Nurse Pass

mom to many · Jan 10, 2017

I am at a Pre-K - 2nd grade campus. A few years ago I had to start using passes for that same reason, along with them telling their teacher one thing and telling me something totally different. My passes are simple for teachers to fill out. Blanks for time, teacher name, student name, reason for visit. Using passes has really helped cut down on kids deciding to come in on their own. And, it really helps me at the beginning of the year learning new students names and who their teachers are.

OyWithThePoodles, RN · Jan 10, 2017

I have a pass that has Name Date Time

"Please circle one or more of the following as the reason you are sending this student to the office to visit the nurse:

Fever Sore Throat Vomiting Cough Rash Upset Stomach Nose Bleed Injury Insect Bite Pain Other Symptom:_______"

This also comes in handy when I have an influx of kids and cannot remember who came in, I keep the passes and chart according to them. Of course that only helps when the kid puts the right time (first graders putting it's 10:40 when it's actually 8:50) then I have to use my memory.

I will say this, when the kid comes in and just shoves the note in my face I am quick to say "Use your words and tell me what's wrong." And some kids don't come with a note at all.

BeckyESRN · Jan 10, 2017

teachers pay teachers has some really nice Nurse Passes that you can download. Nice simple ones with Name, date, time and a check boxes for common complaints work well for the little guys. I don't use them (because my first principal hated everything I suggested), but a few of my kinder teachers use them on their own and it helps sooooo much! Not only does it eliminate the wandering down to my office, but so often the little guys forget why they came, cannot articulate what's going on, get nervous and clam up, or tell me something different than they told their teacher. I love when I get a note from a teacher with actual info that I need written on it!

I also had a class full of frequent flyers/wanderers last year and the teacher and I came up with a pass. No pass? right back to class. I took office visits from her student from 20+ per day to about 5 per day!

OldDude · Jan 10, 2017

I've generated all kinds of "nurse pass" things over the years but have never been successful in everyone using them. That was very frustrating to me so I don't worry about it anymore. I realized it's not my responsibility to account for all these student's whereabouts on campus. If a teacher sends a student with a note I'll provide the pertinent visit information on that note back to the the teacher. If a student shows up in my clinic without a note my assumption is the teacher isn't that interested, doesn't think they "have time" to write a note, or simply have no idea where the student is; in such cases I send the student out of my clinic without a note if there is no intervention required. If I'm sending the student home I will send them out with a note, with instructions, from me to whoever they came from. If you think I'm old and bitter you're probably right, but it works for me. :)

MrNurse(x2), ADN · Jan 10, 2017

This is becoming a huge problem. We have a free range school. Most classes are not done at a desk or table and groups of students end up in the common areas doing school work. This encourages drop ins and teachers unaware of some students seeing me multiple times a day. We have nurse pass lanyards (with sexist nurse pictures on them) they are supposed to wear, no pass, no visit.

MHDNURSE · Jan 10, 2017

This is becoming a huge problem. We have a free range school. Most classes are not done at a desk or table and groups of students end up in the common areas doing school work. This encourages drop ins and teachers unaware of some students seeing me multiple times a day. We have nurse pass lanyards (with sexist nurse pictures on them) they are supposed to wear, no pass, no visit.

Your school sounds interesting. I would love to hear more about it. Is it private? Alternative?

grammy1 · Jan 10, 2017

We don't see anyone without a pass. Then again, this is a jr. high and they are masters at trying to skip class. Truthfully, I'll never understand the excitement in skipping class to hang out in the bathroom or the clinic, but I digress.

If they don't have a pass, they don't get seen unless it's an emergency and generally the teacher has called us for that.

Farawyn · Jan 10, 2017

Passes are hit or miss. No one checks, no one cares.

Kids are vaping in the 3rd floor boys' bathroom.

Oh well.

cooties_are_real · Jan 10, 2017

I require pass of some sort from the class. I have a paper pass that just has the student's name, time left class, teacher initial, time leaving nurse's office and my initials. Some teachers use it so they can see how long it has taken them to return to class, especially if it is a student known for wondering. I will also accept the pass from the classroom that is on a lanyard. I am at a high school which is 2 stories, so these little darlings can get "lost" sometimes. I also require them to wear their ID's so they can scan into the computer. Granted this is all done and followed in my dream world, so I will let some things slide because they have already been out class for up to 5 min (or more) before getting to my office. I will send them back to the teacher if they are known to stop by after using the restroom.

MrNurse(x2), ADN · Jan 10, 2017

Your school sounds interesting. I would love to hear more about it. Is it private? Alternative?

It is a small private school ~ 125 students K-8. It is modelled after the Ron Clark Academy in Georgia, basically all the best theories from Classical, traditional, Montessori education models. My son would be lost in a traditional school, so it works well for him. Almost all our students go on to public school for high school and excel, being leaders in their classes, the real reason we chose it. They have a mentor program to pair older students with younger and classes interact throughout the day, really eliminating the grade segregation. I wish that all schools could follow this model.

Flare, ASN, BSN · Jan 10, 2017

i was able to implement the no pass back to class rule in a school that was purely MS. But in this school which is pk-8 it's not going to happen. I've tried.