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Discussion

Mass Vision Screening

I have 6 schools that I do mass vision screenings for, ranging from my smallest school being about 530 students to my largest school being about 1020 students. I became a school nurse in November, so the past nurse had already done the mass screening for this school year. From what I'm understanding, she just did everyone on picture day, invited the PTA to bring volunteers and then only wrote down the names of those who failed.

I just wanted to know how other school nurses do it. Is there an easier way? Do you print out names before hand and just highlight them as they come through? Do you make tools for covering one eye? Do you call them by class? ect, ect.

There isn't a policy for this other than it's a requirement. How we do it is left up to the nurse.

I want to make this as painless as possible!

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    I print out a class roster or have the teacher bring one and then they hand it to me with the absent crossed out. I put the screening results on that chart and put it in the computer system later. You can do your own short hand in nothing means 20/20 and writing something down means another number. I also had volunteers and they wrote all the numbers down. I rescreened any with concerns (either with symptoms or with fails on the test). I also screened all the very little ones myself but that was a judgement call and what you are familiar with.

    Hope this helps, I am sure that you will get into your own groove-it takes about a year.

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    • Experts

    In Texas we are required to do vision, hearing, acanthosis, and scoliosis screenings. I include the vision/hearing/acanthosis screening info on one sheet of paper that is given to the child by the teacher on screening day. I use 3 oz disposable water cups a occluders; give the kid a cup to cover their eyes and toss it afterward.

    We screen PK, KG, 1, 3, 5, 7 for vision/hearing.

    1, 3, 5, 7 for acanthosis.

    5, and 7 for scoliosis.

    Fortunately, we have a RN on each of our 7 school campuses. We select a screening day for a particular campus and as many of us try to get a sub for that day and knock the initial screenings out in one day for that campus; that campus nurse enters the data and does rescreens at a later date.

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    my school is k-8 - i find its easier to get the 6-8th graders when they are in their PE class. I just coordinate a few dates with them. The k-5 students, i usually just try and find a time to coordinate to pull them out of class.

    One thing I do though is I make a spread sheet the beginning of the year with every student's name broken down by grade. I often get asked to screen students earlier in the year than I am ready to do my screenings, so if I screen a student before my actual period of screenings, I mark them off on the spread sheet so they i'm not doing double screenings on children.

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    • Author

    Thanks for the ideas!

    I know I kind of fumbled the scoliosis screening I did this school year; it went well but just didn't run as smoothly as I had hoped. I just really want things to run more smoothly for the vision since it's all grade levels rather than just 7th and 8th. Even though, now that I think about it, that was about 500 students also. haha That kind of brought it down to perspective!

    I'll obviously be using this summer to devise a plan.

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    i go nice and easy with the scoliosis - wait until spring when the kiddos are in light shirts, line em up in pe class, hand over the spreadsheet to the pe teacher then like a machine: name, stand straight, check, bend, check, next. no shirt removal unless i see something concerning and then that's done later in the privacy of my office.

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