sergel02

Happy belated School Nurse Day all!

I agree with Nutmegge. It's odd they're critical of you contacting parents that a med was given. But, I will say I don't do that. If it's a scheduled med they likely are going to assume you're giving it unless something happens. The TUMS situation is weirder. Yeah I get we have to do incident reports if there was a med error but if someone else did it, you seemed to do it promptly. I think you're going into the meeting with a great plan though!

For us, if warranted the student has a 1:1 on the bus. But they would also have them for class (can't have a 1:1 for just bus rides and then send them home). Bus attendants can be trained but many don't have one. Thus we default to have a copy of the emergency plan in the backpack, and if there is a major medical need the bus driver has to pull over and call parents or 911. For the amount of responsibility they have they definitely don't get paid enough.

Hmm just throwing out ideas (don't know how feasible it is) but it seems like you got the individual care covered, so maybe some more public health topics? - When a student should be screened for vision or hearing and why? - Mitigating an outbreak (so when students and staff should stay home, privacy, when to send to the nurse). - Emergency response if there was a fire or natural disaster. Like what can you do. Sometimes this is more in the wheelhouse of a different department though. - Depending on weather you can talk about heat exhaustion vs heat stroke and heat index and heat islands, and what to monitor. If it's at the start of the year maybe cold weather? - If your counselors and social workers don't already, inservice ways to find access. Especially healthcare, so dental clinics, vision resources, vaccination fairs, etc. - Could do nutrition but this may be too long for 15 minutes. Just some ideas!

Not OP, but in our district we're part of every medical 504 at our sites, and attend the meetings. We have 2-3 sites. In our state every kid being assessed for an IEP (and initial and every 3 years thereafter) needs a health screening, which includes vision, hearing, and an assessment of health. Usually a call with parents about health history, meds, conditions, hospitalizations, etc. We only attend the IEPs for major health needs (like frequent seizures or nursing services like tube feeds, but not every kid with asthma or food allergies if it's managed) or a parent request.

I feel like it would be a miracle to even have a bladder scanner LOL. If the student was feeling fine but hasn't peed in 24 hours I'd worry about pyelonephritis as well, and pain, but they seem fine. I'd definitely encourage reaching out to the PCP or urgent care, or ER if that is not available. They may need a straight cath.

I think both have fine questions/concerns. So much depends on your state and district, so if you're in California that may change things. I know at least 3 fellow nurses who came into school nursing as new grads and they're great! Two had previous work experience in other careers though, and 1 of them is just an amazing school nurse who was forged in the fires of Fresno ? I personally, though, would struggle as a new grad myself, but that's me. The NCSN exam only requires 1,000 of school nurse experience so not much, still you need to be able to work as a school nurse. Many districts use RNs for more leadership and public health duties so many aren't doing triage and running the office as much but I do think it's still important, since part of the reason we're there is for our health expertise.

I honestly don't really know the difference. Was your university in California or a different state or country? I know many school nurses who did their schooling in the Philippines and they had no real issue becoming school nurses other than getting transcripts.

Congratulations on the transition! It can be scary changing specialties, but most of my coworkers came from different nursing fields, and you'll manage. The orientation should help. It is a lot to learn, but always try to prioritize the basics: 1. How to do First Aid effectively. If you're running the health office/clinic, this is the bulk of your day and time. 2. How to prepare for emergencies and respond. Haven't used Narcan or a Bleeding kit yet, and that is rare, but EpiPen use is the biggest thing you want to know how to do. 3. How to triage well. Most complaints are minor but maybe 1% in the day require some sort of intervention. I'm new and I haven't had to call 911 yet. The case management experience will be valuable when you're trying to find resources for families, and the nurse education aspect will be super useful for teaching students, their parents, and necessary staff like their teachers. Once you get all that down you'll be able to focus more on other skills and tasks like immunization compliance, tracking potential outbreaks, screenings if your district/state does it. It's a broad specialty, but it all builds on each other. Let me know if you have any other questions!

I could be wrong, but in California we can delegate inhalers, at least where I work. Now, the RN is in charge of training and doing the Care Plan and Emergency Plan on what to look for. There are so many kids with asthma I don't know how we'd staff if an RN or LVN had to go on every field trip that had a kid with asthma. We'd probably need a field trip nurse LOL

I didn't wear pink but it was pink adjacent. It was so busy this week that I'm exhausted and still have two more days.

Sorry for the late reply. You can look at this link specifically https://www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/leaflets/school-nurse-services-credential-(cl-380) I believe you have to create an Educator account and Start a New Credential Application. I don't want to start a new one in case it messes with anything LOL. But I believe that's how it works.

I have to take a look but I believe I emailed mine in but I had to create an account on the CTC site beforehand.

I swear I never knew how much was under the umbrella of school nursing until I started the job. The NASN text book is like over 1200 pages. Not that I'm complaining though, I like to keep learning and improving.

Ooh when I become a member I'm going to see if I can take that class. Thanks for the tip! edit: just looked at the price, and $90 is a little pricey for a short class but if the info is good it seems worth it.