It's just anaphylaxis

[it'snotatumor]

I have ONE student's Epi-pen in my office, yet I have around 30 students with life-threatening allergies at my school, and I'm wondering how the rest of you get non-compliant parents to bring in critical medication or even just return paperwork.

[WineRN]

So we are talking about school nurses here right. so go to the local pharmacy buy a vial of epi for $2 and a syringe. Or get a hospital ER, PARR or critical care nurse to bring you one home. You know how to draw up and give an injection . EpiPens are for amateurs. I give flu shots and have to have epi on hand. that's what we do, Cheaper to replace those every season.

But that really isnt the point of the thread. Parent's need to take responsibility for their children instead of pushing it off on the school. I have an emergency pen available to me, but I have TWENTY students with severe food allergies. What if multiple children are exposed to an allergen? And what do the students who don't have epi pens do at home/over the summer/on field trips/at extracurriculars/vacations/ ANY situation where a nurse isn't available.

One of my roles is to teach students how to be independent and responsible for their health and wellness. Relying on me to use my emergency epi, when a student has a prescription for one, goes directly against that.

[WineRN]

I think you are missing a couple key points to school nursing and nursing in general...

If I have no paperwork and no Drs note, I shouldn't be giving anything. I need a full prescription with all 6 rights of administration. I am a nurse, not a prescribing physician. It would be irresponsible of me to somehow obtain Epi and administer it willy-nilly.

If I have a student experiencing anaphylaxis without a documented allergy, I will use a stock EpiPen. I am to provide anything needed for unforeseen emergency situations. (I have a school-wide Doctors order for undocumented allergies and use of EpiPens).

With that being said, if a student has a KNOWN allergy, I fully expect them to have an EpiPen. Half of my job is teaching these children how to care for themselves, as well as educating parents. What would they do if I'm not here? They should always have an EpiPen on them, and if they don't understand that, it is my job as a nurse to educate them the importance.

Also, in school nursing, we may not see a child for several minutes after they've already ingested a known allergen and are experiencing symptoms. I need the fastest option available to care for these kids; a bottle of Epi and a syringe is not ideal. Sometimes I feel like even just taking the little blue tip off the EpiPen is eating up my precious time.

To say EpiPens are for amateurs is naive. Yes, I am a nurse and known how to give injections. But you would be very surprised that even after a 30 minute video, a quiz, and a demonstration to teachers and field trip staff, they are still using it incorrectly. It's not about just stabbing a child. It's about identifying the need for Epi, if the child is to receive benadryl first, what to do after administration, interpreting the Allergy Action Plan correctly, and all that's involved with an allergic reaction. I do not go on field trips, I am not at after school care. I need to ensure that these teachers are ready for anything. It's already hard enough, imagine if I handed them a vial and a syringe!

It's my job to ensure that I have the safest and fastest means of providing them life-saving care. To me, just buying the Epi and a syringe and administering it with no paperwork seems neglectful. There are some students here that would go into cardiac arrest if I gave Epi without checking that their HR is within a range set by a physician. I would never know that if I didn't demand to have the proper paperwork.

Well said! :)