GreenWitch

I get out the third week of May I plan on hitting the road with my son for some adventure!

Teachers can really drive me bonkers....why do they think they know more about sick kids than the school nurse? I love #10!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for the grin :)

OH NO! That is scary! I can see how that would be ok to do something basic such as putting on band-aids...but that is something I rarely do...I would be horrified as a parent if I had a child who was diabetic/asthmatic/epileptic/etc to learn that the school had an un-licensed "health care giver" attending their needs!!! Thanks for the info.

We have had a problem with it in my community for the past few years (rural northeast GA), and as a school nurse I've seen PLENTY of it. My son caught it last year...I assumed I carried it home to him some how His Dr said he had impetigo, but when he went to the dermatologist w/me a week after his Dx (and no improvment), she swabbed my nose and cultured one of his sores...he was positive for MRSA and it was making a happy home in my nose.

Thanks NurseKitty for the info :)

attention ga school nurses hi! i'm doing a little investigating this summer....i was wondering if y'all could help me out? my school has a really low school nurse salary. i know the national average for school nurses are about $38,000 but i'm trying to get information on the average georgia school nurse salary. i'm not being nosey...just trying to compile information for the boe to help us girls get a higher salary. the rns get paid the same as the lpns! and it doesn't matter if you have 200 students or 1200...still all the same pay. the starting salary here (in rural north east ga) is $20,000 and the cap (25 years) is $25,000!!! please respond asap as i return to school on july 31st. if you don't wish to post here, please e-mail me @ [email protected]. thanks! enjoy the remainder of your summer!

Hi! I'm doing a little investigating this summer....I was wondering if y'all could help me out? My school has a REALLY low school nurse salary. I know the national average for school nurses are about $38,000 but I'm trying to get information on the average GEORGIA school nurse salary. I'm not being nosey...just trying to compile information for the BOE to help us girls get a higher salary. The RNs get paid the same as the LPNs! And it doesn't matter if you have 200 students or 1200...still all the same pay. The starting salary here (in rural north east GA) is $20,000 and the cap (25 years) is $25,000!!! Please respond ASAP as I return to school on July 31st. If you don't wish to post here, please e-mail me @ [email protected]. Thanks! Enjoy the remainder of your summer!

Yeah, I was forgotten as well Some of the nurses in my county were taken to lunch and bought flowers though..so I'm happy for them...but a little let down myself. I love what Martha and askdrn did! Maybe we should all do both of those this up-coming school year! LOL

Yay for lunch and pee breaks! LOL I attended a "New to School Nursing" seminar in Atlanta by Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. If you are in GA, the one for this year is on the 28th, just e-mail me and I'll send you the information. I also read A LOT of websites...as a matter of fact, it seems like I remember bookmarking a site by the person above me here...but I could be wrong. It's a great site, but it's bookmarked on my computer at school and I don't have access to it or I'd give you the link. Good luck with your new job! love it, I hope you do as well :)

I'm an LPN that is a school nurse. I love it! Good luck to you!

Thanks for the ideas. I've tried to enlist the teachers help, but they are not very cooperative I guess I'll just have to close the clinic and "chase" them down! :chuckle

I am a busy middle school nurse in a school with 1200 students seeing between 90-100 students per day. I have several parents wanting me to force their children to take their meds. I explained that I can't FORCE them as it is illegal, also, seeing so many students I can't track them down for their meds, and their parents signed a sheet acknowledging that they understood their children were responsable for remembering to come take their meds. Has anyone else had this problem? If so, how did you handle it? Thanks in advance!

??!!! You can make more than that at McDonald's here in Georgia! At least around Atlanta anyway.

I work in a rural Georgia area, I am an LPN, we only have one RN in the county. All of us have the same salary regardless of degree or workload.

Agreed! I work in a rural area in the southeast and I took almost a 50% pay cut, but I truly love my job...if my husband would quit bugging me about the money part it would be perfect!!!

