Exclusion Guidelines- AHHH

[WyVy]

Alright y'all, let's get to the nitty gritty. What Sx are you excluding?
Direction from our local Health Dept (OH) is to exclude for ANY symptoms, and then goes on to list eeeeverything under the sun. I mean, EVERYTHING. Congestion, runny nose, headache, nausea, fatigue...
So I brought this up to our Health Commissioner during a county wide SN conference call and he didn't even touch base on it. I'm in a PK-1 building that is starting out at 100% 5d/wk, so that applies to pretty much my entire student body on any given day. Between little people's anxiety, allergies, adjusting to waking up early ? I wouldn't have anyone in my building!... but that's a discussion no one is ready for ?

[JenTheSchoolRN, BSN, RN]

1 hour ago, nursetlm said:

Are you Covering both rooms? I am. Going to interesting. 

Nope. My let me hire an LPN. She will mostly be in charge of that space (it is her office as well). She is an awesome well versed LPN with pediatric and current long-term care experience, having worked with COVID patients throughout the pandemic. I love her. I'm so lucky there. 

But as @ruby_jane says, my medical waiting room/isolation space is just a possible COVID zone and I'm honest with that fact with parents. Every kids in it will be social distanced and in surgical masks and I'll be encouraging pick-up ASAP.

But I've been saying a lot lately: school is not and never was a zero risk zone. I can't make it one. I can just create feasible protocols to decrease risk. But to be honest? I'm finding it is way harder with adults vs kids right now.

[ruby_jane, BSN, RN]

On 9/4/2020 at 5:21 PM, JenTheSchoolRN said:

But I've been saying a lot lately: school is not and never was a zero risk zone. I can't make it one. I can just create feasible protocols to decrease risk. But to be honest? I'm finding it is way harder with adults vs kids right now.

You preached a word there, friend.

[BooBooCrew, BSN, RN]

On 8/24/2020 at 5:38 PM, k1p1ssk said:

 "If they opt to test, and it is positive, of course the student quarantines for at least 14 days and everyone in the class must be notified and also quarantine at home. It is recommended they wait I believe 5-7 days from the day the initial symptomatic student was sent home/first reported absent."

So my question is, what happens to you the nurse? If the whole class has to quarantine after being exposed, would you not have to too if you spent more than 15 min caring for the student?

[k1p1ssk, BSN, RN]

23 hours ago, BooBooCrew said:

So my question is, what happens to you the nurse? If the whole class has to quarantine after being exposed, would you not have to too if you spent more than 15 min caring for the student?

We fall under the Health Care Providers mandates from Massachusetts DPH, so if we are asymptomatic, we are OK to work. 

[ruby_jane, BSN, RN]

23 hours ago, BooBooCrew said:

So my question is, what happens to you the nurse? If the whole class has to quarantine after being exposed, would you not have to too if you spent more than 15 min caring for the student?

It is my hope that my PPE will hold and the exposure will be mitigated. But yeah, we're mandated workers. So if we're asymptomatic....I still hope that my PPE will hold!

[CanIcallmymom, BSN, RN]

Are your schools allowing alternative diagnosis for return from a doctor? Doctors in my area are refusing tests and sending kids back to school with run of the mill issues. Our area's health department says they can return with alternative dx but said "if they say viral illness, this does not qualify as return.

[BooBooCrew, BSN, RN]

@ruby_jane @k1p1ssk Interesting! I am in Texas and wonder if we have the same mandate. As you might infer from my questions, we haven't been told anything about anything from our Central Health Services or district leadership. 

Are you both in Massachusetts? And when you say PPE holding are you referring to a mask and shield or what PPE will you be using? Unfortunately, when our district sent out our PPE for nurses they sent it with that for the janitor and classrooms and didn't designate what was supposed to come to me and therefore it is all now gone.  

[JenTheSchoolRN, BSN, RN]

46 minutes ago, BooBooCrew said:

@ruby_jane @k1p1ssk Interesting! I am in Texas and wonder if we have the same mandate. As you might infer from my questions, we haven't been told anything about anything from our Central Health Services or district leadership. 

Are you both in Massachusetts? And when you say PPE holding are you referring to a mask and shield or what PPE will you be using? Unfortunately, when our district sent out our PPE for nurses they sent it with that for the janitor and classrooms and didn't designate what was supposed to come to me and therefore it is all now gone.  

UGH - I am so sorry. I hope they are sending you more.

I'm in MA, and they sent us a pretty detailed chart actually. 

Go here: http://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/on-desktop.html and click on the first two links. Granted, it told them a while to compile it this way, but still seems to be better than some other states I'm finding. 

 

[GdBSN, RN]

54 minutes ago, JenTheSchoolRN said:

Go here: http://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/on-desktop.html and click on the first two links. Granted, it told them a while to compile it this way, but still seems to be better than some other states I'm finding. 

 

Texas sure could learn a lot from this info!

[NutmeggeRN, BSN]

On 9/8/2020 at 3:08 PM, BooBooCrew said:

So my question is, what happens to you the nurse? If the whole class has to quarantine after being exposed, would you not have to too if you spent more than 15 min caring for the student?

If Im assessing, I'm masked, shielded,  have eye protection and gloved and gowned, from a distance.

[ruby_jane, BSN, RN]

22 hours ago, BooBooCrew said:

@ruby_jane @k1p1ssk Interesting! I am in Texas and wonder if we have the same mandate. As you might infer from my questions, we haven't been told anything about anything from our Central Health Services or district leadership. 

Are you both in Massachusetts? And when you say PPE holding are you referring to a mask and shield or what PPE will you be using? Unfortunately, when our district sent out our PPE for nurses they sent it with that for the janitor and classrooms and didn't designate what was supposed to come to me and therefore it is all now gone.  

Up here in North Texas and NO - that is NOT OK.  

Having said it - I've purchased my own surgical masks (remember when those were one use and toss? Wearing the whole day unless it gets wet) and my own N95 masks. And not to be ungrateful but the TEA-purchased shield causes a headache so I bought a different kind. Not that you should have to do such. But you need SOME THINGS. Hang in there.

2 hours ago, NutmeggeRN said:

If Im assessing, I'm masked, shielded,  have eye protection and gloved and gowned, from a distance.

And in thinking about this....my assessments are going to be briefer because we DO NOT diagnose! For years I'd try everything I could to keep a kid in school unless it looked like the flu to me (high temp, the rheumy eyes, cough or stomach troubles). Not this year.

[k1p1ssk, BSN, RN]

On 9/10/2020 at 10:11 AM, CanIcallmymom said:

Are your schools allowing alternative diagnosis for return from a doctor? Doctors in my area are refusing tests and sending kids back to school with run of the mill issues. Our area's health department says they can return with alternative dx but said "if they say viral illness, this does not qualify as return.

We are allowing a letter for return, but only for SPECIFIC diagnosis. "Viral Illness" will not fly. Not one bit.