lavender

How does your school handle approaching a parent about having their child tested for ADD/ADHD and medicated? Our administrator seems to be a little pushy with our parents for my tatse which puts me in a tough position sometimes. She used me to help get the child on Ritalin, etc. even if I know nothing about the child. Also, what is your role in the referral/evaluation process? They just ask me to find doctors for the kids that will see them just for the eval and Rx. I feel bad for some of these parents because they are pushed pretty hard and then don't have the means to pay the $100/per month for the meds.

Thanks for your reply. Yes it is in our job description. When I am away from the school, usually no one is there in my place. The kids go to the office and usually they are told to wait in front of the office for my return or to come back later. If there is something serious they call the nurse at the neighboring school. I don;t transport students except as a last resort policy, maybe a couple of times per year. They do not like this. They wrote on my evaluation that I am below standards in this area. No one has ever asked me for an insurance card, driver's license, etc. Sometimes they want me to put the child in my car to go out and see if the parent is home. This is without the paren't permission. It all makes me a little nervous. I am afraid if something happened, they would not back me up. Thanks again. I will look up the sites you mentioned.

I was just wondering if any of you school nurses have had to deal with transporting students in your personal vehicle? In our district, our job description states that we will transport students home, to the doctor, etc. However, lately it has been an issue about how we are covered insurance-wise in case of an accident while having the kids in our car. (I must admit I stirred up a bit of that trouble maker me!) The reason is I have the "difficult principal" that had been used to ordering a nurse she had employed for 9 yrs prior to me to do questionalbe things and the nurse ( I know her and she admits she is too wishy washy), would do whatever she was told without asking questions. I am expected to transport students for all kinds of things that are not necessary. I don't mind taking someone home occaisionally if they are sick and have no other way. But the concern is always there that if there is an accident our district policy is to have us file on our personal insurance first and what is not covered will then be turned over to the districts insurance to cover. But if our own insurance company refuses to cover the child because we are using our personal vehicle for employment related work, we may be forced to sue in order to retrieve reimbursement for damages. Just curious to know if other school nurse deal with this and how you handle it in your district. Thanks!

I am just curious what variety of experiences you all bring to agency nursing that help you. I assume the best background is ICU/Med Surg/Geriatrics etc. I saw a couple of posts from new or nearly new grads doing agency nursing. I think I would be a little nervous trying it without some experience, but how much experience do you all experienced nurses recommend? I am an elementary school nurse last 3 years. Also responsible for staff, did a year of Women's health/Women's med surg/a bit of research nursing and a few months of home health nursing with emphasis on medicare (mostly wounds). Just backed off that job (was only doing 1 wknd/mo) because I find it too difficult to work a full time stressful job and a weekend job. Those weeks of 12 days in a row kill me. 47 yrs old now and get too tired without a day off to refresh! Are most agency assignments in general hospital areas such as Med/surg, ICU or do they place you according to your experience? The HH agency I just quit put me in some areas I had never had experience in before like would packing. They said it was easy and anyone could do it! Another reason I backed off for now, no time to train on new things and they didn't pay to train past 3 follow alongs at the beginning with another nurse. Thanks for any of your imput!

Does anyone who works in school nursing have experience dealing with a mean principal? I have been at my elementary school for 3yrs and this woman does NOT like me. She is making me miserable. She tries to use me to push Ritalin on way too many kids because she thinks since I am an RN I have an "in" with the docs and can get kids treated. She is very competitive and lives for making the highest scores on the big state test with the large numbers of low socio-economic student population we have. She has asked me to do many things over the last 3 yrs that I have questioned her on. Things that are just plain unethical or very close. She called me in the other day and really let me have it. I was shocked and didn't take notes during but did write everything down after. She said I didn't fit in to "her School" because I question her. She told me not to question her but to do as I am told when she tells me something. She said the teachers do not like me but wouldn't say who or why. ( I think I have a pretty good rapport with most of them). She said in 18yrs no nurse has ever questioned her. She said my license is the same as her teaching certificate and I can see and do anything she tells me to without putting myself in jeopardy legally. I was told by a co worker when I started there not to ever decline to do anything she asked of me or I would catch her wrath. Well, I ignored that and am paying for it. She said it is none of my business what goes on with any of the children concerning ADHD and if she says they are ADHD, then they are and I am not to question her "diagnosis". My job, according to her, is to get them treated. When I tried to explain my views which are that not every child who does not pay attention in class is ADHD and that there are many other factors that can contribute to various behaviors, she didn't let me finish (she never does, she talks 100 m.p.h. and interrupts constantly), she waved her hand at me and said she knows what is best for her school and I do not. There are many things I could go on about, but I will stop ranting now. Just wondering if any of you all have had experiences like these in your schools? Thanks for listening.

I am paid by the school year, 187 work days. $32,400. Averages out to about $173 per day or $21.65 per hr on an 8 hr day which is normally a 9 hr day.....so $19.25 on a 9 hr work day. Hope that isn't too confusing.

Ok, REALLY curious what you are suing for, but I can only imagine having had similiar thoughts myself. For now....just say......you go!