NurseBeans

Consider locking up your toilet paper as well...word has it you can't get a single roll at the Walmart!

These comments used to irritate me until my sister sent me a picture of a flyer from one of her childrens' schools, it basically said they would pay substitutes a little extra to sub for the "health office". Which it is called because they do not have a nurse per school, they have a nurse per district and then just whoever wants to work the health office in the school...she then proceeded to say she might do it...despite the fact that she gets woozy when I mention blood or scabs or vomit. She had no idea she might encounter those things. It really is just that not every school in the country has an "actual" nurse, and people don't realize what we do. Having said that, as a substitute school nurse now, somehow my name made it on to the list of district-wide subs for teachers. The first time I got a call to sub in a classroom I actually said "OMG no, I'm just a nurse! I can't be in a classroom!"

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that you are 1) not a school nurse, 2) not a nurse or healthcare worker of any kind and 3) a parent who has recently been investigated for child abuse? Maybe because of a report by a school nurse? Just a guess. Anyway, no one I know enjoys making calls to CPS. It's a minimum 45 minutes on hold, then a long, boring conversation with an investigator, then paperwork on top of that, all while other students stack up in my office waiting to be seen. Nevertheless, I call whenever I have a "suspicion" or "little feeling in my head" (your words) because that is exactly what my job is. It is my responsibility to "be nosy and help" (your words). If I am correct and you are a parent who is being investigated for suspected abuse, I am sorry you and your child are in that situation. But let's please not suggest the school nurse should be punished/suspended/terminated if they are wrong in reporting SUSPECTED abuse. We call when we suspect abuse. Period. It's the LAW, and it's called mandated reporting.

When I worked elementary I drafted a letter I liked to give out when they do their kindergarten assessments (May and June). It included all the basic information the parents wouldn't necessarily know, like when to keep your kid home, why the nurse may call, what the immunization and physical requirements are, the importance of letting the nurse know about allergies, etc. Often the parents who had used daycare or preschool were very well informed but it seemed like the parents who had kept their kids home from birth to 5 were very much caught off guard by some of the basics (like please don't send your kid in when actively vomiting). Many of the parents didn't even realize there WAS a school nurse. So the letter was a good means of introduction to the nurse and the whole school environment. I mean, I'm pretty sure no one read it but I could always say I had tried to inform.

Until this year they were supposed to keep hoods down at all times here...this year they do not care. Having said that, the older nurse I work with has a conniption every time a kid walks in with a hood up. She feels that it is disrespectful, which I noticed is the feeling among most of the older teachers as well. I get that, but the building is pretty cold. If I really need to assess something that is covered by the hood I ask them to remove it. Never had any resistance. Honestly I don't feel disrespected by a hoodie half as much as I feel disrespected by some of those same older teachers who think all I do is pass out band aids. It's whatever.

That orange spray we used to use in the hospital...think it's called Citrus II

UGH--artificial nail nurse visits? Unless it's bleeding, and unless you are in fact a nail technician, that needs to stop now. She has had a week to take care of that at home and hasn't--so the visit is nonsense. Put a stop to that. In general, any visit that becomes a daily thing, ask what they do at home or are doing at home for their issue. Frequently the answer is "nothing". So "nothing" is what should be continued. Call home and put a stop to it. In my experience, anything the kids can help themselves to is abused. I keep as much out of their own hands as possible. We do a self-serve band aid, deodorant, pad/tampon station at the front of our office and tell the kids to grab and go. Those get abused a little but I'm never going to tell a kid she can't grab extra pads. Many of them don't have a supply at home. Similarly, although I never tell someone they aren't having a headache or stomachache, I do frequently say "sometimes there's nothing to be done for this". It's the truth. Do you throw tums at every stomachache you have? Or tylenol at every headache you have? Probably not. They shouldn't either. As far as refusing to leave without something, that's a behavioral issue and hopefully you have support from admin...the students should never tell you what you will do for them. I have heard more than once as a student was walking out the door "I HATE her!" Oh well. Still have my job ?‍♀️

This frustrates me...because as much as I understand having to work and not wanting/being able to leave work or take time off work, isn't it one of those things you have to consider before having children? Like, you may have to pick them up at some point...so you may have to make arrangements or hell, even switch jobs to accommodate the kids. I know I have switched jobs, dialed back hours, switched shifts, even changed my nursing specialty because the school is not a daycare. I really think that's the issue at hand, they think the school owes it to them to handle their kids for 6.5 hours.

I am on the East coast so I can't speak to LA, but I can say I had to pay for my own credentialing/certificate. It was through one of our local universities. I also had to pay to take the Praxis because we are on a teacher's contract. Than about a year later they made the 1300 dollar course free online and discontinued the Praxis for nurses requirement. I may have said some bad words when they told me. But yeah, the cost and the pay cut are worth it to me. I spend summers with my kids instead of them sitting in childcare or camps they don't care for.

You know, I had thought this too, and the other nurse I work with said the whole situation is giving her weird vibes. The student has a clotting disorder according to mom, and she told me early on this year that her father had died from a blood clot. She gets anxiety every time she has leg pain because of it. But my admin says she spoke with dad and he is going to be at this meeting tomorrow...maybe it's step dad, maybe the student and mother are big fat liars, maybe something else. But it's all weird and I hope we get to the bottom of it. Either way, she has a diagnosis and I am going forward with a 504 unless mom says otherwise.

2 nurses, 900-1000 students we really are lucky!

Thank you all--I have not been able to speak with parent or doctors yet. Admin had come to me to see what her story was regarding truancy, and all I could say was she has no 504 but she has had this condition and chronic absenteeism since first grade (she is in seventh now). She has skipped around different districts and it looks like she is doing it due to the truancy issues, and I think she hadn't been anywhere long enough to get a 504 started. I just wasn't really sure I could do much in a 504 beyond bathroom access, which admittedly she already has established. Which could also be the reason she has no 504. Lots of unanswered questions with this kid (and parent), I just thought I would get my ducks in a row.

Ok, I have a middle schooler with interstitial cystitis, which I know is rare for the age group but from the looks of it, she has had issues since early childhood and is a chronic truancy problem. I'm sure not all of her absences are due to her medical issues but that's neither here nor there. I was trying to have a discussion with parent about a 504 and besides unquestioned and quick access to a bathroom, I cannot for the life of me imagine what to put on a 504. Anyone have anything to add? I really want to get this kid to attend school more often and my only real tool is the 504.

I don't still have a copy, but from what I can recall, it was pretty much "send child to nurse if any c/o pain or any witnessed fall/bump/impact". Like, be more cautious with this child than the rest. No other restrictions were desired from her physician.

I feel like if you are asked to keep track, then you should absolutely be checking rosters. Otherwise they need to keep you out of it. Best believe it would come back to the person tracking things if something went wrong. I would either start pulling kids or get rid of the responsibility since they aren't allowing you to do what needs to be done.