I'm baaaack! :)

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Specializes in keeper of tiny humans.

In August I posted about interviewing for a elementary nurse position. Unfortunately I didn't get it then, but that nurse left and the district went crazy asking if I was going to apply. Long story short, I did and got the job! So this week I leave the land of OB/GYN and head off to the littles! But I need some guidance! My kiddos are PreK-1, a school of approx 250. Case load is simple, only one daily med! (Don't know how I got that lucky.)

Basically I'm here for your tips, tricks, and curealls for this age group, oh wise ones. :)

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Congratulations WyVy. With that age group nothing is simple :). Lots of wet pants and skinned knees and belly aches (constipation). When I worked a developmental pre-school many years ago, my favorite piece of health room furniture was a rocking chair.

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I see Pre-K a lot where I work part time. Biggest necessity so far has been a steady supply of clean underwear and bandaids! Congrats and enjoy!

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Specializes in school nursing.

YES to extra undies. But also pants/socks/shoes. Kiddos this age take naps and that's when I see the most wet pants, which tend to leak down to socks and shoes because they were sleeping and didn't notice. I would send a letter home to encourage parents that keeping a whole set of clean clothes at school might be beneficial.

I also see a lot of littles come to me because they are too tired or hungry. There is a lot of teaching going on here about bedtimes, and playing video games too late, and eating a proper breakfast.

OH! and homesickness. I never let them call home just because they miss Mom/Dad/Auntie/Grandma/Grandpa/whoever. They will start coming everyday. I usually tell them "We all miss people when we go to school or work, but that's what makes it so much better when we see them later! And (whoever) will be soooo proud of you when you get home that you stayed at school all day and they'll love to see all the work you did!"

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Specializes in med-surg, IMC, school nursing, NICU.

Congratulations! You've got a crew of super littles waiting for you!

Like PPs have said, lots of spare clothing and comfort for homesickness. This is the first time being away from mom and dad all day for the majority of those kids so you'll get lots of "tummy aches" that are really a longing for parents. When I get a really lonely kiddo, we usually sit at my desk and write a note or e-mail to mom or dad, letting them know all the super fun things we are doing in school and saying how we can't wait to see them after dismissal. That's a HUGE help, the kids love it and it usually helps a lot with the tears.

"Did you eat breakfast?" is a huge question to ask for nearly any complaint. Belly aches, headaches, feeling low-energy. All of these can be remedied with a healthy meal.

That's all I can think of for now but it's a start! Good luck and welcome to the coolest kids on AN.

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Specializes in keeper of tiny humans.

Thanks so far all!! Extra clothes and tons of bandaids, check! This may be a silly question, but do extra clothes fit in the budget or is that supplied by you? Also do you request the clothing items back? I love the idea of writing a note home to family, I'm thinking I'll type up a fill in the blank note, that might it even smoother.

I'm sure you're all in the "describe, describe, describe!" mindset like we were taught in school, but say you have a tiny paper cut that really only requires a bandaid. Do you bother with charting/note home? My question is if it's something the teacher could do in the classroom, what is expected from me? I know CYA (cover your butt!) but I'm hung up on the little things. ;)

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Specializes in school nurse.

If you can do preventative head lice education with the littles, that might help stave off some issues. (I use props.)

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Specializes in keeper of tiny humans.
If you can do preventative head lice education with the littles, that might help stave off some issues. (I use props.)

What would you recommend for props and things? I'm afraid that with that young of age, too much information might be more scary than educational. I have a 6 year old son who I'm very open with regarding health (as we all are as nurse moms/dads) but I think he'd panic if I gave him too much info on critters in his hair.

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Specializes in med-surg, IMC, school nursing, NICU.
This may be a silly question, but do extra clothes fit in the budget or is that supplied by you? Also do you request the clothing items back? I love the idea of writing a note home to family, I'm thinking I'll type up a fill in the blank note, that might it even smoother.

I'm sure you're all in the "describe, describe, describe!" mindset like we were taught in school, but say you have a tiny paper cut that really only requires a bandaid. Do you bother with charting/note home? My question is if it's something the teacher could do in the classroom, what is expected from me? I know CYA (cover your butt!) but I'm hung up on the little things. ;)

1) My clothes are all donated. I send out a blurb in the parent newsletter when I am getting low on something (specific, with sizes and gender) and the parents are usually pretty good about providing what I need. I would be able to take it out of my budget if need be, though.

2) Yes, I request clothing (other than underwear and socks) be laundered and returned. I have a note I send home with every clothing change, it gets stapled to the bag the dirty/wet clothes are in. I don't get everything back, not even close, but most parents are very compliant.

3) I chart every intervention I do, to the best of my ability. There are inevitable visits that don't get entered in the computer (minor things, I always chart the biggies) but for the most part, I document everything that comes through my door. You never know what will come back to haunt you, plus my supervisor gets a report of health office visits and has been using it to lobby for us getting a raise, kind of like "See? See how much they do? Pay them more!"

4) My teachers are usually pretty good about managing small cuts, nosebleeds, etc in class. I gave them all first-aid kits in the beginning of the year. If it's something really silly that they sent to me, I will call down and ask "Do you need more band-aids?" or something, they usually get the hint.

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Specializes in keeper of tiny humans.

What is your opinions on mental health education in this age group? There are some kidshealth.org articles for preK-2nd grade regarding bullying and stress. Would you look to collaborate with the counselor on these topics?

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I used to teach sexual abuse and neglect prevention (recognize, resist, report) to Cub Scouts. The Scouts actually have a really good award-winning curriculum for that. It's suitable for kids aged 6-10, and doesn't make reference to Scouts at all. The only drawback is that all the scenarios are with boys, but you can certainly discuss that.

I'm under no illusions that a school or parents will let you teach it, but I'd like to suggest that you show it to parents and teachers some PTA night -- it's a short video-- so they can see it's not scary and you can address their "we don't want to take away their innocence" fears. I had kids tell me that they helped friends at school get help because of what they learned from me in Scouts.

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Specializes in med-surg, IMC, school nursing, NICU.
What is your opinions on mental health education in this age group? There are some kidshealth.org articles for preK-2nd grade regarding bullying and stress. Would you look to collaborate with the counselor on these topics?

I refer students to our school counselor several times a week for issues with bullying, stress, school avoidance, anxiety, etc. She is wonderful. She and I will sometimes tag-team teach a class about certain topics.

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