misty_dawn

I just passed my certification exam YAY!!! Once I have my active state licence and NPI number I will be starting my job. My question is where do I start looking for my own malpractice insurance coverage at? What type of coverage should I look for? Thanks.

I just completed the online post masters program at Eastern Kentucky University. It was wonderful and I am happy to say that I just passed my certification exam this past Friday. I felt very prepared for the exam and for going into practice. It is an amazing program and not to costly.

As a new NP this is such an eye opener to me and I thank you for this post. I never thought about needing my own malpractice insurance as my company provided a policy. I will now be looking into my own policy. I thank you again.

I had this very same question. When I spoke with the WHNP in my GYN office (she had been a WHNP for 8 years) she specifically said that unless I already have a job lined up as a WHNP, to go the FNP route because it was more marketable. She also said that as a WHNP you can only do womens health, so if you get burned out you really have no other option besides seeing only women. She did say that a FNP can work womens health, you just do not get as much school training as a WHNP. I am taking her advice and have applied for the FNP program at EKU. 100% online, they are also a brick and mortar school with an excellent reputation and a 100% board pass rate.

I too have applied for summer start. I love the fact that they have had a 100% success rate. So far all dealings with the campus has been positive. I read a lot of reviews that stated they were really student friendly and understand that we all work. Keeping my fingers crossed for admittence.

I am seriously considering applying for the summer start EKU online post masters FNP certificate program. I know that the classes are taken one at a time and are 8 weeks long. I work (3) 12 hour shifts a week that is probably not negotiable to change since I still have children at home. Tell me about the program, the good/bad/ugly. I am also looking up information for Drexel University, University of Mass- Boston, and Angelo State as these all have an online post masters certificate program and the application deadline is not up. How would these compare to EKU?

I have never felt more a part of a team/family than I have while working here at the school. The best part.... today starts our 2 week winter break!!!!!

I am having difficulty finding any clinical guidelines on pulse oximetry in schools based on EBP. Any ideas where some can be found? What are your school policies regarding this?

My supervisor wants me to do a research project on clinical guidelines based on EBP on using pulse oximetry in the nurses office. We currently do not do pulse ox unless the parent supplies the monitor. Do you do this vital sign, when and using what parameters?

2 more accidents today (her mom just had a baby this morning too). Some of the teachers had mentioned that they think it is a sign of abuse. What do y'all think about that?

Well said. I took a huge pay cut coming into school nursing and I couldn't be happier that I did. I am so thankful that all of the staff at my school respect me and what I do (as far as I know anyways). School nursing is no walk in the park some days, but it sure beats a day in the hospital any day. I really do not care what people think about the career path I have chosen. Each area of nursing has its pros and cons and someone has to do it. I am just thankful that I chose this field of nursing.

2 accidents again today. They sent in one change of clothes so when I called for the second accident her mom just came and picked her up from school and took her home. We had set up a conference for after school today and she called a half an hour before and cancelled it. She said that she won't be able to meet in person again before winter break but might be able to do a phone conference. Would it be wrong to start doing behavioral consequences from the teacher at this point? The mom was supposed to bring in medical papers last school year and never did.

I can almost bet money that she had type 2 diabetes and I really do not think the mom had her checked. She even has the markings on AN on her neck which can indicate type 2. It is just so frustrating for me and her teachers that nothing we attempt to try and do is working...even having her go to the bathroom every 2 hours, because if she thinks she does not have to go to the bathroom she just stands in there. It is not like we can go in there and make sure she goes. UTI is possible, in her chart she had 3 last year alone- but I still think it is something more.

We have 1st grade little girl who is extremely obese and is continuously wetting her pants and being sent to the nurses office. This has been an on-going situation since last year. The last nurse, principal and teacher had several conferences with the parent to discuss the accidents as well as her behavior and refusing to do most classwork last year. The mom works for a urologist and said last year that she would have the student looked at- no medical indication of a problem by a physician was ever turned in. Fast forward a year and nothing has changed. Her parents hardly ever send extra clothes and she has had 4 accidents this week alone (2 yesterday and 2 today). I have had to call her dad each time to bring her clothes. A few months ago she sent in paperwork from the place she works at, electronically signed by a NP, that stated the student needed to be sent to the bathroom every 2 hours and have access to water. No medical indication of anything wrong. She is still continuously having accidents. No matter if the teacher sends her to the bathroom or not. She has even peed on my bathroom floor right in front of the toilet. I have asked the mom if she had been tested for diabetes and she said that she did but she does not have it (I highly doubt she was tested). I am wits end with all of her accidents. I feel it is more of a behavioral issue and not necessarily a medical problem- if it was I would hope her mom would have taken care of it. She just sits in her classroom and does not do her work, she cries hysterically when she is not getting her way and has also wet her pants when she does not get her way. We are supposed to have another conference next week with her parents. I am not sure what to say or do anymore. I get so frustrated each and every time she comes in to my office for an accident and has to sit there for at least 45 minutes until new clothes arrive. What can or should I do?

