Entitlement - Are We Making The Problem Worse?

[OyWithThePoodles]

In regards to the sense of entitlement that these kids have nowadays.

*shakes my granny fist*

For example, the kid that came up that hurt his ankle a few days ago, wasn't wearing his splint, played in PE and now it was hurting. He wants an ice pack.

I wanted to say, "No, you did this days ago, YOU did not wear your splint, and YOU decided to play in PE knowing it would make it hurt worse."

But instead I gave him an ice pack. If I don't sometimes the teacher sends them back or I am afraid of the sue happy parents in this world. "Why didn't you give my snowflake an ice pack for their non-existent injury!!!???"

A girl came in and said her hand was on the ground and the basketball hit it. Not jammed the fingers, but rolled over and hit it. She wants an ice pack.

I wanted to say, "No, shake it off, rub some dirt on it."

But instead I gave her an ice pack.

I feel like this is a placebo effect more than anything, and they'll be satisfied with the little bit of ice. But then it makes me wonder why can't we tell these kids, who have NO redness/swelling/bruising, normal ROM, that they will be okay without an icepack? They always refuse amputation when I offer, so....

[OyWithThePoodles, RN]

If you are asking about a FF, just look out into the hallway. :0

The amazing secretaries? Well, it takes awhile to grow a beloved secretary. I am blessed with 5 of them. 4 of them have been here since before I started in this position. The new one is mentored by my bestest secretary, soooo...she is growing quite nicely to fit in with the rest of them. In fact, if there is something that I don't think the newby is quite grasping...I tell the bestest secretary, and she finds a time in their "secretary" chats to address it. They all know that I go by the book and expect them to, also.

In my position, it is absolutely vital, and they are my lifeline. They do a great of job of being me, within their training and capabilities. I am on speed dial if they need me. But, honestly, they don't have to call me or check in very often. We all use Google chat. So, we are all connected that way in an instant if needed. Even though we are in 4 different buildings, depending in the day.

For the most part I love our secretaries. BUT, if I am not in my office it is likely because I am dealing with an important issue, like walking my kid with a 465 glucose (y'all already heard about that one).

I will let them know I am dealing with something and will be out of the office. Hoping they will get the hint. But alas, I always return with 4 or 5 kids sitting need a temp checked, or Band-Aid, or returning a prized ice pack.

Really!? This kid has missed this much instruction time because you couldn't check a temp. But I am expected to run out and answer the phone/door when you are away from your desk?

I really REALLY do love my job, I just have to vent sometimes to people who understand my frustrations.

[Farawyn]

For the most part I love our secretaries. BUT, if I am not in my office it is likely because I am dealing with an important issue, like walking my kid with a 465 glucose (y'all already heard about that one).

I will let them know I am dealing with something and will be out of the office. Hoping they will get the hint. But alas, I always return with 4 or 5 kids sitting need a temp checked, or Band-Aid, or returning a prized ice pack.

Really!? This kid has missed this much instruction time because you couldn't check a temp. But I am expected to run out and answer the phone/door when you are away from your desk?

I really REALLY do love my job, I just have to vent sometimes to people who understand my frustrations.

We gotchu.

I like ice packs, too.

*sucks on an ice cube*

[Nurse Leigh]

For the kids old enough to get embarrassed easily, would baggies like these sway their decision to demand one?

[ATTACH]21501[/ATTACH][ATTACH]21502[/ATTACH][ATTACH]21503[/ATTACH]

The boys might not like sporting Dora or Hello Kitty, and some girls (and boys) may balk at the idea of bugs.

[Farawyn]

Nah... My kids don't get embarrassed about stuff like that.

They'd probably want more, especially the 12th grade boys.

[Kittery]

Ugh, I go through this internal struggle everyday! My kids are pill happy as well, wanting an ibuprofen for every little thing. I HATE that my district allows us to stock and admin OTC meds. I frequently get requests for ibuprofen/Tylenol for headaches that started "one minute ago." [Their words, not mine!] I make these kids wait at least 30 minutes, drink some water, eat a snack, come back if you're not feeling better. Miraculously, half the time their issues resolve themselves.

Somewhere along the way, these kids were taught that anything less than 100% pain-free or less than 100% healthy is unacceptable and that there is ALWAYS an instant fix for everything.

I have a little baby who seems tougher than some of these kids. Makes me wonder if they all start out with decent pain tolerance but then hyper-parenting gets in the way ... I've noticed sometimes my little girl looks to us for our reaction if she has a little bump, and if we smile and say "You're okay!" she's all smiles, too.

[Cattz, ADN]

They'd probably want more, especially the 12th grade boys.

Yess...definitely...YESSSSSSSSSSSS!!

[rbytsdy]

[Farawyn]

She's such a peach.

[Nurse Leigh]

Taking a moment to bask in the sanity of the School Nurse forum after venturing into General Nursing territory and finding scary posters.

Seriously, I have considered looking into school nurse subbing, but you all deal with some serious craziness. But I can also see the lure of it - the great stories and interactions with the students, the pride at seeing them excel and learn.

[SchoolNurseTXstyle]

Ugh, I go through this internal struggle everyday! My kids are pill happy as well, wanting an ibuprofen for every little thing. I HATE that my district allows us to stock and admin OTC meds. I frequently get requests for ibuprofen/Tylenol for headaches that started "one minute ago." [Their words, not mine!] I make these kids wait at least 30 minutes, drink some water, eat a snack, come back if you're not feeling better. Miraculously, half the time their issues resolve themselves.

Somewhere along the way, these kids were taught that anything less than 100% pain-free or less than 100% healthy is unacceptable and that there is ALWAYS an instant fix for everything.

I have a little baby who seems tougher than some of these kids. Makes me wonder if they all start out with decent pain tolerance but then hyper-parenting gets in the way ... I've noticed sometimes my little girl looks to us for our reaction if she has a little bump, and if we smile and say "You're okay!" she's all smiles, too.

I do believe a lot it is hyper parenting and hyper teaching that causes these kiddos to act as they do. My 6 year old was grabbing his stomach a few months ago and I asked him if it hurt. He looks at me and says " I probably just need to poop, I am going to the bathroom now - seriously??"

[Loracs72]

Where I filled in as a school nurse, we used sponges wrapped in a baggie and put them in the freezer. They weren't as messy as ice in a bag. And you don't have to mess with ice and putting it in the baggie, just wet the sponge and it's ready for the next boo boo !

[GdBSN, RN]

Lately, I have often thought these kids don't know how to deal with any adversity in their lives. They think stomach ache / headache means it's an automatic ticket to home...no it is going to happen in life and you have to learn to deal with it. I have stopped giving ice packs for everything, I only give them if there is swelling present. I am lucky that most of my teachers support my decision (I think). My teachers send them to the clinic for assessment just to make sure nothing is wrong.