fellow school nurses.......... you all know it is a fact that if we had a nickel for everytime someone came into the office with a tummy ache, we could retire right now. right? (pls agree, its been a rough day) 9 am or so,kid presents to office with tummy ache. no temp, no other s/s, so i proceed with usual assessment. we call mom and mom tells him to go to class. so he does. lunchtime he comes back with his lunch, still complaining, said his para sent him up. i was in the process of going to other school for insulin coverage, so i sent him to the office. he ate his lunch and when i got back, i sent him back to class. cpl hrs later, we had a nice black history month presentation. each grade performed something for the entire school, parents etc. anyway i was triaging a student that is complaining of chest pain. (she is 5) his grade goes up to perform, and down he goes....... and proceeds to barf all over the place. staff bring him to my office and we call dad, get him cleaned up etc. all the while they are going on and on about his tummy ache and how he has been to my office twice today. i just want to hide under my desk......... permanently. :) i luv my job!
I recently started subbing for the school nurses. The first day I worked I had a girl with a SA. She had no temp and really didn't seem all that sick. After about 20 min I sent her back to class and she threw up all over the place. The science teacher was not happy with me. OOps. Didn't do much for my confidence as a brand new substitute school nurse.
I have a little guy who has discovered that vomiting is the Golden Ticket, apparently. About 3 weeks ago, he legitimately had a vomiting illness and had to be sent home. Well...I think I've seen him about 10 times since then for more bouts of "vomiting"--you know, the kind nobody sees. Oh, he goes on and on about how sick he is. And the retching sounds that come out of him--ye gods! Only once has anyone actually seen him vomit and that was me--I managed to sneak up behind him when his head was in a bucket. And guess what? No vomit in there!
So, last week I hit my limit with him. This time he managed to cough up some phlegm. "Awwww, poor you! I think you need to lie down!" Within 90 secondds he was asking for crayons and paper. Uh, no, Sick students have to lie down, no books no coloring. About 3 minutes later I hear "sniff, sniff, boo hoo" . I am unmoved. He begged to go back to class--he was missing recess! I had to tell him, no, you threw up. People who throw up cannot go to recess, they have to go lie down for 15 minutes. Oh, the wailing and gnashing of teeth! "Boo hoo hoo, I'm not really sick!" As soon as the clock struck 15 min, i escorted him to his classroom and told his teacher he felt better and she sent him out to recess, laughing and skipping all the way.
And thus ended his terrible "vomiting"...Every time he sees me he says,"I'm not sick anymore!" haha, I bet.
That one is a tough call. If I kept my son home for every time he said his stomach hurt he would have missed a lot of school. I think you were correct I sending him back to class. I've had students throw up after they had been sent back by the nurse. There was nothing to qualify a day at home.
Oh, he goes on and on about how sick he is. And the retching sounds that come out of him--ye gods! Only once has anyone actually seen him vomit and that was me--I managed to sneak up behind him when his head was in a bucket. And guess what? No vomit in there! 
plf2323
13 Posts
I recently started subbing for the school nurses. The first day I worked I had a girl with a SA. She had no temp and really didn't seem all that sick. After about 20 min I sent her back to class and she threw up all over the place. The science teacher was not happy with me. OOps. Didn't do much for my confidence as a brand new substitute school nurse.