ro2878

if you make a game out of hearing and vision testing, preK kiddos typically cooperate. If students won’t raise a hand when hearing a tone, have them kick their foot, drop a block or ball into a bucket, or give them a stuffed animal and tell them to raise the animal’s paw when hearing the tone. You can also, as stated in another reply, watch the kiddo’s expression - you can usually tell if student is hearing the tone. OAEs do work great with this age group. The problem is the cost of the ear pieces. I found that the squishy, marshmallow type ones work best but they are single use and a bag of them is not cheap. I just use an audiometer and have never had a problem unless it is a special ED student. The Lea shape chart works best for vision screening preschoolers. If you can’t get them to successfully cover one eye/they “cheat,” you can order a set of screening glasses. If you have never seen them, one pair has the left eye darkened and the other pair has the right eye darkened. Or, you can have their teacher stand behind the student and cover one eye. Again, if you make a game out of screening and be goofy/silly with the kiddos, they will be successful but if you can’t get a student to complete screening then just document that and send notice to parent. I love screening this age group!

We will not permit SVN txs when we reopen but what are you all doing for kiddos with inhalers? Inhaler with a spacer will be safest (and does give best delivery, regardless of age) but will you contact parents and explain that spacers will be mandatory if they want their student to be able to use an inhaler while at school? Will you require your students that self-carry to come to the RN office with their inhaler in order to use their inhaler? Or will you just instruct students that they must be 6 ft away from another student or staff in order to self-administer? I know that those of you that have older students some times have no idea that a student is self-carrying but I have preK - 6th grade and know all of my asthmatics. Thanks!

How about the new preK teacher who comes into my somewhat busy office yesterday with her laptop and says "Not sure if you can help me with this but you have been soooo helpful - can you show me how to enter my attendance? I am not sure why my screen looks different today." Um, no!!!! Petty and PROUD of it! ?

Thanks all! Staff was receptive to the idea and I told them I will set up initial stock and then after that, they are on their own to replenish. I did think of the unlocked cabinet thing with regards to kiddos ever being in the lounge and not sure yet how we will handle. I may put the meds in a closet behind the front office secretary desks. The closet is unlocked by the secretaries in the morning and locked at night. Students have no access to the closet.

Anybody have a “nice way” to inform staff at our back to school staff meeting next week that the nurse is no longer giving them OTC meds? In our district we have some nurses who believe it is part of their job duty to help staff since these nurses consider staff as part of the “community” but I am more worried about liability risk. We even had a speaker at our state nurse conf a few years ago say we shouldn’t even be taking a BP for staff. I get that we need to treat and help in event worksite injury.... As it is, I won’t even take the med out of the med cab - I just point to the cab and tell staff to help themselves. Besides liability risk, I am getting tired of those staff members who are frequent fliers, those who interrupt my prep or lunch, and those who can’t accept that we are not their primary care providers! Geez, c’mon people - you are adults and I am not your mother! Keep meds in your purse or run out during your lunch for them. I would like to tell staff they can keep a supply of OTC meds in the lounge and help themselves. I do not want to be responsible for purchasing or restocking. Sorry for the length of this and I appreciate any suggestions on how to nicely tell staff.

"You really think you need ice for that?"

Another new diagnosis: suckitupitis = what the majority of the kiddos had this past Tuesday after returning from a 3 day weekend. Symptoms may include mild nasal congestion, a stomachache that does not prevent you from running all around during lunch recess, a barely red throat, pain from bumping a part of your body on your desk, or a pimple on the butt!

Hi All, Just accepted a job at a different school district. Co-worker/friend at my old district accepted a position with this district as well. We will be at different elementary schools. She has been in her new office and said that she has a tube of smelling salts taped to the wall. I have not yet been in my new office but assume my office has the tube as well. Our old district did not have smelling salts. I have never had a student pass out on me but have had teenagers pass out on me after administering vaccines when I worked private practice at a peds office. Kiddo would typically say felt fine, walk out of exam room with parent, and then pass out while waiting to check out. Kiddo already on carpet, or in process, when I rushed over/parent called out. If not already down, I would lower them. They would "come to" pretty quickly and then I would have them rest on exam table for 10 min. We never used smelling salts and am wondering if their use is even recommended practice. I know coaches used to give them to boxers and athletes so they could continue playing but I would certainly never try to push a student athlete, especially because in those situations likely have head injury/concussion after taking a hit. Are there situations where you would use smelling salts in your office or is this just an outdated practice? Thanks in advance!

Last day of school today: Early release with dismissal at 11:20 a.m. I am rushing around trying to find 8th grade parents still on campus after their little darlings graduated this morning. Even though I send notices in the newsletters and post signs all over campus to please see the nurse to pick up meds or they will be discarded, you know parents don't do it. Second grader sees me and comes up to me at exactly 11:11 am: Student: "I was just coming to see you, I have a stomachache." Me: "Baby doll, you are getting in your mother's car in exactly 9 minutes and it is the last day of school! No, you are not coming to my office. Go back to class." What teacher would send this student?!!! C'mon now!

LOL!! Oh, it happened - cross my heart and hope to die, or stick a screwdriver in my eye!!! Besides, who could even make that up?!!

Claims was screwing something into an overhead cabinet. Even if your hand holding the screwdriver slipped, I would think you would simply scratch your other hand. How could that have such a force that the screwdriver would be impaled through your hand? Kind of a screwy home situation and I would bet either husband or mother-in-law (who lives with them) somehow did it to her. Or, she somehow did it to herself for attention. Like I said it is a very screwy home situation...

Parent comes into my office yesterday. Wanted to see if I could take care of her. Hand is wrapped in a towel, which she unwraps to show me the screwdriver impaled all the way through and out of the other side of her hand! Decided to drive to school, get her 8th grader, and then come to see me. Sure, let me set up my sterile field and draw up my stock lidocaine so I can numb you up before I pull the screwdriver out and mess up one of your nerves or an artery! Seriously, c'mon on!!!!

Kiddos at my school are "ice junkies" - they would shoot themselves up with ice if they could! LOL I try to discourage ice when it really is not necessary except for my littles/preK (they can do no wrong!). Now, if you are in 7th or 8th grade and you bumped your elbow on your desk....c'mon!! The unfortunate thing is that we sometimes wind up giving ice because we fear kiddo will go home and tell parent that the nurse did not do anything and then cray cray parent will come in and read you the riot act.

Or degree of perfectionism, analness, or procrastination says the Type A girl who is supposed to be writing her paper...

5th grader walks in and states that he broke his pelvis. (Same kiddo who has eaten leaves to make himself throw up, told his teacher he was blind and could not see, smears blood all over his face when he gets a spontaneous bloody nose because it looks really cool...) Really, you walked in here just fine...and how did you break your pelvis? Doing front flips off of the slide on the playground yesterday. Bye Felicia!!!