Lunchtime Fodder for Teachers

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Specializes in School Nursing.

It has come to my attention that I come up regularly at the teacher lunch table each day. It appears that several co-workers don't mind openly bashing me and criticizing me for the medical decisions that I make in my school.

As they say.....Hater's gonna Hate !! Come do my job for one day. You may stop your gossip about me after you've tried it.

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Just be like Taylor Swift and Shake It Off

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Specializes in Med-surg, school nursing..

This doesn't sit well with me.

I would walk up to them one day at lunch and say "Oh, excuse me, just wanted to see what the topic was today. How I thought lice wasn't an epidemic, how I only gave one ice pack for the non-existent injury, or that I all I did was give Saltines to the kid with the mucus-pukes? Just curious on where you got your nursing degree?"

Okay, so maybe I wouldn't actually say it, but I would address it. I don't take lightly to gossip.

We gotchu boo.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

that's just a confirmation you're doing a great job.

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I would give them something to really talk about, like Bonnie Raitt says.

I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be flip. Gossip mostly doesn't bother me, because I know I'm doing my job. They can suck wind. If there was a particular tidbit that I know for sure someone said about me, I would probably throw it back in their face. Loudly. In front of other people. :blink:

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There is something fundamentally ironic about this thread but I just can seems to be able to put my finger on it. I'll have to think on it.

In the mean time, Praised, be a duck. Or learn to grow a thicker skin. No point sweating the small stuff.

Dany

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I had a situation last year with a particularly nasty teacher who had a student whose brother-not her student!!!- was out for an appointment to r/o mumps-Dr. thought it was a complicated strep infection, but wanted to be sure due to the crazy swelling in his neck glands. She comes to my office irate that I'm not telling the whole school that someone has mumps. I told her that student health information is confidential, but if a situation was ever to arise, we do have a protocol to deal with it, right now, nothing needs to be addressed. She e-mailed me an article about the outbreak of measles at disney and a doctor google info page about measles and ends with THEY WERE JUST AT DISNEY LAST WEEK, DO SOMETHING!!! So, at lunch I was informed that she was c/o about me and my "risking everyone's health". I walked in and told her that measles and mumps may be provided in the same immunizations, but one has nothing to do with the other and there were no mumps at Disney. I ended with "you can google that" I'm sure they all hated me, but I don't deal well with you trying to bully me into sharing confidential information, creating an unnecessary panic, and consulting Dr. Google.

It's something, I think, we all deal with at some point. If it's becoming a problem for you -constant questioning your decisions, calling parents when you know it's unnecessary, rude e-mails, frequent visits from kids you've cleared- then I would address it with your supervisor.

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They obviously have nothing interesting going on in their lives if you are all they have to talk about. Plus, they are just petty and ignorant....

Do you want us to come jump them in the parking lot for you??? Give them something better to discuss for tomorrow.

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They obviously have nothing interesting going on in their lives if you are all they have to talk about. Plus, they are just petty and ignorant....

Do you want us to come jump them in the parking lot for you??? Give them something better to discuss for tomorrow.

*puts on my stilettos*

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
*puts on my stilettos*

NOW we're talking!!

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Specializes in School Nurse. Having conversations with littles..

Wow. What this makes my thoughts scream, is this: They DO NOT know how lucky they are to have you in the building everyday. IF they did, they wouldn't be bashing you.

I say this because, when I am just in a building 1 day during most weeks, sometimes 2 days a week. For the most part, they are glad to see me when I am there, and I feel appreciated. Especially, the secretaries, because they can send all the little darlings to me, and they can do (just) their jobs. The teachers, they usually have questions/concerns that have been on their radar, and are glad that they can finally ask me.

Now, I am sure that they don't always agree with everything I do and say. But, I am consistent and stick to the rules. They know what to expect from me. I did get called, in a loving way, "Nurse Ratchet" the other day.

Hang in there and keep doing what you are doing.

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The thing that bothers me is...there are so many of them and only one of us per building.

No one else knows what's up with what we do.

Who are we going to gossip to? We have to come here and share our frustrations and high points of our job because we work alone, and the worst part is we have to do it here... in front of everyone.

I mean, Dang! I would love to sit with you SNs at lunch and get a few things off my chest.

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