I just had a high school student come to my office with a sore throat. "I think I might have strep". I ask "What makes you think that? Do you have a family member with strep? Or a significant other with strep?" Nope. "My throat hurts and there's white patches." Symptoms have been going on for 2 days.
I assess. No fever. Tonsils are red and swollen, maybe 2+. I see a large white patch on her right tonsil that looks almost like a throat stone to me. I explain to student that not all white patches mean strep, and not all strep has white patches. I call home, explain what I am seeing to mom. Mom says, sure, medicate student, does she want to go home? I ask student, she says no- I'm good to stay. I'm fine with student staying or going home. She's afebrile, I don't send every sore throat home unless they really feel or look rotten, or they have a fever.
Twenty minutes later, student returns to my office with her jacket and backpack. "I have showed my throat to all of my teachers and they think I should get it checked out."
I have no problem with the student wanting to go home- I would have dismissed her after the first conversation with mom had that been the decision that mom and her and I made.
I would like to thank the student for showing her sore throat to her teachers. I also SO appreciate the teachers advising this student on the treatment of her sore throat, especially AFTER I evaluated it and made a clinical decision with mom and student's input.
I called dad (he was home, mom was at work) and sent student home. Sigh.
And... STOP SENDING ME YOUR STUDENTS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING LUNCH because they are complaining of a stomach ache.
Yes please! Especially if they go from lunch to recess...you know if I went and hung upside down on the monkey bars right after eating lunch I would most likely be vomiting too! (yes this has happened here and yes after the clean up and assuring the teacher it was ok for them to stay at school, I shut my door and the secretary and I laughed until tears just about ran down our legs!! )
I always want to respond to this comment like this:
"Fine, if you are with them all day and you think your feeling is better than my actual assessment, don't send your kids to me. You have a phone in your room, call mom yourself."
Some of my teachers may do that. They know everything, dontcha know?
Yes please! Especially if they go from lunch to recess...you know if I went and hung upside down on the monkey bars right after eating lunch I would most likely be vomiting too! (yes this has happened here and yes after the clean up and assuring the teacher it was ok for them to stay at school, I shut my door and the secretary and I laughed until tears just about ran down our legs!! )
you just can't explain that logic to some people that taco tuesday + spinning from the swings = vomit and that dizzy does not equal sick. To some people puke is puke no matter how small the quantity or the make up (spitting in the trash and calling it a major vomiting episode)
Ahhh, the supposed vomit. Right now, I have 4 trash cans that do not belong to me. All cleaned and sanitized but heck I forget who they belong to. None of them had more that a little "spittle" in them
Good Lord. I feel for school nurses when stuff like that happens. I am so glad I am not one and appreciate the ones that are and have to deal with this crap from teachers.
In the beginning of the school year my son's kindergarten teacher (A brand new teacher to boot), would email me about excessive urination in class. I kept telling her nothing was wrong with him. I got so fed up I finally emailed her back that unless I noticed the problem at home she should ignore it and it will stop. Finally she let me know she caught him playing in the bathroom. She has since never emailed me again and has only mentioned the one time Michael had some questionable pink eye to my mom. I couldn't imagine if she had sent him to a school nurse. (the school doesn't have one as far as I know)
you did the right thing by eventually sending that child home, perhaps she just didn't want to be in school that day in the first place....who knows... but it chaps my bum to think how others (the childs teachers) do not value our professional opinion
It's possible that these teachers didn't really mean to undermine the nurse. It might help to send a student back to class with a note saying they can stay in school or a stamp on their hand like someone already said.
It's possible that these teachers didn't really mean to undermine the nurse. It might help to send a student back to class with a note saying they can stay in school or a stamp on their hand like someone already said.
I agree. I have a space for comments on my nurse passes. I think jotting down a few words reminds the teacher that Yes I have assessed the student and I have come to the conclusion that they can stay in school.
abc123RN
506 Posts
Yes please! Especially if they go from lunch to recess...you know if I went and hung upside down on the monkey bars right after eating lunch I would most likely be vomiting too! (yes this has happened here and yes after the clean up and assuring the teacher it was ok for them to stay at school, I shut my door and the secretary and I laughed until tears just about ran down our legs!! )