New school nurse

cowboysandangels, BSN · May 9

Trachs, feeding tubes, catheters, etc. I have it all at my school. I would say the hardest part is not being able to test for things like strep and flu or to get an x ray.

beachynurse, ASN, BSN · May 10

We can have it all as well, however, if they are more profoundly disabled, we have special programs for them, and they will have their own Nurse and clinic assistant. Some students will have their own nurses, others won't and we are responsible for their care.

CareyD · May 15

I love school nursing, the toughest part now is dealing with parents and getting the respect that you deserve from them. The mental health is a big surprise especially in elementary school.

I've never had a student with a trache, I've had gtube kids. The kids and the relationships you build are the best.

jbassLPN, LPN · May 22

I am new to school nursing and I am normally in the high school setting. Elementary takes priority, so when that nurse requests/calls off, I have to go there. Elementary is very challenging for me. The difficult part is when the students SWARM the clinic. Recess, especially outdoor recess, is insane! It is so difficult at the elementary age group to triage and figure out who truly needs care or is urgent when there are multiple kids all at once coming in crying and complaining. They are usually unattended when entering the clinic and with the younger ones, I can't understand what they are saying half of the time to figure out what is wrong and who they are. It is chaos.

Is it just me? Like I said I am NEW to being in a school setting, and I am not typically at the elementary school to get to know the kids better to know who they are or implement any sort of processes there.

lifelearningrn, BSN, RN · May 22

jbassLPN said:

Is it just me? Like I said I am NEW to being in a school setting, and I am not typically at the elementary school to get to know the kids better to know who they are or implement any sort of processes there.

Try and implement a pass system. They have to come with a pass from the teacher that includes the student's name, the teacher's name, and what the complaint is. No pass, back to class (unless a true emergency). If they were able to walk unattended to your office, it's not immediate. NEVER let the teachers just send kids willynilly. If teachers have to actually go out of their way to send the child with a pass, it will cut down on some of the nonsense visits. Recess injuries are usually because their not being monitored correctly.

Sandlest8295 · May 31

Are there traveling options available?

cowboysandangels, BSN · Jun 3

cowboysandangels said:

Trachs, feeding tubes, catheters, etc. I have it all at my school. I would say the hardest part is not being able to test for things like strep and flu or to get an x ray.

Same! I have seen it all here at my school as well. I came from a pediatric hospital and the hardest part was not being able to "fix" it. I would also love to be able to complete a strep or flu test to be sure. Almost everyday I need xray vision!

guest1202005 · Jun 25

CareyD said:

I love school nursing, the toughest part now is dealing with parents and getting the respect that you deserve from them. The mental health is a big surprise especially in elementary school.

I've never had a student with a trache, I've had gtube kids. The kids and the relationships you build are the best.

Are you in a public school setting?

I am an Lpn. I have a second interview on July 11th at a Charter elementary school. I have substituted at elementary, middle and high. But it has been a long time. I may be expecting more pay than they can match. How long have you been a school nurse?

Nurse Trini · Jun 29

I wasn't expecting catheters to be part of my job, but they were clear about it when they interviewed me. It's not that I'd not done them in my previous clinical experience, I just didn't expect it.