Privacy in school nurse's office

[realnursealso/LPN]

Need to ask you school nurses if there is any privacy in your office? My grandaughter just started kindergarten last week. She has beautiful long blonde hair that has never been cut in all of her 5 years. Well, I'm sure you guessed it, she got head lice. Last friday she had to be picked up from school. Son, his girlfriend, and grandaughter all live with me. Grandaughter's mom and I proceed to apply lice stuff from the store, pick forever,numerous loads of laundry, you know the drill. Anyhow, brought her to school, Monday, nope, Tuesday, nope, headed straight to Pediatricians office. He prescribed something stronger. By this time I'm at my wits end. So today I went in the school with grandaughter and her mommy, who by the way has done everything known to man to take care of her daughter. We get to the nurses office for GD to be checked, and it's a great big open room, door wide open, people walking by looking in, other children wandering in and out. Meantime my grandaughter is taken to "the Lamp" to be checked, which is in full view of all. Nurse is picking through her hair. I asked the nurse(who I have known for years, former co-worker), no privacy? She says I've worked her 7 years, never any different. Does your office have any privacy? Are school children not entitled to privacy? Please let me know if it is normal. Thanks. Oh and by the way, grandaughter allowed to stay in school today.

[pedi_nurse]

I don't always offer privacy for students... I have too many kids coming in with headaches, stomach aches, sorethroats, etc. that don't really necessitate privacy. However, if a student seems uncomfortable talking in front of others, or I can tell it's a sensitive issue (lice, menstrual cycle, emotional distress, diabetics who don't want to do injections in front of others, etc) I absolutely will send everyone else out the door to wait in the hall. I would NEVER do a lice check in front of another student.

[ContraryMary]

That is absurd. I have a door to my office with a sign that reads "Please do not enter if the nurse has a student in her office. This is a STATE law." The sign was here before me.

[scout mom]

There are 2 schools in my district covering PK-12th grades. My admins are still requiring that I do mass (school wide) screenings for head lice for K-8th. I am doing them 1/2 as often as the previous nurse and this year, I have tried to eliminate screenings for 6-8th grades. My principal insisted that I do them. I have provided admin with current recommendations & have talked until I'm blue in the face. Doesn't matter. Point is, for head checks, no, my poor kids have absolutely NO privacy since their whole class is waiting to be screened and I have all my other visits to deal with. Ridiculous

[EnoughWithTheIce]

There are 2 schools in my district covering PK-12th grades. My admins are still requiring that I do mass (school wide) screenings for head lice for K-8th. I am doing them 1/2 as often as the previous nurse and this year, I have tried to eliminate screenings for 6-8th grades. My principal insisted that I do them. I have provided admin with current recommendations & have talked until I'm blue in the face. Doesn't matter. Point is, for head checks, no, my poor kids have absolutely NO privacy since their whole class is waiting to be screened and I have all my other visits to deal with. Ridiculous

Just an idea!!! Pull 1 head check at a time and tell them it is due to privacy issues. AND........ make that 1 child wait in hallway while you provide privacy to the student(s) you are seeing for actual health related reasons. Triage!! medical issues come first.

When it takes you 4 hours to screen 1 class and it becomes a huge disruption to the teacher, learning, etc. then maybe things will change!