How do you tell your MS/HS kids it's only a cold?

[verdeacres]

I was hired mid-October to a small rural school that struggles with attendance issues. It is an economically depressed area that seems to not have a lot parents value school attendance. The kids come to my office and I could put the symptoms on repeat, "sore throat, upset stomach, no fever, headache" (most of them do not know their sinuses are behind their eyes, don't even get me started). They have a cold!!! They expect to go home. The nurse who was there before would send a lot of them home, or they had stock meds that were given out with parental permission. All this has gone away and I am a contract nurse there now. There is OTC medication forms that if meds are brought in and signed by parents that can be given PRN. I find the forms scattered about after I give them to the kids to take home. I call home for the ones that might be strep, or repeat visits, etc.

Can you give me some magic phrases that would help them suck it up and get back to class...is there such wordage?:)

[JenTheSchoolRN, BSN, RN]

DEgal, it's not that I'm against it. I have migraines, back issues, cramps that are severe, etc, as well as the occasional bad headache, and I am grateful for the Advil/Tylenol order.

It's the kids that come in all the time because it's on file. Stop. Suck it up.

And no, I don't want kids walking around with pills. I know they do, and that can't be helped. I'm not going to go ballistic and start searching back packs. But to encourage kids to carry pills around? No.

Benzo abuse, as well as abuse of ADHD meds is a HUGE issue in my school.

Nope. No pills.

I have students that parents have signed off on OTC meds that visit me 2-3 a week for headaches. And I've followed up: no headache reports at home, no other symptoms but mild headache. Tend to not eat very filling lunches at school, tend to skip breakfast, stay up late doing homework or chatting on Snapchat or playing video games. Yet, mom filled out the form and nothing other than acetaminophen/ibuprofen will work.

And yes, I realize that pain is subjective. And no, I don't want to deny relief to someone in pain. But the school is much different than the hospital, where as someone up thread pointed out, any medication taken in the last few hours is well documented. But these students, when offered other options that might help the issue even better than medication - food, water, short 5 minute break, for example, they just shake their head. "But I need medicine. It is the only thing that works for me."

Okay, kiddo. I keep teaching and trying...

(And yes, no pills in bags! Luckily, if a kid is seen with something like that, kid and bag are sent straight to me. If kid is going to take acetaminophen, well then in my presence and from my stock, I know it is acetaminophen. My state/area has huge prescription drug abuse issues.)

[kidzcare]

I say something along the lines of:

All these symptoms coming together usually means a cold. It's no fun, but it is a part of life. I can let you rest for a few (if they aren't in my office a lot) but then we're gonna get you back to class to muscle through the day. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water- not any liquid, but water, getting plenty of rest, and washing your hands so we avoid spreading germs around the school.

then I make them wash their hands before leaving my office.

[KKEGS, MSN, RN]

I don't think I like the idea of stock meds for the kids outside of Benedryl and Epi in case of allergic reaction.

Just my own preference.

I have some kids who try to take Advil every day just cause they have an order. Kids don't need daily Advil. I usually call the parents if I see the kids coming frequently.

And I'm sorry if I come off as having an attitude, but some kids NEED to suck it up. These are mostly healthy students, not patients.

.

I don't think you have an attitude at all! I feel like I'm pretty strict when it comes to who goes home. I also have a school with a severe attendance issue. Unless you have a fever or vomiting or some other potentially medical emergency you aren't going home. And don't sneak into the main office to call your parents to come get you. (That's also another thread. Drives me bonkers!)

[MrNurse(x2), ADN]

I discourage cough drops and syrup, they really don't work. I give my standard spiel of pushing lots of fluid. We allow water bottles, so that works well. I also pull the unexcused absence on my 3-8th graders. I refrain from Tylenol or Motrin because of masking a fever, which gives them the golden ticket. Most are good with that.

[grammy1]

I also acknowledge their symptoms and that I realize they don't feel well, but add--along with about 150 other kids who also have a cold. Sorry kiddo-back to class. It's an issue between the other nurse and me. They love to go to her because she's "the nice one" and lets them call home for everything. I'm the mean one, sorry kid, I raised 3 boys, I know the tricks of the trade.

[cjcsoon2bnp, MSN, RN, NP]

I'm not a school nurse but I'm going to guess that one-liners such as "Buck up buttercup" and "Have an issue, take a tissue" aren't what the OP is looking for? But in all seriousness, I imagine it must be pretty tough to convince kids nowadays that you can't leave school just because you have the S/S of a URI. I think that for me a little Ibuprofen and a boost of Vitamin C (usually from OJ) can make a huge difference in how productive I can be when fighting a URI but it might not be easy to do that in the school setting.

!Chris

[guest83140]

Hey, that's why they call it the Common Cold, it's common. Now get some water and tissue and stay in class!

[KKEGS, MSN, RN]

DEgal, it's not that I'm against it. I have migraines, back issues, cramps that are severe, etc, as well as the occasional bad headache, and I am grateful for the Advil/Tylenol order.

It's the kids that come in all the time because it's on file. Stop. Suck it up.

And no, I don't want kids walking around with pills. I know they do, and that can't be helped. I'm not going to go ballistic and start searching back packs. But to encourage kids to carry pills around? No.

Benzo abuse, as well as abuse of ADHD meds is a HUGE issue in my school.

Nope. No pills.

We suspended a kid before Christmas break for taking pills in the hallway. Turned out they were just caffeine pills but our district also has a substance abuse problem and we have to be super strict about it. ANY oral medication must be kept in the health office which leaves me with a million individual bottles of Advil but whatever. Luckily right now we have the space. The only meds the kids can carry on their person are inhalers, glucagon for our DM kids and a few carry their own EpiPens.

[Cattz, ADN]

I don't think I like the idea of stock meds for the kids outside of Benedryl and Epi in case of allergic reaction.

Just my own preference.

I have some kids who try to take Advil every day just cause they have an order. Kids don't need daily Advil. I usually call the parents if I see the kids coming frequently.

And I'm sorry if I come off as having an attitude, but some kids NEED to suck it up. These are mostly healthy students, not patients.

SING IT!!! FAR!!! :)

A M.S. student told me yesterday that he was sure that he was going to die because of a stuffy nose. I told him that "no one ever died from a stuffy nose. That's what we have kleexes for. BLOW. YOUR. NOSE. Back to class." (I did call mom and suggest she call the dr. since the kid already took a round of antibiotics over Christmas Break).

Happy Wednesday everyone.