Hilundlass

I am the second nurse in our setting and I follow her lead. We wear bright friendly scrubs. I did 15 years of home health nursing with street clothes and white lab jacket. My jacket was like my armor! My main complaint with scrubs is that our lunch ladies wear them too!! Our health room is inside the main office and we believe it does make us appear more professional to the community and the high school kids. It helps to look the part when explaining to a parent why Susie is not being excused by the nurse for a cold to get out of exams. :) Thankfully the lunchroom is at the far end of campus.

What accreditation should I look for in the online programs? I've seen at least two from universities in my area, and then "less expensive" programs online. I'm looking to do a MSN with education as the focus. I'm curious about programs which do not require a GRE exam or make specific rules about GPA's. Is that a clue they are not accredited? How sticky would the potential employer be about the program I graduated from? I have a BSN already. Thanks.

I've read on the NASN site that the review book will be out June 28th and be available at the conference. Does anyone know if it is possible to reserve a copy in advance?? New Mexico is too far for me to go for a book, and I wonder if there will be extra copies available immediately online? I take my test in July. I'm preparing and forming a study group to start meeting in early June, but the security of having it is really appealing. Hilundlass A Highland Lass at heart. Jamie Fraser is my hero! Thanks D. Gabaldon for your time travelling nurse story.

I'm signed up to take the test this summer and I have made use of my NASN membership to access all the online articles and position papers. Now I just have to stay focused and review small chunks at a time. I'm using flashcards sorted into topic chunks. Any suggestions on which books are best as reference? I have the Selekman book, btw. Also, I heard a rumor that someone is going to publish a study guide this spring? Any truth?? Hilundlass A Highland lass at heart.

Our elementary school uses a simple "healthroom slip" which the nurse requires the teacher to write a basic complaint on. The nurse writes a generic treatment on it (snack, rest, etc) and returns it by way of the student so that the teacher knows how it was handled. No specific health info is written on it, and some teachers staple it into the students homework folder to go home to the parent. This also helps the nurse track where the younger students are coming from, so that they don't just run in to the healthroom from the bus first thing, or from lunch without notifying a teacher. The teachers usually escort the kindergarteners and don't always write a slip. I feel sure that FERPA would apply in which the teacher is only "entitled" to health information as it applies to their capacity to learn in their environment. Not every teacher in the same grade should know if little Johnny has head lice for the third time. Privacy is a big issue and not every teacher understands that working in the school does NOT entitle them to the latest "goings on" in the health room.

When I sub at the elementary school of 1100 students, I see around 50 students a day not counting meds. This school has an assistant also. At the high school of 2300 students, I saw around 25 students and 5 staff members. At the middle school in peak cold/flu season (1800 students) I saw 100 students in one day all by myself. It was an unusual day, and it was also a Monday. Personally I think the age level has alot to do with "needy" frequent flyers. Middle school is definitely the toughest age group I've worked with so far. Katrina

We have a child coming to school with continent stomas and a tube feeding. Thankfully, the school has agreed to hire a one on one nurse because these are stomas, not regular ostomies, which require direct cathing into the umbilicus and tube feedings. I hope your situation turned out the way you wanted it to! Hilundlass

I wear scrubs and a short sleeve or sleeveless white lab jacket over it. Some of the PMD teachers and also the cafeteria staff wear scrubs. I wear my little white vest/jacket to look more "nursey". Katrina

Thanks so much for your specific information on this question. As a sub school nurse I encounter many different opinions on what each nurse deems acceptable for routine procedures and what is "parent's responsibility". For example, I accepted a cardiac event monitor in one nurse's absence for short term use for one student, and that nurse did not think it her responsibility to transmit the events by phone. Another nurse at a high school will not accept prescription pain meds (Lortab, etc) for dispensing, and insists if the child requires it, they should be at home on medical absence. Since I keep hearing that the district leaves many things up to the nurses' judgement, I'm sure you can see how I became confused. I imagine the needs and demands of the health room staff change with each year and each set of students. Thanks again for the info.

I realize that some schools have one nurse per school, and some have one nurse per district. BUT>>> How high tech should the public school health room be and who sets the limits? The nurse? The District? The Parents?? Many of you are seeing insulin pumps, vagal nerve stimulators for seizures , g-tube med administration, external defibrillators, and cardiac event monitoring. What other things do you see that you didnt see a few years ago? IV medications? When the parents start bringing in their own equipment for use at school, who's decision is it to determine when the level of care exceeds the normal standards? Doesnt this make finding a competent substitute nurse even more difficult? PS>>I'm a nurse sub in our district, and am always learning new things at each school.

Thanks for your comments. It really helps. In one school, the parent insisted that the Diastat be given at 5 minutes of ANYtype seizure and that the EMS not be called at all since she could get to the school quickly. She Also provided an oxygen tank and a pulse oximeter to be used for her three year old child who attends a half day special pre-K . The physician had ordered the med to be given only after 15 minutes of a seizure. My thoughts are that if this mom has so many doubts about the fragility of her child's seizure status, and her "orders" conflict with the doc's, then perhaps the MOTHER is not ready for her child to be in a public school setting.

Just curious about the views on administration of Valium rectally for seizures at school. Since I am subbing at different schools and grade levels, I'm finding general consensus that this is NOT a med to be given without some guidelines. Of course, it's given in the school setting at the discretion of the RN, but some nurses I know will not administer it unless EMS is on the way OR they have a doctor's office on the line. Some daycares will not accept the responsibility for administering this medication at all, but would prefer to call EMS for prolonged seizures. What to do when the school district has no policy except "use your own judgement" ? Then, of course, there are the pushy parents who insist on THEIR rules over the doctors. A sticky spot to be sure. Comments?

Hi SC nurse, Welcome to school nursing. I'm guessing by now, you've been baptized by fire! I'm also in SC and am enjoying subbing for now and getting a good look at the various settings and grade levels. Bottom line, there is more than one "right" way to do things to get the kids and the paperwork done. Pick what's best for you, appear open to suggestion, and stick to your guns when you feel strongly about something! I am realizing that language barriers are increasing and are an issue we can't continue to ignore in small town areas especially in elementary schools. But that's another soap box. :Santa2: