If your school asked you, would you admin COVID vax on campus

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My admin is throwing this around - trying to become a vax site for our school community. Ultimately, I know it will never happen because things are too disorganized, but my initial response was like... WOW!. Could they add one more thing to my COVID plate LOL. 

Also, I get about 2-4 offers a week to admin COVID vax at pharmacies for $50-$75/hour... so no. I will not do it for free. 

Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

I totally agree -another task and they'd probably expect you'd do it for free.  Show me the money and I'll consider it, but would probably say no.  It's not as easy as give a shot and move on - people getting the shot need to have a 15-30 minute observation period.  This would create a bit of a bottle neck of people waiting, and a social distancing issue.  And if a person has some sort of reaction, then who are they fetching to assess them.  Nope - waaay too many moving parts in this.  

Specializes in School Nursing.

I'd do it! ?

I would consider it but only if extra compensation.  Too many issues may arise that I don't want to be responsible for. 

Now if my district wanted to do something like team up with our Fire DP where there were other medical peeps to help out I'd probably do it - central location, not my campus ? lots of outside help, well organized etc.  

Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

OMG!  lookie what my state is kicking around - answering Biden's call to get all educators vaccinated by the end of the month and looking to school nurses to be utilized in this measure...

You've got to be kidding me...

https://www.nj.com/education/2021/03/vaccine-clinics-at-the-schools-or-using-sick-days-how-nj-teachers-will-get-the-covid-shot.html

My district seems to have been great with vaccinations.  All the nurses were offered it through the Health Dept and had at least one shot before we returned to hybrid in January.  The district teamed up with the Health Dept and local hospital and offered all staff a shot at several dedicated clinics.  We are till all virtual on Wednesdays, so the nurses have been staffing the vaccine clinic at the hospital on Wednesdays.  There was also a Saturday clinic just for school staff.  The nurses that volunteered were paid time and a half.  I love doing the clinics.  I feel less guilty about the months we "worked" from home while teachers were teaching virtually and the over 75 crowd are a real change from my littles. There is plenty of medical back up as it is run through the hospital and we are in a MASH tent right outside the ER.

Specializes in School Nurse. Having conversations with littles..
Specializes in pediatrics, school nursing.

I think I would only do it if they cancelled school for the day for the kids. I have 50 staff members in my building. I could probably do a set up in the gym, maybe have another nurse in the building with me to do the observations, and get 5 staff done at a time, with 10minutes prep in between each group? Do it on a Friday when the kids would only be here for a 1/2 day anyway.... and then the teachers just use the rest of the day as a prep-day/PD day, and then they have the whole weekend to recover if they have a strong immune response...

Specializes in Pediatrics/School Nursing.
39 minutes ago, k1p1ssk said:

I think I would only do it if they cancelled school for the day for the kids. I have 50 staff members in my building. I could probably do a set up in the gym, maybe have another nurse in the building with me to do the observations, and get 5 staff done at a time, with 10minutes prep in between each group? Do it on a Friday when the kids would only be here for a 1/2 day anyway.... and then the teachers just use the rest of the day as a prep-day/PD day, and then they have the whole weekend to recover if they have a strong immune response...

This sounds too good to be true. I wish every staff member could receive it on a Friday to avoid absences the following days. 

I have done it both on days when my district offered to pay me and on days when it was a volunteer basis. 

We partnered with our local health department and it was extremely well organized. There were designated people to check people in/ask pre vaccination questions, others designated to monitor the line, others to direct people to an open vaccination station, more people to check people out, and still more people to monitor people for the 15 minutes of post vaccine observation. 

We have had huge vaccine clinic days- some where we saw hundreds of people and some where we saw over 2,200! It's been awesome. 

I prefer the days I get paid for it but I am also volunteering my time. I want out of this pandemic and I have the skills/license to make that happen by vaccination! 

My mom is a retired nurse and last time it was renewal time in our state she decided to renew even though she has no plans to return to work. She has now volunteered at several local clinics and told me "Maybe this was the reason I kept my license active. At the time, I just felt like I should" 

7 minutes ago, Icepack dealer said:

This sounds too good to be true. I wish every staff member could receive it on a Friday to avoid absences the following days. 

My district converted a day to a remote planning day for the day after 1200 of our staff got vaccinated. I was so glad they did that!

Yes I'd do it in a second if I had support.  My administration has done a good job of supporting me (hiring an aide and getting logistics set up for testing, etc) and I have loved being part of the solutions to keeping kids in school and keeping teachers feeling safe.

 

1 hour ago, kidzcare said:

I have done it both on days when my district offered to pay me and on days when it was a volunteer basis. 

We partnered with our local health department and it was extremely well organized. There were designated people to check people in/ask pre vaccination questions, others designated to monitor the line, others to direct people to an open vaccination station, more people to check people out, and still more people to monitor people for the 15 minutes of post vaccine observation. 

We have had huge vaccine clinic days- some where we saw hundreds of people and some where we saw over 2,200! It's been awesome. 

I prefer the days I get paid for it but I am also volunteering my time. I want out of this pandemic and I have the skills/license to make that happen by vaccination! 

My mom is a retired nurse and last time it was renewal time in our state she decided to renew even though she has no plans to return to work. She has now volunteered at several local clinics and told me "Maybe this was the reason I kept my license active. At the time, I just felt like I should" 

My district converted a day to a remote planning day for the day after 1200 of our staff got vaccinated. I was so glad they did that!

What my administration is discussing is applying to be a vaccination site. So the state/county would give us an allotment of vaccine (and possibly syringes?) and we figure out the rest. Well.... I figure out the rest. 

The state and county in my area have multiple 24/7 free vax sites available. Teachers were in priority group 1B, immediately after healthcare workers and my staff is fully vaxxed except for 5 who need second dose and two who refused. 

 

They want me to do this vax site for the STUDENTS (and maybe parents?). LOL. 

21 hours ago, jnemartin said:

My admin is throwing this around - trying to become a vax site for our school community. Ultimately, I know it will never happen because things are too disorganized, but my initial response was like... WOW!. Could they add one more thing to my COVID plate LOL. 

Also, I get about 2-4 offers a week to admin COVID vax at pharmacies for $50-$75/hour... so no. I will not do it for free. 

What I should have mentioned - a critical piece of info - is that they want me to vax students. 

We don't even have an approved vaccine/dosing for children. 

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