It’s a Lice Celebration

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Today was a great day! Our medical director annually revises and adds orders as per our nursing team’s suggestions as well as updates to practice. It’s that time of year, today the orders came back and GONE is the NO NIT NO LICE POLICY. It’s been a rough year with teacher vs. nursing relationships and all I can do is just giggle as to the thoughts of when this realization hits the teachers. No more full class checks, no more bus checks, and total nurse discretion IF a live lice case should go home immediately or wait for treatment upon normal dismissal time. I know some parents will not be happy, but the rest of the staff is going to go nuts, maybe except for the custodians.

Any advice from those that transitioned from the outdated, non evidence based practices to those that do follow current evidence based practices? TIA and hi fives all the way around!

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Hallelujah! Congrats. I'm very jealous.

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Specializes in School Nurse.

Liceabration!!! It's the little things that makes a school nurse happy!

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Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.

YAY!

So, when you meet with the teachers, start by saying "I'm going to ask for grace on this." Because 90% will hear you better.

Meet with your principal prior to the all-staff meeting in the summer. Prep yourself by having the written policy in hand and enough copies for everyone to have three! Send a reminder mid-year.

Grit your teeth and silently bless their hearts this next year as they get used to it.

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Specializes in Telemetry, Gastroenterology, School Nrs.

That's awesome, congratulations!! We transitioned several years ago, and while I still have some arguments, for the most part the teachers have given up fighting me ?

In the beginning, I would just simple state our policy, spout out a few facts if I needed to, and didn't back down. "Our policy says..." became a pretty standard response and eventually they just stopped asking!

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Thats great! I wish my district would change our policy. We still exclude for live lice and do head checks if 2+ cases reported.

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Specializes in IMC, school nursing.

My biggest pushback came from a mother who was a school nurse in 2010, she "helped" me with a lice check and was very upset that I did not send the three students I found home. She immediately went behind my back and my principal told her that the CDC and NASN do not endorse exclusion. I realize my situation is Shangri-La compared to yours, but there are educators who believe in lifelong learning. Hope you have a similar experience.

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Specializes in School nurse and geriatrics..

I'm so happy for you.

They will come around.

Slowly but surely.

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