Maria MA

Yeah, I definitely asked already to be reassigned next year. Just in the past two days I a Having issues with people over stepping me with the student when I send them back to class after evaluating them and assuring they are ok. Then I hear a staff member called the mom to let them know he is ill! And when a student had a fainting spell the other day (due to being hot and dehydrated) I walked into the room and the staff was so dramatic and the student was just laying there embarrassed, completely conscious. The security officer was given her her "professional medical opinion" stating she's, warm claiming blah blah blah.... and I look down at the student she started to smile and we both started laughing. I just felt like that is what she needed because the staff were freaking her out! I evaluated, her asked her how she was doing, and she was like I'm fine. Asked her if she could stand and walk with me to my clinic and the security guard was like "yeah and I'll go with you!" As we are walking to my office I'm trhing to make her feel less embarrassed (get more details when we get to my office) and the security guard starts asking all these medical questions like I trying to one up me. (I guess they could save some money and just have her do my job as well apparently). She had complained to another staff member that I don't act "concerned enough". Like no LADY I know what I am doing and I know the number one rule is to stay calm and not freak the kids out! (Also the student was totally faking)

It only locks on the inside of the bathroom door

I like the private consult with a patient idea! I send out emails too when I'm doing my screenings as a reminder too.

Haha! I actually have been doing that lately! I even made a kid go in there and stay in there until I gave her the all clear to come out so I could tell the person it's occupied. Security and administrator have keys to all the rooms (understandably). Initially security would unlock the door for staff before I got there and after I would leave for the day so the staff could use the bathroom. (And they have a staff bathroom too!) So I asked head of security them know to stop doing it because it makes me uncomfortable because I am responsible for what is in there. (Yes all meds and most supplies are locked up) but the cabinet is old and could be easily broken into. (My controlled meds are in a double locked cabinet that only I have a key too, so that is ok). The sad thing is, the administrator that unlocks it without a care of what I am doing is the supervisor of me for the school (special education department) and lets my companies boss know of any concerns. And asking for supplies is like pulling teeth (the district nurse puts in orders right away and she has to send it To the special education department to approve, then order) so needless to say it's impossble to get anything let alone a bigger/better locked cabinet. I was out of gloves for like 2 1/2 months and had to keep borrowing boxes from staff.

I'm afriad the principal is one of the abusers! I will say the administration has no idea what my job dirties are or anything about healthcare which I blame my company for. But they are scared to loose school contracts.

Agreed!

This is long, so basically I lock my clinic door when I leave, security and admin have a key to my office, they unlock if I run upstairs real quick for a student who most of the time have acute thinks, like a bloody nose. They can't use anything in there because My supplies and medicines are always locked up because it can be a sketchy school I have my personal belongings in there too (not locked up because lack of room) Security stays with the student but they don't need my room. They are 6th 7th and 8th graders so its not like they are children and need assistant, also I don't trust the staff or security (i feel like they have it out for me) If you want to read more about rude people and their smelly bowel movements read Below... but this part is just a summary since it is so long. (sorry for that) From my previous post some of you may know the many issues I face at my middle school.... I want to know what other school health staff do with their clinic when they leave and who has access to it. First let me start out with the location of my clinic. I am located in the busiest, loudest hallway corner, by stairs and the girls restroom is across the hallway. (I do have a private restroom). It is where students line up to go to lunch, and these students are LOUD! My room is not sound proof and it is so hard to get screenings done. (Plus the bathroom in my clinic has a very old rickety fan that is so loud. When you are in the bathroom you can't hear anything, not the bell or a knock) My Clinic is tiny, one cot, two chairs and this old massive wooden desk that takes up so much room. The bathroom door opens and hits the cot, that is how small. (I have tried to rearrange and nothing works). Anyway all that aside some of the teaching staff will use my restroom, however some will use it and blow it up, and it doesn't smell like roses (let me tell you). Some of them come in my bathroom just to defecate in my bathroom instead of the staff bathrooms, but use the other bathrooms to pee. (I think it is so rude) And the fact that I have to sit there with it smelling and the sick kids do to. I usually don't mind but it has become a problem, and there is one female staff member who does it all the time. Of course this is a staff member that is not my boss since I work for a contracted company but is the one that is in charge of me @ the school. I will have my door closed and locked because no one knows or respects the students privacy and just helps their self and walks right in. But she has a key and lets herself in when I am either talking privately to a student or worse trying to do hearing test. And when she sees I am doing the test she doesn't care and goes into the bathroom and turns on the loud fan and smells up the entire office. I have a sign too on my door that says where I am at or what I am doing and still, no respect. Also many times if I run out of the room to help a teacher or make a copy and I come back and security unlocks my room has a student in there for something like a bloody nose. They do this often, and I even complained to security about them unlocking my room because I have medicine and personal belongings. I know it is security and they do stay in there until I come but first of all why do you need to unlock my office? They can go into the bathroom. And above all else I do not trust this school staff at all. They gossip and spread rumors very badly. (Its like high school all over again) and we all know we medical assistants, nurses ect who works in schools don't get to leave our office to make friends. Sorry this is so long. But need advice on privacy, and obviously many other problems.