I agree with Flare. If the kid is in distress and the parent refuses to take them home then I would tell the parent that it is fine I will just call 911 and she can pick him up from the ER (and have a bill to pay). I am sure that would work but I have not been in that situation. Ever if there was respiratory distress and the parent isnt available it is a quick trip to the ER. Luckily I have my principals backing too.

I completely agree! Most of the time I do not have spare clothes to fit the students so I end up calling home anyways.

Exactly how I feel....very well said. I love my job and have only gone home 1 day exhausted this school year. I feel that I have made the best choice for me and my family!

I think my biggest adjustments had to do with the lower pay and being on salary too, but then I think I have holiday breaks and summer off so am I really making that much less considering I will be getting paid when not physically at work? The parents are sometimes also hard to deal with, but then again I had some difficult families in the hospital too.

I feel your pain. I worked strictly nights for three years. I felt like a zombie every single day....unless I scheduled myself for like 6 days off in a row. My health went downhill, I was moody, irritated and no fun for my family. I got depressed too. I was out of energy for anything. I gained weight. You name it and it hurt. Now that I have switched to school nursing and work mon-fri 7:30 to 3:30 I feel so alive. I am happy, healthy and not in as much pain. Now to work on losing that weight I gained. Some people just cant physically or mentally do nights, some can. What is best is to find what you like the most and stick with it, for me it was days.

1. Professional Traveler- you know the ones who get to review the hotels and airlines 2. Cupcake bakery owner 3. Hospitality at Disney World 4. Wedding Planner

We were just talking about this today. I work in an old elementary school and our security system guy was there fixing one of our cameras. He told us that last week one of our new high schools burgular alarm went off at 2 and 3am on a Saturday. He and the police showed up with the dogs, but the buildings were clear. On that Monday he viewed the security tapes from the hallways where the alarms went off. The one that went off at 2am was in a hallway. He said that there was a classroom door open and the light was on. Suddenly the light went off and the door closed. Then the alarm went off. The second alarm at 3am was in the kitchen. He viewed that tape and at the same time as the alarm there appeared to be an orb or grey mist floating by the camera...creepy. Some of our older teachers and custodians say that things happen at our school in the evenings when the children are gone but they cannot explain what or why. I often wonder sometimes.

I haven't used it on little ones...more so my 2-4th graders who are frequent fliers

Yeah I read that too and was baffled. Its such a stigma that people cannot get past, no matter what the evidence suggest. I think I will do my paper on this topic.

I started using the recess line these past two days.....and wouldnt you know it works. Today I had a girl three different times. The first time she said her heart was hurting, that is was beating real fast then real slow. Checked all vitals, watched her, listened to her- couldn't find anything wrong. It was lunch time so I sent her to eat lunch and to come back if it is still a problem. She came back stating that she was having a burning feeling in her chest. Again checked vitals, all was well. She then said well I think I have heartburn- nothing I can do for that. I gave her some water and she felt better so off to class. Teacher, a sub, sent her back 30 min before school gets out with a note to "check her heart." I asked the student what was going on and the student said, I have a stomach ache. I asked her if she told the teacher that her heart was hurting and she said no I told her I had a belly ache. So I called the teacher to find out exactly what the problem was. She said well I am not taking any chances here, she was saying her heart hurt, which I told her well the student is saying that it is her stomach, and she said that wasn't what the student told her. Anyways vitals fine a third time, gave her some crackers and low and behold......she felt better. I think a lot of it is that the teachers do not want to miss something or it become a real problem. OR the student goes home and tells their family they were sick but the teacher wouldnt let them go to the nurse. I did have a lot of belly aches today that just needed to use the bathroom though.

Ok all I need some serious help (not mentally haha). I have a paper due a week from Sunday. The paper is on evidence based practice in the current setting you are working in. I am new to school nursing and well I am not sure of what topic to pursue. Any ideas on EBP in school nursing? Here is my paper theme: For this graded assignment you will be identifying a problem that is amenable to change in current nursing practice, identifying a clinical guideline, bundle, or best practice that addresses this problem. After a review of the literature you will be appraising and synthesizing the evidence from research studies that support practice change. Finally, you will be discussing how to implement the change.