No, I'm Not a Beauty Shop!

[mysixlittleones]

I should probably preface this post with some facts.......It was 3pm, I had just about EVERY frequent flyer in my office, I hadn't eaten my lunch yet and I just sat down to eat when in walks one of my frequent flyers with an earring in her hand. She is in 1st grade and says ,"yeah I can't get my earring back in". So I reach in my drawer and pul out an envelope for her to put her earring in and she says ,"no! I want it back in my ear". No please, no manners....so I say no, hunny,i'm a nurse not a beauty shop. Put it in the envelope, your mom can put it in when you get home. I had a kindergarten child in my office with the para for that room and the para looked at me like OMG. So I said to her, "I'm sorry but I will take them out for gym because it is a safety issue and the gym teacher doesn't have time to deal with it but putting them back in? That is NOT a nursing reponsibility and shame on the teacher who sent her to me!" Why do I have to put her earrings back in? Isn't the teacher capable? We have a no earrings in PE policy so my feeling is that if the student cant put in their own earrings then they shouldn't wear them on gym days. Now of course I feel bad......

[Nurse ABC]

Wow-I was a little suprised by this because whenever I've had a student sent down for that reason it's because the teacher and/or student already tried everyone knows the nurse has the rubbing alcohol which makes earring insertion much easier! I never had a problem with it OR a run on students needing help with earrings because I did take that five extra seconds to help.

I completely get that school nurses want/deserve/need more respect for their position but after spending 11 yrs doing this I don't see much change and here's why: we are in a school setting with stable healthy kids for the most part-not a medical setting. We are surrounded by non-medical personnel who only see us doing things they could do themselves. We pass meds, screen kids, do tube feedings, help with diabetics, etc that they can and sometimes are trained to do. If they see a kid with a head injury they do not have to document well. They give them ice and if they keep complaining of pain or act funny they call the parents to pick them up-no big deal. To us we have to document to prove we gave them the best care and that we didn't hurt them further by missing some important sign and not seeking medical attention if that were so in order to keep our license. Teacher don't get that because they don't have to. They don't care if we can read monitors, start IV's, intubate someone, etc to keep someone alive because that kind of stuff doesn't happen in a school unless a paramedic has been called.

I see myself in a school setting as part of a team that is there to keep the school day running smoothly. If that means I am sometimes asked to do non-nursing things I do them. If I'm not busy I don't mind. I'm still getting paid after all. I've been asked to help set up for class parties, count lunch money, answer the phone/door for the secretary, deliver messages to teachers, etc. In return, there are days the teacher/principal/secretary, etc will check head lice for me, call parents, pass out a bandaid, administer medication, etc because I'm too busy or not available. They don't say well that's not my job! If you keep refusing to do things that help others out just because they aren't a part of your job description you will get a label and it will not be one that you like.

All that being said-this is the reason I don't enjoy doing school nursing so much anymore! I want to feel like I'm using my education more and it's really hard to in a school setting so I totally get where you're coming from but what you're seeking you will not find in a school setting.

[Nik3rn]

As a mother of two school age children, I truly feel the earring should have been reinserted.

I allowed my 11 yr old daughter to get her ears pierced, and OMG, we had a terrible time.

I also had my ears pierced about that age, and had to have them re-pierced, b/c the hole closed.

This also happened to my daughter.

The issue is, these children are growing, have super great, healthy, fast DNA, and the holes close rapidly. So the earring needs to be in almost ALL the time.

As they should only be wearing small studs at this age, I'm sure what the risk during PE is that would preclude earrings, tho admittedly, my child got hit during PE and it did hurt. But that was b/c it was a fresh piercing. While the ear is healing, that is an issue. But we all know Olympians compete while wearing earrings! So sports is not the issue.

The issue is that the earrings need to be in place for the healing to occur. The longer they are out, the more traumatic the reinsertion.

I do not consider this any different from my duties as a very busy med surg nurse. I put dentures in, remove them, give oral care, etc. Just this week, I provided a pt. with normal saline and specimen cups so she could remove her contacts before surgery. These are personal hygiene issues, and very much , I feel, my responsibility.

Do I have a million other things to do and tons of charting? YES.

But you do what the "patient" needs at that time, and reinsert the earring. Then move on to what's next. The pt. needed the earring reinserted.

You have a set number of patients that are assigned to you but if a fellow nurse constantly called on you to do their task it would infringe

on your boundaries and inhibit the care YOUR patients receive. The teacher can put the earring in. Let the nurse eat her lunch for once this week.