Oh, Ok...I feel a little better now! Now if I can just convience a 13 year old to leave the dressing alone so it stays covered...then he can come back to schoo! :)

It is on his arm. It was covered up, but when he came to me (at the end of the school day), the bandage had fallen down from his forearm to his wrist. He said it had been loose for a while.

Hi fellow school nurses! I have a question about MRSA. When I worked in the hospital and we had patients with MRSA, the patient was isolated and we had to wear head to toe PPEs. I have two possible and one confirmed case of MRSA and the parent is telling me that he didn't have to be excluded from school itself, only PE. I'm confused! Can anyone tell me???

I know it's hot...but isn't it DRY heat? Living in GA it gets up to the 90s and sometimes hits the 100 mark, but it's so humid I feel like I'm drowning! Can you recommend an area that is good for raising a child and it won't take me 2 hours to drive 10 miles?

What's wrong with Phoenix? I was considering a move there...but you have me concerned

Is that for RN or LPN? I am considering moving to Phoenix this summer with my son. Any recomendations for rentals!?

At first, I avoided going to the administrators for the same reason you mentioned. But after about 3 months into the year I had had it and went anyway! I send out a letter to the parents and teachers. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta has two publications I included with these letters, one is entitled: Ten Reasons to Send a Child to the School Nurse and the other is: When to Keep Your Child Home from School. Basically the letter to the parents said that the clinic runs on a first come first serve basis, the parents of frequent flyers will be notified, the clinic runs on donations, medication policy overview, reminding parents to make sure their child dresses appropriate for the weather...etc... I had to address these issues because I had parents calling me and cussing me out because their child tried to see me and I had to turn them away, parents were calling to cuss me out for not providing their child with medication. Parents were (and still are) sending their children to school in shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops in Jan. Parents were sending their children to school with Lortab.... The letter to the teachers just says that the clinic runs on a first come first serve basis and asks them to please be selective to who they send me. I also told them that I was not allowed to just hand out any medication to any child who walks through the door (the parent has to bring it and fill out a form). A child who is bored and picking off scabs to get out of class, for example, is not a wise use of the clinic. I sent this letter out because I had several teachers "corner" me and "fuss" at me about having to send children back and not giving kids medication. I've even had teachers dispensing meds to students! I see roughly 100 students a day and I do the best I can. I don't think it's too much trouble to ask the teachers and parents to do their part. They KNOW the students, they know who is sick and who is faking. Most of the kids the teachers send me are "troublemakers" and they just want to get them out of the class so they can teach...but then they come to the clinic and are disruptive in there when I am trying to draw up insulin, give shots...etc... I have many parents who can't afford to take their children to the Dr and send them to me to get a diagnosis! I still have not figured out what to do about this problem. I'm not a Dr...I can't diagnose.... Anyway, this is really long! I hope it helps you.

I've sent out tons of flyers...with no response. The problem is, I type up the flyers, come in an hour early to get in line at the copier to make 1200 copies....and then the students don't give it to the parents!!! :angryfire I have typed up a letter though for any new students and for next year to go out with the beginning of the year paperwork the parents have to fill out (it is attached to a medical information form). It explains that I can't possibly see everyone in a school that size and it's basicly first come, first serve. I'm hoping doing this will cut down on the angry phone calls the prinicpal and me get about having to turn away students. I also put in that letter that the clinic is run on donations ONLY. Maybe that will help with supplies...My budget doesn't really cover anything. Before the end of the year I am going to run out of tongue depressors, otoscope covers and probe covers for the thermomoter....I'm hoping for more generous and understanding parents next year

I love CHofA! They have all kinds of info. I handed that flyer out at the beginning of the year :)

You have a degree and get paid LESS than a custodian???? That is horrible! I am disgusted! I wish you much luck! I am from one of those crazy right-to-work states so I don't have any "rights"...but I'm pretty sure I get paid more than the person who sweeps the floors! But maybe I should investigate?