Frustration with office staff

Published

This Friday I have to take a personal day off because I am involved with the school district's Christmas musical. I notified my nursing supervisor a month ago I needed a sub nurse and unfortunately no one can sub for me. My supervisor may be able to come to my clinic for a bit to cover my scheduled meds but we are not sure. So I asked my office people if they are willing to be trained to pass out medication such as an inhaler while I am gone. Everyone flat out refused because they did not want to sign the form to have their name on it. What's going to happen if a child has an asthma attack?! Even my principal is uncomfortable with entering my office. I understand that someone has to be willing and able to pass out meds but it just feels like I am on my own here. I have only ever taken two days off (mom had surgery and then Christmas show last year) and I come to school sick cause I know I just can't take the day off.

Specializes in Home Health,Dialysis, MDS, School Nurse.

I am lucky in this respect. I have 2 subs that I can call if I need a day off (rarely happens like you said) and if they can't, or I just need to leave a bit early, I have 2 para's and the high school secretary who are trained and licensed med aides. They have even been known to step in and get a student contact lens solution or bandaids while I am at lunch (you know....those emergency situations!) I rarely need them really, but they put this in place before I took over because the previous nurse was only part time (10-2) and they needed them. But it sure comes in handy some times!

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
She was having an asthma attack for 30 minutes and no one helped her??? AYFKM?

I can see you're feeling better.

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I can see you're feeling better.

:bag:

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Just WOW!!!! I guess you will need to clone yourself then. The superintendent needs to just assign someone to this duty if you ask me. What kind of person lets a kid in respiratory distress just sit there???? No nursing license required to call a parent or 911!!!!

EVERYONE is responsible for the safety and welfare of the students in the building (most especially the principal), not just you.

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Specializes in School Nursing.
They actually got in trouble last year because there was a girl in my clinic waiting for me because she was having an asthma attack. I don't get to my school til 9 and she was waiting for about 30 minutes for me. The superintendent was furious about it because every other school in the district has no problems whatsoever with staff helping out. This is a huge safety concern.

The is an administrator issue! The principle needs to ASSIGN 2 people as back up that you can train to administer meds in your absence!

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Specializes in Med-Surg, OB, ICU, Public Health Nursing.
Unacceptable.

If kids have meds that only a nurse can give (ex, Diastat) then a nurse must be provided.

"Regular" meds can be passed by a non licensed person, but they do have to agree/be trained. The Principal must be on board with this. You can't have no back up. It's putting your license and the kids' health in danger.

No one gives a crap about the school nurse until she/he is not there.

In California a law was passed that allowed non-nurses to be trained to give diastat. We fought it as not in the best interest of the kids and another example of giving away a nurse's scope of practice. I understand having school staff filling in, in a pinch. However, I have concerns. In addition it spread to insulin administration. We should be advocating for school nurse substitues instead of "trained" non-nurses/school staff.

Emergency Anti-Seizure Medication Administration - Health Services & School Nursing (CA Dept of Education)

California Supreme Court Ruling Supports Access to Insulin for California Students: American Diabetes Association®

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Specializes in School nursing.
In California a law was passed that allowed non-nurses to be trained to give diastat. We fought it as not in the best interest of the kids and another example of giving away a nurse's scope of practice. I understand having school staff filling in, in a pinch. However, I have concerns. In addition it spread to insulin administration. We should be advocating for school nurse substitues instead of "trained" non-nurses/school staff.

We should also pay school nurse substitutes better. Parts of my state are okay with daily rates, but some areas it is $60/day, equaling less than $10/hour for a sub.

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Specializes in family practice and school nursing.
That is crazy. That is absolutely a litigation nightmare waiting to happen when no one will give an epi pen or an albuterol inhaler/tx because the nurse isn't in the building. This is why I am thankful that I actually have multiple buildings- staff HAS to run the clinic when I am not in their building, and that means office staff. Secretaries, admin assistants and case managers (counselors) are mostly who I have trained. In the past, I had a principal asked to be trained, and last year I had an assistant principal trained, but sadly she resigned. We have to have a minimum of 3 people trained to run the clinic in our schools, with at least 2 diabetes and diastat trained. Clinic trained here means CPR/AED/first aid training, med training. The first aid component covers basic first aid and then anaphylaxis, asthma, seizures, diabetic emergencies. I very rarely get a sub when I do need a day off, and like I said before, I have multiple buildings. My buildings usually get an on call person to call with emergencies in my absence and they have to hold down the fort like they do any other day I'm not in the building.

Wow that is awesome. It would however never fly in my buiding. In NYS only nurses are able to give inhalers or diastat to non self directed students( which most of mine are). The only meds lay people can give are epipens and glucagon if they are trained to do so.

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Wow! With as many hats as you are expected to wear as the school nurse, that's very disheartening that no one would step it up to help you. But I understand your dilemma. In most schools, when you start speaking up, admin sees that as you not embracing their "vision."

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Specializes in Med-surg, school nursing..

That is crazy!!! My school requires that two staff members from EACH grade, both office secretaries, and one essential art instructor be trained in regular and emergency medication administration (even Diastat). 15 people for our school of 500. So if I am out the only time another nurse needs to come is at lunch time for the insulin, and then my awesome office ladies handle all the meds and sick kids for the remainder of the time. And that means field trips are covered, too.

This seems like a huge liability issue that I would think your administrator would not want on their hands. "Oh, your kid is now in a coma from lack of oxygen because the secretary just sat there and watched her as she couldn't breathe, even though an inhaler was 3 feet away..." Pure crap.

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Specializes in med-surg, IMC, school nursing, NICU.
I can see you're feeling better.

Yeah, because she didn't have to wait 30 minutes to be seen by a professional.

This is absurd. I really can't get over how everyone is a medical expert "That kid is sick" "He looks like he has a fever" "Can you check her out, I don't want her throwing up in my class" until it gets down to the nitty gritty. Everyone thinks they can do our jobs until they actually have to attempt a part of it.

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.
I really can't get over how everyone is a medical expert "That kid is sick" "He looks like he has a fever" "Can you check her out, I don't want her throwing up in my class" until it gets down to the nitty gritty. Everyone thinks they can do our jobs until they actually have to attempt a part of it.

You hit the nail squarely on the head.

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