Feeling like I'm doing everything wrong lately

I'm sorry. The worst part about this job is being alone. The second is miscommunication (read: inept) Admin. The 3rd is parents.

It sounds like you got hit with all 3.

Maybe its not the job of being a SN, but where you actually are.

Vent away. No apologies. That's why we are here.

I have no answers for you. Only you can say how bad it is.

*hugs*

In the future.....just bag the belongings of the student with the bed bug, not the entire class to prevent parent chaos. Get really familiar with your states guidelines regarding bed bugs in the school setting. I have mine copied and ready to go when these issues come up.

So glad you came here to vent. I think it's safe to say that we have ALL felt like this, sometimes multiple times a week...or even a day. Take a deep breath. Look at each situation. See what can be done different (if any) next time. Be open, honest and consistent. BE CONFIDENT. If your not feelin it, fake it. Each time you handle a situation, you will learn and it will help you to handle it next time.

Breathe ikirk. It can be lonely. I hope you don't jump ship yet, until you are sure school nursing isn't for you. Huggs to you.

Old Dude hit the nail on the head - if everyone is happy, you are not doing your job!!

I have someone upset with me at least once a week. Our greatest weapon like someone else said is to know your policies and procedures and don't be afraid to hand someone a written copy of them!!

the amount of effort it takes to make everyone happy is huge -the amount of effort it takes to piss everyone off is minimal.

Do what you have to do to do your job well. You are there to serve the children and be their advocate for when they are sick. I believe it was inspiring words by Old Dude when he said that this job is one nurse who is all alone to make all the decisions with an entire school of Monday morning quarterbacks telling you how to do your job.

Don't let them get you down.

exactly! good point. I've noticed that the things that people want to nitpick are the little things like, well, nits. People usually don't question my judgement during something big like a seizure or a kid that's climbing the walls with pain due to a fracture. At the end of the day, our esteemed colleagues are generally worried about covering their own behinds and making themselves look good more than they are worried about caring for the students - despite what they may say.

I'm sorry, my cynicism is leaking out again...

Oh yea, another thing kirk...keep in mind...guess who's gonna be the most popular person on campus when a kid is flopping around in the library in the throes of a seizure? No one is gonna remember if you called a parent about bedbugs then. You're gonna be their best friend

Pseudo or otherwise... slowly creeps back to watch the fun.

Bed Bugs! Ug, why is pest control a school nurse issue (don't answer that!)..

Bed Bugs! Ug, why is pest control a school nurse issue (don't answer that!)..

For the same reason that social worker, dentist, pharmacist, therapist, doctor, optician, shoe cobbler and fairy godmother are all school nurse issues.

If everyone is happy, then you're not doing your job:cheeky:. Parents will always be unhappy. They'll be unhappy if you called, unhappy if you didn't, unhappy if you sent the kid home, unhappy if you kept the kid at school, unhappy that you used ABx ointment, unhappy that you won't apply essential oils, unhappy that you gave benadryl to a kid in the middle of an allergic reaction, unhappy that you won't just give the unlabeled random pill that they sent in with their little snowflake, unhappy that you advised them to get an xray and it wasn't broken, unhappy that you aren't doing enough, unhappy when their kid gets hurt and doesn't come to the nurse during school and you didn't tell them about this injury that you knew nothing about... Everything that you do or don't do will upset someone; a kid, a teacher, or a parent.

Teachers and admin don't understand what we do, we operate in a world unlike any other in the school system. We are bound by rules that they will never understand. We, not only, must follow school policy, state health dept guidelines, but also act within our scope of practice. Parents don't understand that we must always function within the guiles of the Nurse Practice Act, that we cannot repackage your kid's meds, give a med without an order, or make a diagnosis-teachers do not comprehend this either.

This job is isolating and frustrating, at times infuriating, but we are here for the STUDENTS and to act in their very best interest. We are NOT here to please everybody, we cannot make that our role. However, it is really difficult to feel like no one is on your side and that's where we come in! We are your co-workers, your break room, your nurse's station. We get it, really we do. We've all had moments or days, or weeks, or months... I'm really sorry that it's been so rough, but, hey summer break is on it's way!