[Songbird,RN]

I would use that earring oppertunity to make that child feel special and loved! Such a little thing!

[morte, LPN, LVN]

I would use that earring oppertunity to make that child feel special and loved! Such a little thing!

If you are serious???? Boundaries, please!

[mysixlittleones]

Wow! I had no idea this post would get so many replies. Thank you everyone. In hind sight it was technically a small request, but one of frequency and it came at a time where I had just had enough for the day. A PP hit the nail on the head when she said "if the little girl had manners". If this little came in and asked instead of demanded, I would have been happy to help as I do with a lot of other small not in my nursing description tasks. I have to have some boundaries, I found it very disrespectful on the teachers behalf as if HER time was more valuable than mine. I appreciate all the perspectives!

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

for the record, i had a little one come in today with a stray earring right at my busy med time - she was promptly turned away.

[tictac]

I had this happen a couple weeks ago again and thought of this thread. I had the time, so I tried to help her. I did ask if her teacher tried, and she said yes, so I wasn't annoyed at the teacher. Unfortunately, I couldn't get it to go through the back, so it went home in a ziplock.

[ob-rnc]

Remember, it was the straw that broke the camel's back....not the whole bale. It is okay to go above and beyond, but it is also okay to draw boundary lines. The earring may have just been the final straw for that particular day...totally understand.

[CherylRNBSN]

You have a set number of patients that are assigned to you but if a fellow nurse constantly called on you to do their task it would infringe

on your boundaries and inhibit the care YOUR patients receive. The teacher can put the earring in. Let the nurse eat her lunch for once this week.

This happens EVERY DAY. I work on a floor with LPN's who are not allowed to do IV pushes, hang blood, TPN, or start chemo.We each have 6 pts., but I must do those tasks. And the LPNs usu. leave work before I do, as a result.

My girls have some male teachers.

I doubt they would be comfortable inserting ear rings.

[uthscsa2011]

If you are serious???? Boundaries, please!

^^^^ made me laugh out loud.

[Tina, RN]

This happens EVERY DAY. I work on a floor with LPN's who are not allowed to do IV pushes, hang blood, TPN, or start chemo.We each have 6 pts., but I must do those tasks. And the LPNs usu. leave work before I do, as a result.

My girls have some male teachers.

I doubt they would be comfortable inserting ear rings.

But, an LPN may not be able to *legally* do a certain task, and that is fine. The LPN is not simply pushing it off on you to avoid it (hopefully). This is a weird comparison, IMO. I would never expect a teacher to give out my meds. And I would never expect to teach math to a classroom of students (although they'd probably let me if I asked- ha!) It is not illegal for a teacher to insert an earring or untie a knotted shoelace or tape broken eyeglasses together. They just choose not to, because it isn't their "job". And nobody questions it.

And as I sit, getting the knots out of a shoelace, I watch the teachers all file down to the faculty room for lunch. Which I know I will certainly not be able to do, unless I am willing to deal with a million interruptions.IMO, this is in the same vein as your LPNs leaving on time, and you having to stay later.

Both male and female teachers refuse to deal with earrings. Teachers refuse to do a lot of non-education related things. They can do this, and don't experience any backlash. We, however, are the "angels of mercy" and are expected to do anything and everything to make others happy. Even non-nursing things, even if it means no bathroom breaks or lunch breaks for us.

Everyone needs to be flexible at work, clearly. I know I am like Gumby sometimes, I am so flexible! It would just be nice to see some reciprocation. I have been told numerous times at work, "Nobody here can do the things that you do as a nurse." I totally understand that. It's a big responsibility, and I have to take care of the whole school. A teacher has one classroom of students they are responsible for. I just wish that sometimes, they would take the initiative to solve some of these little problems themselves, before automatically saying, "Go to the nurse."

Sorry, another rough week at work.

PS: I, too, have helped little ones with homework while they wait to be picked up. Imagine I sent the child back to the classroom, instead, to ask the teacher that math question?? I'd look like an ogre! No, I am not a "teacher" but I do use common sense. That's all I ask of my coworkers: Common sense.

[nightie-night nurse]

That's all I ask of my coworkers: Common sense.

I said that same thing to my principal last week when I came to her with a concern. Her reply was that it we could give people common sense or figure a way to teach it, we would be millionaires.

Needless to say, that conversation with the principal did not resolve my concern and left me feeling dissatified with my job.