TLDR Principal calls 911 for a non-emergent. Doesn't notify nurse or parent of 911 call. Blames nurse for "poor judgement" without actually consulting nurse.
I had a young student visit me earlier in the day complaining of neck pain. Student is well-known for exaggerating injuries/pain/stories/etc. Denies injury of any kind 3 times and denies waking up with neck pain. Student is like "I can't move my neck." Proceeds to demonstrate which ways he can't move his neck with perfect ROM.
OK, ice. Sit for a minute. See how it feels. Temp is great! Kid stopped using ice about 1 minute in. Dismissed back to class.
Student returns two hours later crying that he can't move his neck. Student using neck same as before. Stops crying as soon as I call mom. Mom decides to have someone pick him up since it's almost the end of the day but she'll call me back once she confirms someone can get him. She talks to him real quick to do a verbal assessment (she's also a nurse) - same questions as I had.
Student sits for about 10 minutes asking to go get things. I'm observing the kid, but since he felt well enough to do so and he's not using the ice again- "OK, go and come right back. I'm going to lunch soon, so I'll let mom know if she doesn't call back soon."
Mom calls back as the kid is getting his stuff. I tell mom that I'll be at lunch and if it's okay with her, he can wait in the front office and come back after if he's not picked up by then. Ma's like "sure, I'm good with that. His auntie is like 25 minutes away."
Kid goes to front office with a note saying I'm at lunch and auntie is on her way. Meanwhile, I'm spending my lunch monitoring a student who is wheezing while I eat but she's good and making conversation with me.
The last few minutes of my lunch, the principal comes over the announcements and announces that the front lobby was on lock-down because an ambulance was coming through.
I jump up from my lunch and run to the front office panicking because I have no idea why an ambulance was called. I get there and I'm directed to the student who I had sent up earlier. The principal tells me she called 911 because the student had started crying that he couldn't move his neck, couldn't stand up, and told her his neck was broken. But when I get in there, kid's as calm as a lamb. Student had fallen asleep with neck bent in a strange way.
I start assessing the student. Vitals are excellent. Calm. A/Ox3. Everything is great. Encourage the kid to do a few deep breaths while I go get some more ice and encourage him to re-position. He refused because he was scared it would hurt.
Come back. EMS doing assessment on him. They find absolutely nothing except the model of perfect health. Gain the same information I have. EMS doesn't want to take him. I learn that no one notified mom that EMS was called. I have to call mom and explain that I was not notified either but that EMS doesn't want to take her child. She gives the authorization for me to sign off on no-transport. Principal is hiding outside of room from embarrassment.
I get an email from the principal the next morning complaining about how the "incident was handled" and that I "sent a student with a reported neck injury to the office so could go to lunch." She then had to make the "executive decision to call 911" and is "very concerned with [my] judgement at that time in the case of a possible neck damage report." And then demands a meeting with me on a time she selected.
Thankfully my supervisor is completely on my page and is backing me up. But that was the beginning of my week and I'm livid.
