what are you hoping to achieve? If they had an accurate quick oral test for symptomatic students I would love it. But right now, the tests are wildly inaccurate from what I have seen. Even PCRs are coming back negative and then the student, still sick, goes back and gets retested as positive. I understand how it might have seemed attractive in the beginning. Nurses long for control. This gives the illusion of control. But I can well imagine how burned out you must be. I only hope other schools do not look at this as the next great thing to do. The return on investment is not what you would hope for it to be. You can be negative one day and positive the next. Unless a student is sick- and they need to go home and isolate anyway- what is the point in doing this?
You can test positive for three months after COVID and not be contagious. I can barely keep up with the quarantines, isolations, and contact tracing in addition to my regular work. I am exhausted. How could I possibly do this? I am one person with over 600 students. To me this is as useless as taking temps in the morning before entering the building. With the false positive and negatives, and the prolonged positives of up to three months, what are you hoping to achieve? If they had an accurate quick oral test for symptomatic students I would love it.
They do actually have this - BinaxNOW test. Still a nasal swab, 15 minute rapid test. It is pretty good for those that have symptoms. But not so good for those that do not. In my state, they wanted me to use for reflex testing on a positive pool, but with asymptomatic cases, this test may not catch the positive and I'd have to send out for individual PCRs anyway, so I have chosen to go there first instead. (Families and admin super supportive of my choice there.)
I do have orders to use it on symptomatic students. Haven't yet as I've actually been screening those students out with my daily screener that gets tested to families each morning and referring out for needed testing there.
And the 90 days...yep. I have a running list of students opted out of pooled testing for this specifically. At least now, when they test positive I'm just opting them out of testing for the reminder of the school year.
nursetlm, ADN
171 Posts
God bless ya'll! We've been open for in person learning ALL year with no huge increase in covid numbers- or any shutdowns. We are strict with our distancing, masking etc..... Feel lucky to be in a smaller area.