Nurse Pass

[MHDNURSE]

Do your students have to have a "Pass" to come see you? I have only 2 grades and thus far, have never used a pass. I am starting to have kids who say they are going to the bathroom and are coming to see me instead (or on their way back to class) and only after the teacher sends someone to look for them do I realize their teacher has no idea they came to see me. Thinking I will make a pass for each classroom to have. What is your system? I did design a note to send back with the student that tells the teacher what I did, if they are begin dismissed, etc. which they like.

[nursetlm, ADN]

I work with KG and first graders, so they are required to have a pass.

[KKEGS, MSN, RN]

We don't use passes at the elementary school but we do at the middle school. If a kid, who isn't in obvious distress, comes to the health office we send them right back to class to get a pass. Some kids have an open pass and can come whenever (our diabetics mainly) but I tend to think some of those are too freely given. We have A LOT of kids with anxiety issues at the middle school and as someone who also suffers from anxiety I get it but I also feel like sometimes they milk it and use it to avoid the classes they don't like. We have one kid in particular who has an open pass to the health office and his counselor's office but can only "rest" or "take a break" for 15 minutes and then has to go right back to class. There seem to be more and more kids being given open passes to "take a break" this school year. We also have kids with EXTREME behavior problems so I know the whole point of the open pass is to get them the heck out of the classroom rather than making it difficult for all of the other kids to endure their meltdown.

[Nurse_JackieVA, BSN, RN]

We have nurse passes and I try not to see anyone unless they have a pass - emergencies and meds are my exception to the rule.

I keep them incase I don't have time to chart in Health Office right away and I'll often write stuff on them to help me chart later so it's my mini brain for each patient/student.