Follow Up

[DEgalRN]

How and when do you follow up about students who had more serious issues (basically the ones that you want to see evaluated either immediately or relatively soon)?

I figure for younger kids, you probably call the parents?

In a high school setting do you call the parents? Catch the kid and ask? Wait for a note or phone call you know isn't coming? Do you wait until they're back or try and contact if they're still out?

I rarely get an update even when there's something wrong, so I'm trying to figure out the best way to go about getting information on the follow up. When I make the initial contact I always ask parents to let me know the results, and the kids too, but I always have to chase down information.

[Farawyn]

Yes, that's it. I chase it down.

I call the parents and hound them. If I see the kid, I tell them to get on it.

I keep in touch with the gym teachers/coaches. Usually sports starting is a big push to have kids coming back.

[jhlpn]

I call the kids down to my office, then I call parents. I have a running list of parents and kids I keep following up on. Once they resolve the issue I take them off my radar.

[JenTheSchoolRN, BSN, RN]

I call parents. I email parents.

I have also had my 18 year old kiddos pick up the phone and call the doctor's office themselves, making an appointment in the moment. (Kids are so scared to do this - I wonder if it is the texting culture, but that's another thread.)

If is mental health related and immediate, counselor and psychologist get involved and we follow plans depending on the situation.

As for health updates themselves after the fact, I've called. But I do also work with older kids, so the update is best gotten from the kid themselves (what they know) before I follow-up for more information.

I'm finding e-mail is a great thing, though I also kinda hate it since I don't want to talk private health info on e-mail (our server is semi-private). I usually am vague in the follow-up asking for a phone call. (If parents share via email, well, not much I can do there.)

[NutmeggeRN, BSN]

Depends on the kid and the situation. I will follow up with a phone call or email, asking the parent to call me in the AM or on Monday, thereby limiting info out there on cyberspace. As a PP posted, they will share what they will (or not). I also will talk tot he kids as well. (I'm in HS) Sometimes there are way more on task than the parents!

[kidzcare]

Depending on the severity, I may call the parent later that day (if an injury happened early in the school day) or the next morning. Sometimes in lieu of that I will call the student to my office to check in. Really depends on the disposition of the student too. A very shy 11 year old may not feel comfortable being called out of class. Also if the parents may be upset, thinking there was more that the school could have done, then I always call and kill them with kindness so they are more at ease.

(Kids are so scared to do this - I wonder if it is the texting culture, but that's another thread.)

I know it's a whole 'nother subject, but this is something that I insist my own children do. They were nervous at the library to ask the help desk where to find Disney books but now they harass the librarian the whole time we are there. When we went to a pizza buffet last week, my daughter didn't want to ask for a certain type of pizza (they will make whatever you ask for) so I went with her but had her ask. It's a small way to learn to be an advocate for yourself. As a side note: at the same pizza buffet, the young girl working behind the counter commented to me how polite each of my children were when asking for things. I blew up with pride since usually I just see their snickering, snarky sibling fights.

[Farawyn]

I think it's related, kidzcare. I, too, make my kids ask for things, order their own food, pay for things, handle calling the mechanic, etc. They have done as much as possible for themselves since they were little. They have to speak up for themselves, know ho to talk to adults, etc.

I'm not a helicopter parent, can ya guess?

[OldDude]

If it is information I need associated with school attendance or some physical restriction I'm all over em. Otherwise I'm pretty laid back. The fastest feedback I get is if I send a kid out for further evaluation of an injury and there isn't a broken bone; I get that call before they leave the office.

[Farawyn]

Concussion protocol I'm very on top of.

[ohiobobcat]

Sometimes the parents initiate the call to me (see my epi-pen thread). Other times I call, usually the next day. Like Jen-Elizabeth, I work with high school kids, so I often times will check in with the student before I call home.

[Cattz, ADN]

I call the kids down to my office, then I call parents. I have a running list of parents and kids I keep following up on. Once they resolve the issue I take them off my radar.

"Radar". I have one of those too. I bet we all have a "radar". Sometimes it's good and sometimes it's not so good for parents to be on mine.

[bell1962]

I wish I had been better at this with my first daughter. She still needs help and she's an intelligent adult :/ I did better with my next 2

I think it's related, kidzcare. I, too, make my kids ask for things, order their own food, pay for things, handle calling the mechanic, etc. They have done as much as possible for themselves since they were little. They have to speak up for themselves, know ho to talk to adults, etc.

I'm not a helicopter parent, can ya guess?