abrenrn

Why on earth would anyone check BG on a non-diabetic student who passed out? Especially one who is sitting up and drinking by the time the nurse got there? Hypoglycemia would be on the bottom of any list of what could cause this. In most kids, it's a vaso-vagal response, occassionally a more ominous cause. But, unless the child was secretly injecting himself with insulin, it is not something I would worry too much about. Also, it may be a tiny prick but it is invasive, poses a small risk of infection, so would not do without an order from a licensed provider.

Enough experience so that you feel confident with your assessment and decision making skills - as a school nurse you are usually out there on your own. Some of that has to do with your own sense of independence and confidence - I have met a couple of people who went to school nursing straight out of school, seemed to do OK, but I would not recommend. Also, I don't really think it is necessary to do med surg before pediatrics if you plan on focusing on peds. My first job out of school was pediatric oncology. Good luck.

In NYC there is usually one nurse per school. Depending on circumstances, may have a non-nurse to help out. Also, some schools (with high numbers of kids requiring special services) may have 2 nurses. I was in elementary but now am a supervisor. I was the only one in a large school - paper work often overwhelming - but it was enjoyable. Good luck!

From your screen name and the school nursing open house you mentioned, I assume you are in NYC. Did you go to the open house? I hope so. I'm a NYC school nurse - and I like it a lot. I did have peds experience but many come without and end up loving it. As one person said, you will end up with a lot of paper work. We do not do hearing screens here (there is a vision hearing team that does). The pay is not what you will make in a hospital but it's not as bad as some other places. Even if you did not go to the open house, there are still positions, so send in a resume. Good luck!!

With stomachache, I always try to do palpation for rebound tenderness; if present, home or ER.

One more question. What about malathion? While I was researching this, I came across it a few times. It is also mentioned on the CDC site (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/lice/factsht_head_lice_treating.htm#best_medicine) as being effective with few side effects reported. However, I have also heard it is flammable. Anyone with any experience with this?

Wish I had all Martha's information when I was trying to help out a relative with this problem recently (BTW - lice do not discriminate, this relative lives in a very affluent community - and picked up the lice in said community). Just one question - in my internet searching (references not saved), I found some of what Martha mentioned. Only question I have is - way back when I did this before, we recommended diluted vinegar as an aid in combing and nit-picking as the acid would help loosen the adherent that glues the nit to the hair shaft. In the searching I did, I think I saw something that supported this. Again, this was a rushed search looking for helpful info so I can't give a reference on it. Do you know if vinegar is useful for this? Thanks again for all the info being provided - it will really come in handy when I restart school nursing next week. Anne

Thank you for the wealth of info you provide. I'm glad to see this as I saw so many problems with "no nit", etc. in Fl. - kids out of school for months. Later, working as a clinical instructor in peds, saw a kid with horrible 3rd degrees burns because mom had tried treating head lice with kerosene. Thought, "over head lice????" - annoying, irritating, etc., etc, but, as you said, not major health threat. So far, you have been an invaluable resource. Thank you very much. Anne

I left nursing for about 4 years - and am going back into it next week - and I'm even looking forward to it. I tried teaching for two years in the NYC teaching fellows program. Eight grade math in a difficult neighborhood. Nursing started looking a whole lot better pretty quickly.

Bergren - Thanks for all the information you provided. I will be starting as a school nurse next week - this wiill help a lot. I did school nursing several years ago in Florida (now in NYC) and we were expected to make up "Health needs awareness lists" - which always made me a bit uncomfortable but saw the need. BTW, in Florida I was the nurse for ten schools so didn't have too much time for some of what you recommended. Here I'll be assigned to one school. Off topic, I hear the "no nit policiy" is no longer recommended by NASN (read it on their web site). Is that what they do in your school?

Did you look into nurse externship programs as opposed to paying for CNA school? While I was in nursing school, I got a job at NYU as an aide over the summer (they hired nursing students as long as they had completed some clinicals) - classmates worked at other hospitals - and continued part time during my second year. This was a while ago, but I'm almost positive many hospitals have such programs - it's a good recruitment method as many of the students employed as techs/aides/externs (whatever they choose to call it) go on to work for them as nurses. Check it out. Good luck. BTW, it was very good basic experience.

One thing about nursing - reason I chose it when I changed careers - are all the different opportunities there are. Some are exceptionally high stress (physically and emotionally), some are much less so. Some depends on you and what you like, some depends on the environment. For me, hospital nursing was always most stressful. Often physically demanding with too much work, too little time, ... Of all the hospital nursing I did, the least stressful was a semi-critical care environment (bone marrow transplant) cause I only had to worry about a couple of patients - extremely busy but not dividing myself among many ill patients. I also enjoyed working spinal cord rehab (it was an excellent hospital, a good deal of specialized knowledge needed but acuity not a major problem) - though physically demanding. Don't forget there is work outside of the hospital and some of these jobs are much less stressful. School nursing was fun. Good luck. Think through what you like, what you can handle physically and time/stress wise, what types of opportunities there are where you are - maybe it will be right for you, maybe it won't. The advise above about shadowing is a good one - but look at non hospital settings as well.

As I said, my very old experience at SUNY was excellent. I'm not sure how it is now. Best clinicals I had were at University Hospital - peds was great, saw things you hardly ever see - and an underserved population. Also had a great community health clinical. Worst was doing psych in G building at KCH - (you'd go crazy if you had to stay there no matter how you started out) but may have changed. I guess it depends on the hospitals you get assigned to. KCH and UH probably expose you to the most. Good luck.

It has been a while since I've been to allnurses.com - a couple of years, in fact. I still get the newsletter and glance at it - and I was intrigued by the title of this thread so I came to see what it was about. I read the situation and my first reaction was - why would anyone even need to wonder about this situation? An otherwise excellent nurse unintentionally falls asleep in a situation where that would be easy to happen; no harm to any patients .... I have to admit, I was taken aback by the contraversy. Some of the responses reminded me of why I stopped coming to this forum. Fortunately, I also found the type of compassionate and thoughtful responses I used to come here for. BTW, I went on a job interview today with a home health agency. I mentioned this website to the interviewer - and this thread. Happily, she was of the same mind as me; I would not have considered accepting a position at this agency if she was not. (Her comment had been - discuss with nurse, maybe put something in employee file in case it happens again).

I have no advice. Just wanted to comment - how things have changed. I graduated from DMC in 87 - but it was an upper division 2 year program then (which I believe they no longer have). Much larger class size (approx 100), easy to get into (nobody going to BS programs at the time). I will say - it was an excellent nursing program when I was there. Good luck.