ColleenJune

Thanks for the suggestions. I had not thought of this as a teaching opportunity, but children do need to learn that the nurse's office (and any medical facility) is a safe place.

A third grader came to my office today and asked me to tell her teacher that she was sick. She looked fine to me, so I asked her why. She said, "I went to the bathroom in my pants, and I don't want anyone to find out." Would you do it? (I did, BTW)

May 26. 16 days and counting!

And being a liver donor would not even be a possibility.

This is my all-time favorite. I got it from a third grade substitute a couple of months ago.[ATTACH=CONFIG]24501[/ATTACH]

We have three, in a school population of 420. That's consistent with our statewide average.

You missed my pet peeve: Changing wet clothes does not require a degree in Nursing. You teach young children. Have them keep a change in their cubby, and have them use it themselves if necessary.

I had a second-grade girl with a history of migraines come in today and complain that she was, "...hearing colors and seeing sounds!"

We have one, but it is not posted online for security purposes. That makes sense, I guess, to avoid the "bad guys" from knowing what we are going to do.

I like this idea! Maybe I'll have my Girl Scouts make these for crafts.

I still struggle with the idea that bathroom accidents require the services of a medical professional. Hello, parents, do you take your children to the ER when they wet their pants at home?

How do you encourage children to wash their hands? The kiddos at my school never seem to wash up!

I have Halloween scrubs. They really aren't appropriate any other time of year, but I sure do enjoy wearing them today!

The only thing that I've ever found to work is a lock. Even then, I gets knocks and door rattling.

Half day on Tuesday, then done for the summer!

Twenty days! :yelclap:

I don't change a student's clothes under any circumstances. If they are only wet and I have clothes in a size that will fit (I keep up through size 8-10 around; the fifth grader who wet her pants this week was out of luck) I send them into my office bathroom to change. If they are soiled I give them wet wipes and send them in to clean up as well as possible, but I call the parents to come and get them so that they can bathe properly. This has been a bad year for accidents so far...

In the past the school has supplied everything, but this year with budget cuts I have had to supply my own thermometer and bp cuff. I had them at home anyway, so it was no big deal. There was also no money in the budget for underwear for accidents, but I mentioned that to the president of the PTA and got a Wal-Mart gift certificate to use for that the next day.

I have an eye chart and a MyPlate poster. I am thinking of adding a few colorful health-related posters, but I haven't decided what yet.

I work in an elementary school, so I wear colorful scrubs. I feel like the fact that they are scrubs helps identify me as a nurse, and the fact that they are colorful lessens the fear factor.

I work in a K-5 elementary school, so not yet potty trained is seldom an issue. However, accidents are still common - last year I gave out 112 changes of clothes in a school of 400 students (I'm required to track these things). Here's a hint: keep socks in your spare clothing inventory. You'd be surprised how many times a "big kid" will need to change their socks along with their underwear and pants.

Any time a child comes to the health center I am required to send the following note home with the student: Dear Parent/Guardian: This note is being sent home for your information. Your child, _____________________________ was seen by the School Nurse in the Nurse's Office on __________________ for the following reason (s): £ Stomach/Nausea/Vomiting £ Sore Throat £ Toothache/Gum Problems £ Temperature of __________ £ Earache R___ L___ £ Eye Problem R___ L___ £ Headache £ Cough/ "Cold" Symptoms £ First Aid £ Sores/Rash £ Change of clothes £ Other Comments: ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ If his/her condition continues to be a problem, your child should be evaluated by a physician. Thank you, School Nurse Physician's statement if needed: ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________ _______________________________________ Date Signature Those strange symbols are check boxes on the form. I also keep a copy on my computer for future reference. It's a little bit of work, but at least I have a record that I attempted to communicate with the parents.

Replying to my own questions, 1) K-5 2) 400 students 3) About 12-15 students per day 4) No, but the office staff sometimes helps. 5) Upset tummies, headaches, cuts and scrapes, and clothing changes.

I was discussing my work load with the office staff at lunch yesterday and one of the admins asked how my work load compared with other school nurses. I don't really know, so I have a few questions for you: 1) What school level do you support? 2) How many students are in your school? 3) How many students do you see each day? 4) Do you have an assistant? 5) What do you treat mostly?

Today is our first weather day of the school year. Tomorrow is looking even worse, so I am guessing we will probably be out again.