I have two students (both 6th graders) with moderate asthma who carry their inhalers in backpack. Parents cannot get act together, so I don't have med consents. I finally asked students to bring inhalers to front office and explained to them that if they feel wheezy, they need to come to the office.
I have fully explained (multiple times) to parents that their "grace period" is over and that from hence forth, the parents will have to drive to school and administer medication because I don't have a physician's written consent or their written consent.
But what if a student has an asthma attack, the parents are 30 minutes away, and I am left with a very wheezy student and an inhaler in my hand?
Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
I didn't believe it until I saw the report. Parents sent a child to preschool with DiaStat in their backpack. At least it was labeled and they were kind enough to include a copy of the seizure action plan...but never told the nurse or IEP team about it...
Knowing when a child needs an inhaler is a bit different than that child being able to use it properly by himself. I have no doubt that a second grader can recognize and verbalize the need to use an inhaler, but few children that age are able to independently self-administer an inhaler in an effective manner.
I had one little first grader that could have been the poster child for proper inhaler use. She came to my office prior to gym and recess and used text-book technique, even counting seconds on her hand. She taught me a few tricks that I used with other kids. But she was the exception at that age.
Actually my 2nd grader does self-administer his inhaler properly and has now for a couple of years now! He actually taught his babysitter how to use them with his spacers and which ones to use when. So I guess he's the "poster child" of something.
I didn't believe it until I saw the report. Parents sent a child to preschool with DiaStat in their backpack. At least it was labeled and they were kind enough to include a copy of the seizure action plan...but never told the nurse or IEP team about it...
Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
(Because I have no words for this.)
If I didn't see it I wouldn't have believed it. Scarier it wasn't noticed until the 2nd or 3rd day. Nurse had no reason to check but someone in the classroom should have looked in the bag.
I had to go to school the other day to bring a refill for my son. Offered my services as a volunteer to his school nurse to chase down the parents missing not only the paperwork for emergency drugs (albuterol & epi pens) but also the actual medication. At least my state has standing protocols for albuterol & epipens with stock on hand but still...
JustBeachyNurse, LPN
13,957 Posts
I didn't believe it until I saw the report. Parents sent a child to preschool with DiaStat in their backpack. At least it was labeled and they were kind enough to include a copy of the seizure action plan...but never told the nurse or IEP team about it...