I HAVE HAD IT!!!!!!

Keepstanding, ASN, RN · Mar 12, 2009

boy do i understand just how you are feeling! i have the same circumstances in my elem. school. what the #@*% is wrong with parents ? :banghead: i truly feel sorry for the poor kids who's parent have given them the "brush off". hope things will improve for you. and i hope you have a peaceful and restfull spring break ! :yeah:

praiser :heartbeat

Ruthiegal · Mar 12, 2009

I do telephone triage and find that often the parents are more concerned about going to work than the health of their child and how that may impact their schoolmates. I even had one mother who was appalled that a middle school in another community had shut down for 2 days due to the high incidence of flu among the students. She actually said "what are the parents supposed to do about going to work?" I was totally speechless. She was calling to find out if she should send her child to school, she had to go to work..... :smackingf

BabyLady, BSN, RN · Mar 12, 2009

As a child, I was never sent to school vomiting, but I was frequently sent with low-grade fevers.

Try to have some compassion. Calling in with a sick child may seem like a necessity and most days it is...but with employers looking for any reason to get rid of employees, people are afraid they are going to lose their jobs.

I don't think every kid with a sniffle has to stay home, but Junior needs to sit in class with Kleenex and antibacterial solution on his desk.

I think it's very judgmental to say these parents don't care. Not every parent can afford alternative daycare and not every parent has an employer that says, "Oh, that's ok, you stay home and take care of the kid....no problem".

caliotter3 · Mar 12, 2009

Since this seems to be a given for the working environment, you should come up with coping strategies for yourself. If you can't come to terms with the situation, then maybe a job change would be in order. I would find it difficult to put up with what you do on a daily basis. Wish I had something to say to encourage you.

raidermom · Mar 13, 2009

Thank you all for letting me vent yesterday, it just seemed to start off on the wrong foot. I would like to clarify for some, I did not say that Parents don't seem to care because I did not know what I was talking about. Neither set of parents of these two children work. They just do not want them at home to have to take care of.

I do have compassion I was just very frustrated with the situation. I love my job and love all my kids. We are having lots of students out with the flu and flu like virus right now. Our policy says that for a child to come to school they must be fever free without meds for 24 hours. I was a working mom and still am but my children ALWAYS come first! I always made arrangements to have a backup, that is just part of being a responsible parent.

I do not feel like changing jobs is the answer when all I needed was to vent to a group who I felt like would understand what I was feeling. It is a wonderful job and I really enjoy it.

tencat · Mar 13, 2009

Sadly, many parents ARE more concerned about their state-sponsored babysitting (school) being interrupted than by the well-being of the child. If you have a child, you have to take care of said child. And that means taking time off work if necessary to care for a sick kid. I have to do it. I have bills to pay, and I have to take time off without pay at times. It's part of parenting. My kiddos come first.

Purple_Scrubs, BSN, RN · Mar 13, 2009

I feel your pain, raidermom! I think anyone who has worked as a school nurse for any length of time understands. I guess I am not sure why it is ok for other specialties to have their vent threads (like the many ER vent threads), but when a school nurse needs to vent it is recommended that she seek another job??? That is crazy to me! Coming to AN and venting IS an effective coping strategy. It is nice to comiserate with other who are going through the same.

I don't think every kid with "the sniffles" needs to stay home either. What most non-school nurses do not understand is that we have specific criteria for sending kids home, which is based on recommendations from the CDC. I child with a fever over 100.4 NEEDS to be home, as he/she is contagious with who knows what and could end up getting the rest of the class sick, including some kids with chronic diseases who could truly be harmed by this. Not to mention the fact that if they have a fever, they need to be home resting, not trying to keep up with the class which is likely going to make them sicker! Parents need to have made prior arrangements for care of sick children if they work. This is a part of life and if you have kids, you have to deal with it.

It just goes to show that many people really do not understand what we do. That is why we school nurses need to stick together. Thank goodness we have a safe place to do so (or at least we should).

raidermom · Mar 13, 2009

Thank you Purple Scrubs!!! I felt attacked for just needing to talk. I let it out to y'all because the only ones who would understand are those who are in the boat with me. (did that sound right?) I have read other threads from other groups and did not think what I posted came anywhere near what they have said or griped about.

Oh well tomorrow is another day!

Lorie P. · Mar 13, 2009

although i am not a school nurse, it bugs me that parents send sick children to school and that in return makes my child sick! so now i have to take off from work because little joe came to school blowing his germs all over the place, had a temp of 100.8 or > and just happen to sit next to my child and bingo! she comes home starts throwing up, temp 101.2 .

some people just don't get it.

bless you for being an advocate for all those children! hugs to all you school nurses!

NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN · Mar 13, 2009

I had a parent call me today and asked if their child can come to school with a oral temp. of 100F I said no she should stay home. The parent insisted that her child comes to school because the child wants to... I told the parent that she is the parent and need to tell her child to stay home and get better.

BabyLady, BSN, RN · Mar 14, 2009

I was a working mom and still am but my children ALWAYS come first! I always made arrangements to have a backup, that is just part of being a responsible parent..

Careful...if you had a job where they told you if you took one more day off sick with your child, and your child was still a "little" sick, but could actually go to school...and if you needed that job to make sure that food was in your child's mouth, hot water was run, and the rent was paid, you would think differently.

Backup arrangements also usually need to be paid. Not every family, especially single mothers, have the extra money. I know of one student who is a single mother, that has to make out her entire meal plan a week in advance...she even knows how many eggs she'll use, how many slices of bread she needs between breakfast and sandwiches, and she measures milk out to her two children by the cup...if they are still thirsty, they get water.

She has told me that she literally cannot afford to by a single thing that isn't necessary...she doesn't even have cable...she goes to the library to use the internet for school...and her kids ride the bus so she can save gas for the trip.

Some parents have to make choices like that...yes, every good mother would want to stay at home with their child and nurse them back to health...but not everyone has a job that will allow them to stay home until Junior has a full recovery.