Monday morning urgent care..

[Bevp]

What do you tell your students Who come to see you first thing Monday morning with , " my mom said to come see you because I fell off my bike Saturday afternoon I think my arm is broken" &/or "my mom said to come see you because I didn't feel good this morning and u could give me something". Really?

[mrsjonesRN]

I have had kids with back and neck pain because they were involved in a car wreck over the weekend!! This has happened more than once over my 10 years. Really?????

Now that is just sad! What is wrong with parents nowadays?

[SchoolNurseTXstyle]

My frustration is that the parent never walks the kid down and asks my opinion. No, they send them by bus and then take 4 hours to get here when I tell them they in fact need further evaluation.

[MrNurse(x2), ADN]

Now that is just sad! What is wrong with parents nowadays?

ER deductibles have gone > $100 on most insurance plans, making it expensive to make a wrong decision. I try to err on the side of grace, so I give the benefit that they have been burned one too many times. It is the ones that I say "this needs to be seen" and ignored that make me shake my head. Girl falls at school, wrist swells like a balloon on Thursday, told to have Xray, Monday the parent decides to follow up and amazingly it is broken.

[mrsjonesRN]

ER deductibles have gone > $100 on most insurance plans, making it expensive to make a wrong decision. I try to err on the side of grace, so I give the benefit that they have been burned one too many times. It is the ones that I say "this needs to be seen" and ignored that make me shake my head. Girl falls at school, wrist swells like a balloon on Thursday, told to have Xray, Monday the parent decides to follow up and amazingly it is broken.

I guess if you look at it that way it makes sense because people cant afford a huge bill. My question is, what if the school nurse makes the wrong decision and says something doesn't need to be checked out. Then it ends up being something bad? Can't the parents sue the nurse or is the nurse protected by the school system?

Sorry I don't work in school nursing obviously so I am just trying to gain a different perspective.

[GmaPearl BSN RN]

We do not, Not, NOT diagnose. In some situations I encourage parents to take the child to see the HCP and will even give a time frame e.g. if need for stitches is a possibility or a head bump going South. If a parent asks, "should I take my child to the Dr"?, my response is: they need to call their Dr, explain the situation and let the Dr office make the decision if the child should be seen. Usually giving parents your observations and the facts causes them to make the right decisions, but there are the unfortunate notable exceptions.

[DEgalRN]

I guess if you look at it that way it makes sense because people cant afford a huge bill. My question is, what if the school nurse makes the wrong decision and says something doesn't need to be checked out. Then it ends up being something bad? Can't the parents sue the nurse or is the nurse protected by the school system?

Sorry I don't work in school nursing obviously so I am just trying to gain a different perspective.

I always start off anything I say in response to "should I see a doctor?" with, "I am a nurse, not a doctor, I can't tell you what you have or don't have. If there is something bothering you that's causing pain or discomfort, that's getting worse or staying the same, you should get a further evaluation. I don't have the same tools or training that a doctor's office or walk-in clinic has." Sometimes paraphrased, sometimes exactly like that. Students are confused about the role of a school nurse, and don't always understand what I can and can't do. I'm more lenient about my own care, but I try to be overly cautious with students and probably advise follow up more often then is really needed.

But, yes, parents can and have sued school nurses and school districts. And won. And that's what it's so important to be cautious.

[kidzcare]

I guess if you look at it that way it makes sense because people cant afford a huge bill. My question is, what if the school nurse makes the wrong decision and says something doesn't need to be checked out. Then it ends up being something bad? Can't the parents sue the nurse or is the nurse protected by the school system?

Sorry I don't work in school nursing obviously so I am just trying to gain a different perspective.

Most of us are in a union which would back us up (hopefully).

When I'm sending anyone out and recommending that the student be evaluated by a physician (ER or otherwise) I make sure to document "recommend further evaluation by ER/PCP/urgent care. Parent voices understanding" so that my advice is recorded and if they choose not to have something looked at, I can say that I still recommended it.

[txbootsy]

Immediate call to the mother, so she can reverse her car, and take care of her kid.