Its sad how some non-medical people can be so Ignorant !

[NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN]

a teacher at my job is concerned about "getting hiv" just because she knows the mother of one of her pre-k students used to be a drug user, she's basically making two assumptions: 1) all drug users have hiv, 2) every child born to a mother with hiv is going to get the virus.

first of all not all drug users are going to get hiv or have hiv. yes they may be at a greater risk, but seriously all drug users have hiv ?

secondly, she's concerned because the student spits alot in her face and she thinks she may get it that way. if she only knew it would take 1 million gallons ( just exaggerating here) of his spit to get her at risk for even getting infected. secondly, all teachers were taught about blood bourne pathogen and they all were taught including this teacher to use standard precautions for all students. so if a student is bleeding or vomited and i'm not their to assist in time, the teacher needs to don gloves and always practice good hygiene. to top everything off, she wanted to know if we could contact the parent to see if she even have been tested or have a dx of hiv. we were like no ! one its none of our concern her son is a student here the mother is not. secondly, there is no indication the child has hiv or it would of been noted in the health record and even if he did have hiv, we would still treat him like every other student by using standard precautions.

just had to vent. i know she can't help it but seriously... you can't assume anything. she got all worked up about hiv just because the kids mother was a previous drug user. so everyone thats had unprotected sex has hiv also ?

[lyndsay1985]

I know sometimes it can be rough but do you think maybe some teaching could have been done in this situation because sometimes people are just outright scared from not knowing. If she is taught differently then maybe she would not have that scared opinion? You could really be a big help to her because you do know the medical side of the situation.

but it is okay to vent your frustrations also

hope everything gets better

[NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN]

She actually did not come to me directly. She went to my my supervisor first, because I was busy taking care of someone at the time. But my supervisor told me everything. My supervisor did do some teaching. This particular women comes to my office almost every day because she thinks a student " has something " I'm constantly teaching her and I never make her feel not welcomed to come to me to ask questions or to check on a student for her. She even admits herself that she can be a worrier. I just hope she doesn't single this kid out " assuming" that he has HIV. I have alot of patience with her, I have to admit that I don't like how much she ASSUMES, its just not right.

[BabyLady, BSN, RN]

I really like where one of my friends, a few years ago, had a son that was a little, well, misbehaving. He was only 5 years old, and a very active boy...Kindergarten was just a huge transition for him. To me, he wasn't any different than most 5 year olds I knew.

After only one month in school, they sent a note home stating that the teacher (who only had a BS in Education), and the Principal (who had a Masters degree in Education and another one in school administration)...needed to have an URGENT meeting with her about her son.

She took her husband with her, and they went on and on about his behavior (and my friend said it was hard not to laugh at some of it...b/c they were so petty about most things he was doing)...but her jaw hit the floor when they told her that they were dismissing her son from school and that he could not return until he had a full psychological evaluation, by not only a child psychologist but a Pediatrician because "they" had "diagnosed" him with ADHD and told her that she needed to get her son some serious help before his life was ruined.

The school board backed up the teacher and the principal on their decision.

My friend and her husband, jerked her son out of the public school system and put him in a local private school...where he has flourished...and she never did take him to a psychologist or put him on any medication.

That is what TRUE ignorance can do if they are in the right positions.

[hpygrl01]

I know a girl whose mom told her not to get up after having sex because this would ensure her having a baby. Why oh why did she actually get pregnant that way after two years of NOTHING????? Sometimes life just ain't fair!

[NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN]

Oh but my favorite is : " Send him/her home they have pink eye ?" Nope, no one can make a dx accept for a doctor or NP, and secondly: Its spring, everyone is bound to get an itchy, red eye at one point or another.

[Rhone]

secondly, she's concerned because the student spits alot in her face and she thinks she may get it that way.

i have to wonder if maybe her motivation for complaining (whether consciously or subconsciously) might be based on the fact that she's regularly being spit in the face at a difficult job that probably doesn't pay much. i've noticed that people will come up with some wacky complaints when they think the real reason they're upset won't get enough of a reaction.

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

Oh but my favorite is : " Send him/her home they have pink eye ?" Nope, no one can make a dx accept for a doctor or NP, and secondly: Its spring, everyone is bound to get an itchy, red eye at one point or another.

I would interpret that as "Your kid's eye is pink, please make sure they don't have conjunctivitis" not "your kid has conjunctivitis."

I know teachers are nor RNs or physicians, but some parents refuse to believe anything could be wrong with their kid. I remember parents from elementary school who sent kids to school with chicken pox because they didn't want them to miss a field trip. When I was in 3rd grade, my mother blew up at a teacher who said I had trouble seeing the board, and recommended an eye exam. My father is severely nearsighted, so it shouldn't have been a surprise.

[Smurfette752, BSN]

To OP, I concur! I an a student nurse, and I am a residential counselor in a group home for HIV+ women. I can't believe the amount of ignorant things I hear when I tell people what I do for work....There is so much known about this disease....I think the world needs better education on the subject....Oh, and I have a client who is HIV+ and ust gave birth to twins.....they are HIV-!!! YAY!

[twistedpupchaser]

I think that some of the prejudice against HIV is an offshoot of puritanical teachings. When HIV first came out you were safe as long as you were not homosexual, then IVDU's started getting it. Many church groups and moralists taught that only "grubs" got the disease. ("Thats ok, I am not a homosexual or druggie, I am safe.") Even now some churches refuse to accept HIV prevention because it goes against doctrine.

While now it is known that anyone is at risk because transmission is better understood, there is still the "I am not one of those" attitudes throughout much of society.

[fuzzywuzzy, CNA]

We had a lady with MRSA in a room across the hall from 2 other old ladies. One day the 2 women started bombarding me with questions about why everyone always put on PPE before entering the room. I said I couldn't tell them why, but they needn't be concerned. Then they asked me very dramatically, "is is because she has HIV?????" Like you have to wear a mask around people with HIV! I thought it was kind of cute. They didn't grow up knowing about AIDS- they were like, 70 when it became a problem.

[lyndsay1985]

yeah, i see what you mean. I know even my own mother's a worrier over everything granted she does have the right to worry she had cancer. But she does nag and nag me about any little thing asking me a whole lot of questions. it gets annoying but on the positive side of it all at least it keeps me on top of my toes to try and answer all of her questions and keeps what i just learned fresh in my head. so idk but yeah i can see how it would be frustrating and i would hate for one of the students to be "singled out' that would be horrible.

hope all goes well

lyndsay