Our district nurse is actually trying to do as much as possible. She is new and started just a couple months ago. (The nurse before that did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING). The thing that is a problem is that we basically have a road block from administration when communicating things. Since we are contracted it's not like we can go to the board and say "hey this needs to be done". I feel, and maybe I am wrong, the company I work for needs to go to the board and say these need to be in place" and the mailing out letters to parents.... another pain. One because I don't have access to a printer in my office and have to leave my office for long periods of time to print mass letters, then I get to help in printing out labels for the letters and guess who has to hand write 360 envelopes. Me! On top of not having full access to the electrons student record. (They refuse to give me full access other then documenting visits) so if I don't even have that option of printing labels, have no access to other things that would make my job better like call logs or even updating phone numbers! (And the person that is suppose to update the electronic record from the emergency form doesn't). So I did type up a letter last Tuesday for the home room teachers to pass to the students for the flu info. But communications needed to approve of it. And as of today the following Wednesday, the letters still have not been given out. Oh and though this would give you all a laugh, had a teacher send a kid with a bloody nose to me from upstairs. Had Kleenex in their office but told him to just hurry to my office without giving him a Kleenex! So guess who had to clean up bloody hands and face and walk around the school looking for blood spots. How are these teachers even teaching when they lack common sense. Lol. Thank you all for your advice and support! I agree that it is a lot of administration giving us a hard time and my district nurse is trying so hard with what she had. I've also been out of gloves for 3 months because after my nurse submitted the order it has to go to admin for approval who oops seem to have never received it. These people are hot messes I tell you!

Hi all! I am a medical assistant working at a middle school (we work under the district nurse, who is usually at a different location). Our RN is new, young and great to work with. We work for a different company that the school has contacts with. So there are many different opinions on how things should be done. This school is low poverty with low performance scores. In the begging of the year I of course go through the company's orientation. Then when I get to the school they tell me their rules. Like most of us working in school, teachers don't write passes, or try and do our job. Recently I feel like I get no support from staff. Due to the recent flu outbreak being at the highest level and having deaths in Ohio due to the flu. We have had several students testing positive for the flu. Of course parents still send them to school. I had a student with an 104 temp that sat in my one cot dirty room they provide me with for 3 hours because I couldn't get a hold of the Mom. Resulting in me getting a fever and calling of sick for 2 days. (And I'm only offered 5 days PTO! On top of not getting paid for any of the vacation days ie: Christmas and spring break, not to mention I took a huge pay cut with this job, my mistake, I know). So due to flu crisis I have been asking parents to pick up kids who don't feel well who have a low grade fever 99+ as a precaution and advise them to make sure they are fever free for 24 hours before returning to school. Of course I sent this student home, Mom told the recommendations and told her she should not come in the following day. But you guessed it she came in the following day. Temp higher then it was the day before but still in the low grade area. The principal called me to tell me she was at school and put it on me to take care of it. (Which I feel is not appropriate, since I don't make the rules and it's a recommendation) Mom (who tells me she was a nurse) was pissed, told me she is not picking up her kid and I never told her about the recommendation, (which I did and if she is a nurse she claims to be she should probably be aware of this) and I even gave the student a paper with this information about being fever free. She then proceeds to basically tell me how I shouldn't even be working in the school and I have no right to make a diagnosis (which I did not, but we are taking all precautions to not spread illness, specially with the flu outbreak). Basically she made me so upset I started to cry in front of another sick student in my office because she was saying some awful things to me. Which this I can get past. We all have had this moment I'm sure. The thing that makes me so frustrated is that the administration and staff never support me. There is no procedure or policy in place for the school district regarding illness, fevers or outbreak emergencies. I feel the principle should have stepped in or at least help me out. Our district nurse and I have been trying to hard to get communication out to parents and staff with little results. The company that I work for that the school contracts with does not seem to inform the school what my job duties are and go over rules and regulations well and won't say much because they are scared to loose their contact. I've seen several schools board of education have policies for this that parents are made aware of and several principles who step in and help me out. Basically I just want to know what or if your schools that you work for have policies? Does the administration or staff help you our or back you up? Any suggestions? There have been other circumstances I have been in that I do not feel comfortable with and I am just at a loss of what to do. (Yes, I am actively seeking a new job) Also to all the school nurses and health staff that work in schools I applaud you so much!