kimbernurse

I sent out letters to the staff and teachers with the info from the CDC website. I typed up a cover letter emphasizing "Our best defense against this strain of flu is being proactive and fighting fears with knowledge". In other words, wash your hands and quit freaking out!! :) Our asst super was insisting an employee with a sore throat at the DO go home. I joked with my colleague that we should all get N95 respirators and paint pink snouts on them. I know, I know, I'm horrible but its been a long day and that just really made me oink...I mean giggle. All kidding aside, I am just trying my darndest to educate as much as I can. I have been making rounds and just briefly talking with everyone. You know that the teacher that sends a kid just for farting is going to have her whole class up in our offices while all of this is going on. (Deep, cleansing breaths.) This too shall pass.

Everyone has those kind of days...we want you to let it all out here. Sometimes it's not easy to let things just go and most of us understand that!! Usually, once you "yell out loud" it's all better! And anyways, what's right is right and what's wrong is wrong. Probably the reason this world is going to heck in a handbag is because we have been taught just to "let it go". You stand up for what is right!!!! (I am sooooo tempted on a daily basis to correct the incorrect english I hear our teachers speaking while addressing parents or students! Don't think they would like us doing that for them, would they??)Tomorrow is a new start :)

3 second grade girls, all from the same class, all wet their pants at exactly the same time. Couldn't contact anyone to bring new clothes for any of them. All 3 went back to class with wet pants after I cought one in the bathroom splashing her crotch with water from the sink. Argh:madface: Was not in the mood to be used as an excuse to get out of class that day.

Tis the season for allergies! One little girl came in. "You gotta call my aunt. I am ABOUT to have an allergic reaction" When asked to what, she yelled "CATERPILLARS!!!" When asked her what happens when she comes into contact with them "My nose itches a little bit" . Have you touched any? "No, but I saw some at recess and my nose started itching." Go back to class. Please. Gotta love it :) Oh. And there was the one "I am allergic to mayonnaise. I had to go to the hospital one time because it made me throw up". Called mom just in case to ask (was thinking maybe an egg allergy). Mom just laughed and laughed. Said child just doesn't like it. Even after all of that, child still insisted that I call her an ambulance "just incase".

Me too!! How funny. " My grandma told me if I ever have a loose tooth I had to go home" This was a 3rd grader!! Tisk Tisk.

I HATE ringbacks on cell phones "while your party is being reached". I usually use speaker phone when making phone calls so I can have my hands free to multi task, but some of the vulgarity of those songs is embarrasing especially with little kids in the health room. One voicemail " I'm not here yo, but holla back at cha girl". Another " In the name of Jesus I rebuke you, you evil" (I think I may have had the wrong number on that one). People change numbers more than their underwear. I couldn't imagine not being reachable during the day for my child!!

I make the kids that jump off the bus and come straight to the health room go to class first to "check in" with teacher and get a pass. After they do that, then they can come back and see me. I can say that most never return!

Teachers aid wanted bandaids because her "headlights" were shining. HA!

I also try to take my lunch later in the day, between 1 and 2. Noon meds are done then and the influx as slowed some. If it's approaching my lunchtime, I will shut my door and finish up with the kids I have left. If the kids do manage to track me down in the LOCKED teachers lounge (they wait outside the door until some one comes out), I tell them if they are not "dead, dying or bleeding", they can come back to my office in half an hour. Some days you don't get to eat. I can deal with that. But please, give me 10 minutes for mental health recharge and please, LET ME PEE! We have got to remember, if we don't take care of ourselves, we can't take care of others!! Take your legally mandated break!! :)

I just need some reassurance!! I am new to school nursing, been at my school for about 4 months. The thing is I have been sick 4 times since I started and have been out a total of 6 days. Is it normal to be sick so much as a school nurse? All my other nursing buddies say that I have to get immune to all of the "new" germs I'm around. I worked in the ER 6 years before this and I think I was only sick maybe 3 times that I can remember. I have a very high work ethic and feel guilty about missing so much time. I am religious about washing my hands and keeping my room wiped down. I am considering wearing a mask for all those droplets, though!!!!

I have been a school nurse now for about 4 months. When I first started, our 45 day report was done, and the immunization situation in our district was a nightmare. It really made me come close to quitting!! There were over 250 kids with inadequate/missing immunizations. We had Seniors that had never had their 4 yr old boosters!!!!!!! Not to mention all of the missing permanent records that no one, not even guidance had a clue as to where they were. I spent so much time tracking down records, calling parents (who were none too happy that they had to get another copy off imm. cert. )sending letters, blah blah blah just to get these kids current with their shots. There were many kids we had to keep out of school until they got their shots after their 30 days expired. My questions is, what is your policy on reviewing immunizations?? How about when a new student comes into your school? Do you do registration each year for all students? I think our district's problem is that the district office and some attendence clerks have been enrolling students with what ever "proof of immunization" the parents could provide. Thanks for any imput!!

I love the mass histeria that is so contagious when one student vomits/get sick. It seems that the rest of the class has sympathy pains or something (especially when little Johnny goes back to the class room to retrieve his bookbag and tells everyone else the nurse is sending him home). I hate feeling like I am an excuse to these kids to get out of class. This very real fact was evident today. It was the last day before winter break (a half day). I saw only 5 kids from 8am to 11am. I normally average about 30-40 kids a day. Its amazing how preoccupation will keep kids out of the health room. I didn't know what to do with myself!! I actually had time to do IHPs and prep for screenings! I do love my job, despite the frustration that some of these frequent fliers bring from time to time. I can't help but giggle sometimes....a child's stomach hurt soooooooo bad and he was "vomiting" (per his report) but was observed scarfing down a small bag of mini M&M's he pulled out of his pocket. Back to class you go my dear. HEHEHE.

Just Kidding.

ER nurses definitely have strong personalities! I think you'll pretty much find that in any ER and any ICU. I think we kinda have to be that way, you know, hold our ground so we won't be manipulated and taken advantage of. We have to make snap decisions based on objective info and yes, sometimes subjective info (remembering a patient from a previous visit for instance). We have to be strong. We are also compassionate, and we feel jaded by people that have no experience telling us we are cold and uncaring based on one little vent.

What weirdo has 2 (who knows if there are more) user names on allnurses?? COLPN and COnursingstudent. Any one seeing a disturbing trend here??