Policing Parents and illness

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How do you all handle kids that come down after they told their teacher they "threw up last night?" The teachers constantly send me these kids. I know they want me to call the parents and send the kid home.

I could spend my whole morning policing parents and "vomit."

On the occasions that I do call, the parent almost always denies it or says it was jut a little phlegm.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

In such cases I only consider what happens at school and exclude the subjective history...of course I overlay the frequent fliers versus someone I've seen once or twice the entire school - or never - and make my decision as to whether to call a parent on that data and my assessment. But someone telling me they threw up before school, or last night, or last Saturday doesn't factor into my decision. And no, I'm not concerned about what the staff thinks about it. They're the school teachers - I'm the school nurse. If you keep consistent they'll finally catch on.

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I have a teacher that expects me to play detective EVERY MONDAY morning and call to interrogate parents. I honestly thinks she asks the entire class who threw up over the weekend and then sends me the ones who raise their hands. I told her NO! I would have so many upset parents if I was to call and question their parenting judgement on something like vomiting....the bigger issues, yes, but vomit happens and sometimes it is not even related to a contagious illness.....Don't play this game.

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Sounds like the teacher has a few issues.

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Sounds like the teacher has a few issues.

New Kindergarten teacher and scared to death of germs and illnesses. I think she would wear a hazmat suit if she could get away with it.

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I just do my regular assessment. Like OldDude said, if I've never seen them before or only once or twice, I may give it a little more weight. But, if it didn't happen here, I have no way to assess it, or even know it actually happened! I don't let people dictate who I call (partially because I just hate talking on the phone and I have to do it enough with parents already!). If teachers want to make the nursing judgment to call parents about at home vomiting, then they can go back to nursing school!

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If they look green and say they threw up last night, I call home. If not then back they go. I am not the vomit police! I swear people think I sit here and just wait for someone to come in. Can't you see how busy I am? Do not make more work for me please.

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I always send them back to class unless the child is actively vomiting, vomiting has been witnessed by an adult, is running a temperature or has other S/S. If it's one particular teacher you may need to talk with Administration.

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I do call parents if the child is sure they vomited during the night or that AM. About 80% of the time, the child is telling the truth, and I send them home. We have a 24 hour rule, and I am not willing to break that policy, especially since the stomach virus is going around right now.

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Specializes in IMC, school nursing.
I do call parents if the child is sure they vomited during the night or that AM. About 80% of the time, the child is telling the truth, and I send them home. We have a 24 hour rule, and I am not willing to break that policy, especially since the stomach virus is going around right now.

I would rather send a kid home than have a norovirus go through my kids. Habitual pukers normally get a call to parents for possible GI f/u. We also have a 24 hour rule that I am pretty strict about. Most parents are on board with it, so I don't see much abuse.

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In such cases I only consider what happens at school and exclude the subjective history...of course I overlay the frequent fliers versus someone I've seen once or twice the entire school - or never - and make my decision as to whether to call a parent on that data and my assessment. But someone telling me they threw up before school, or last night, or last Saturday doesn't factor into my decision. And no, I'm not concerned about what the staff thinks about it. They're the school teachers - I'm the school nurse. If you keep consistent they'll finally catch on.

Yes - this is what I do.

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Ugh! The dreaded Norovirus! I have one poor little student who has been sick for 10 days with it! He had to go to the ER for IV hydration. :eek:

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