Irresponsible Parents

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I have been a school nurse for the past 6 months, and I have come to find that some parents are so irresponsible and ignorant. :mad: I have students that come to me with fevers 101, and more sometimes feeling really lousy. I call the parents up and there responce is she can stay the day and I'll take care of it when she gets home. Hello! There is still half a day and the student goes home on the school bus. by the time she gets home her temp will be up the roof. Parents response "dont make a panic, she'll be fine, it's happened before" What would you fellow nurses do in a situation like this. This is just and example one one case but I get theses a lot. Possible sprained ankles, stomach virus, etc.

Yesturday was my most frustrating day :banghead::banghead:because I had to deal with more than one case like this.

One mother tells me that her child cried last night for three hours thats why he has a fever today.

Oh yeh the best one I have heard yet was "just let her stay with you all day" I am not a babysitter. Come and get your kid!!!!!!!!!

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Specializes in LDRP/Nursery/Peds/Gyn, school nursing.

Yeah. Kid came in last week on a day that I wasn't at the school-- had a fever of 102. The parents wrote on the emergency card "Don't call unless he's puking". The secretary called the emergency contacts for over 2 hours with no response (hate that caller ID thing!!) By the time dad called back and she FINALLY CONVINCED him to get the kid (who had been sleeping in the HR the whole afternoon), it was 2:45pm. Said "Yeah, he does look kinda bad".

Idiot.

:angryfire

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Specializes in LTC.

I dealing with it right now as I'm typing. Student is on the phone in front of me trying to pursuade mom to pick him up after vomiting and not feeling well. Temp. normal but come on maybe he's really sick ! I tried talking with her so maybe her little boy can convience him.

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Specializes in School Nursing, Ambulatory Care, etc..

I have delt with situation as well. Depending on the parent's response, it can get a little messy. The first time, the kid came off the bus straight to me with a 102.3 temp, I called mom who said "he was fine when I put him on the bus this morning" :icon_roll The other time, the mom gave excuses for four hours until my principle called and told her if she wasn't here in an hour we were calling CPS. Amazing how fast she got here!

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Specializes in School Nursing.
i have delt with situation as well. depending on the parent's response, it can get a little messy. the first time, the kid came off the bus straight to me with a 102.3 temp, i called mom who said "he was fine when i put him on the bus this morning" :icon_roll the other time, the mom gave excuses for four hours until my principle called and told her if she wasn't here in an hour we were calling cps. amazing how fast she got here!
hurray for your principle ! not that often that we get good "back-up" ! :yeah:

praiser :heartbeat

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Why won't the moms come in? is it tennis and lunch or are they at risk of losing their job?

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Specializes in School Nurse, Maternal Newborn.

document.png Re: Irresponsible Parents

Why won't the moms come in? is it tennis and lunch or are they at risk of losing their job?

At my school, all too often I have to consider that the parent MAY lose their job. We have many staff in my building that have never worked in the private sector. Because they have been able to just pick up the phone and call in sick, or whatever, they don't understand that this can be the difference between paying the rent and possible eviction for some of our families. I DO have some that seem to be able to get transportation for anything when they want to, but suddenly have none when it is time to retrieve an unmistakeably sick child. Because of BOTH the above issues, I don't easily come to the conclusion that a child must go home.

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I don't usually send kids home unless they are puking or have a fever and of course unless they have some injury that needs to evaluated by an MD.

I am a working mother of 4 kids. If the school calls me and tells me that my child has a fever I am out the door in 5 minutes to pick him/her up. I have mothers tell me that they cant come in because they have a little baby at home. SO! bundle him up and put him in the car OR have a neighbor watch him while you go to pick up your other baby. I just dont buy what some of them say to avoid coming in. In our city we are not allowed to administer Tylenol or motrin to the students. If that were the case then I would not be so hard on the parents.

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Specializes in Renal, Orthopedic, and School.

Question? - Do you not have a Student Handbook that the parents have to sign? I quote from my districts "...exhibiting vomiting, diarrhea, or fever greater than 100 degrees F..." This says that the child must leave the campus. I remind the parent of what they have signed, and if that doesn't work then I remind them that I am required to take this to further administration such as the County Nurse or DHR if this is a constant reoccuring problem.

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No, unfortunately there is no hand book that they have to sign. They should have some common sense though! As per my supervisor If the parents refuse to pick up a child with a fever or one who puking then I should notify them that I am to call paramedics. Maybe that will get them moving.

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