BrisketRN

Hello friends—former regular poster turned SAHM here—just saw this story about water beads causing serious injury when ingested & how many ingestions happen at school & I though wowie my old school nurse buddies need this resource! Flyer for Educators There’s more information on http://ThatWaterBeadLady.org

I've had luck by contacting a local allergist (check your students' allergy paperwork). You could also call/email nearby school nurses & ask who they use. If there is a name on the box definitely contact that doctor. Depending on your state there may already be standard standing order paperwork for Epi Pens. Then you can go through epipen4schools.com to get 2 boxes for free. It sometimes takes a few weeks to get them.

I've only called EMS for fainting once because the student was found on the floor (unwitnessed fainting, but hx of fainting) and didn't gain consciousness within a few minutes. Typically I do a once-over for injuries related to the fall, get a set of vitals, do a quick neuro exam, and try to ID the cause (typically they didn't eat yet that day or there was a gross video in science class). If no severe injury, normal vitals, normal neuro then they get a juice box, feet elevated for 20 minutes, a phone call home & back to class.

I like the littles. 1st-5th grade are my favorites. They are little sponges, and I get to come in at an opportune time to teach them how to manage their chronic conditions and stay healthy. The biggest challenge is that it takes them a while to warm up to you.

We do HOTV with our preschoolers and have the teachers practice with them as a playing game in the days before their screenings. We have the letters printed on cards and they pick the card up as it's lit. For hearing exam we "play" the raise your hand with the beep game the day of the screenings. I got to work with an awesome school nurse who has actually made a business out of doing hearing/vision screenings, and she had so many great ideas. For some kids "jump when you hear the beep" or "drop the ball in the bucket when you hear the beep" works best.

This board is the best place to be. I was a relatively new nurse when I started in a school 4 years ago and these folks taught me everything I know!

HAHAHA that'd be a big fat NOPE from me.

You did it @Glitternurse! It is so crazy to look back now and think about August. I feel like we can all tackle anything thrown at us after this chaotic year.

I second this. See if your district/school has any resources for you or check with your state's association of school nurses.

I think in those instances you trust your gut. I ask myself could this person decompensate quickly? How much longer would it take to seek medical attention if they were driven to the hospital vs. if EMS is called? I know at my school our EMS time is 8 minutes, and it takes about 15 minutes to drive to the nearest emergency room. We rarely call EMS for staff. They've typically jumped into someone else's car before EMS would even get here. No point in me calling if the person won't be here anymore.

Ah but don't forget the game changer I threw in a few years ago--oyster crackers.

We're currently looking for my replacement--anyone have some good questions to ask school nurse candidates?

First thing that comes to mind is my favorite story to share with friends from when I worked home health as a new grad. My patient's dog choked on an apple core. I ended up doing the doggy Heimlich and had to do CPR because the dog had no pulse. Actually got the dog back and she was back to normal when I saw her the following week! Didn't chart that one...

We were told to offer guided meditations. If they have a phone on them they can use that and lie down and do a guided meditation or sometimes just allowing them to listen to music can help.

Agreed! My passion is having a roof over my head, food in the fridge, and clothing on my back. Keeps me coming to work day after day.