uthscsa2011

Hello basketball13, wow that is a scary situation! I have not had any students with that condition at my school, but a few with seizure conditions. I myself experience Vasovagal Syncope. Mine happens anytime I vomit. The last time was a few months ago when I had food poisoning. One second I was running to the bathroom to vomit, next I woke up on the floor bleeding from my cheekbone, eyebrow and lip. I try to always assume a sitting or kneeling position as to avoid falling and injury. So weird though. I don't know how long I'm out, I assume for a minute or less. I think parent should have notified you that this student has this response prior, like at the beginning of the school year.

Hello fellow nurses, I had a question regarding the Jurisprudence CNE requirement needed for our license renewal. I am a little confused as to when I need to get this requirement done. I got my license 2/2012. My next renewal date is 1/28/2019. I read this requirement is effective with licensure renewal cycles that start after January 1, 2014, and we have to have the 2 hours CNE before our 3rd, 2yr license renewal. Would this mean I need to do the 2 hours before my next renewal in 2019?

To this day I still think it about like crazy, wondering how I could have gotten it! I am so careful when I do head checks. I don't like the students get too close to me. I honestly have no idea - I do not have children, I do not have nieces and nephews, little children that I hang out with, etc. I rarely go to the movies and if I do I wear my hair up and try not to lean back because I am always paranoid about getting lice from the seats. There is a case with a certain student who I have heard reports that the lice are "falling" out of her hair on desks in the room. This particular student loves to come see me and give me hugs....needless to say I put a stop to that right away.

My first two treatments I used over the counter lice treatment recommended by the pharmacist. Third time I went somewhere different and bought another brand also over the counter.

It happened. The one thing I never thought I would get as a school nurse....I thought "no way it would ever happen to me, I'm way to careful". I was itching for 4 days straight, but I thought "Oh, it's probably that new shampoo I bought....". I was WAY wrong. I had to apply 3 treatments over a span of 3 weeks to totally get rid of it. I also passed it to my poor husband and he needed 2 treatments. We treated our house of course, our cars, carpets, couches, etc. Several times. I must say, I never knew the extent of how tedious it is to get rid of until having it myself. I didn't have just 1, I had 9 adult sized lice in my hair the 1st day I did my treatment. I cried like a big baby and was mortified, not to mention I found out at work because one fell out of my head onto my papers I was writing on. I had to leave work to have my aunt apply the medicine. They allow students to stay in school with lice in my district, but there was no way I could work knowing my head was infested. So my aunt did my treatment because I didn't want to risk missing anything. I still had nymphs on my 2nd treatment, most likely because she missed a few nits. By the 3rd one, my scalp burned from the medicine and it burned my skin like crazy when I washed it off in the shower. A lot of my hair has fallen out, and still falling out now. It's thinned pretty bad. I still have dreams that I find lice in my hair. I still itch, here and there. I have a friend at work check my hair weekly. Ugh the horror.....

Hello fellow school nurses, I had a question that struck me recently when I had to take a day off from work. Firstly, let me give you some background info. I am a RN with a BSN and have been a school nurse fro 3 years (my first job as a nurse ). I noticed at my district, things were way different that you would expect at a hospital (obviously). Here, we do not have a "policies and procedures manual". Also, when the RN's are out, they do not fill our spot with another RN, or even LVN. They choose from a pool of subs, that also sub for teachers. These are unlicensed personnel. I assume they can do first aid without much trouble, but my one concern was assessments. These subs have students coming in with asthma attack sx, and have to make the discernment whether or not to administer the inhaler. (Our kiddos sometimes fake sx and come to the nurse because they like getting out of class, and after I assess, they are perfectly fine, normal vitals, so they get sent back). But how do these subs know what to look for? How can they tell when these students needs their meds or not? I find that bad practice for district. What if something ever went wrong, and a sub ends up giving the inhaler, or even worse, DOESN'T give it and the student dies from an untreated asthma attack??? These thoughts run through my head all the time, and really keep me from taking days off that I need sometimes. I'm just wondering, who subs fro yall? Do you have RN's or LVNS?

Hello fellow school nurses, I am relatively new and wanted to ask something about inhalers. My 3rd graders have Recess at 12:50 and PE at 1:30. Each of their action plans states "take 2 puffs of inhaler 15 minutes before sports". If they take their inhaler at 12:50 before going to Recess AND before to PE at 1:15, is that too close to be getting that many puffs? Should they only be getting the 2 puffs before Recess and should it still be working through PE? (Recess is 15 minutes and PE is 40 minutes) I didn't want to give them too much albuterol in such a short period of time.

I see what you mean. I was striving for something that meant so much to me back then....my drive was to finish nursing school, to graduate and become the nurse I worked so hard to be. I guess now....I'm lacking that same drive in life. My life is pretty much wake up, go to work, come home, sleep and repeat. Maybe I should get a hobby lol

Every day before work I tell myself I'm going to go to the gym and try to get some exercise, when 4:00 hits.....I am just done. I know I should still go, I always feel energized after. It's getting there that's the problem. lol.

Hello fellow school nurses, I've been a school nurse for almost 3 years now. I came right out of BSN school (could not find a job in a hospital). I also work PRN at a pedi home health company. I am 25 years old and have no children. My question is: Is anyone else completely drained after a work day? I never used to be such a tired person. During college I could pull an all nighter and study from 6pm to 2am, go to bed, and wake up for clinicals at 5:30am and be fine, and go out on the weekends with my nursing friends. In college I had a weekend job at a hotel where I worked outside constantly running around in the sun. I feel like back then I had so much more going on and I had so much more energy. Now, when I get home from work (I work elementary so I get home around 4:30) I am completely DRAINED. I am so tired that if I even try to sit down in a chair or lay down, I knock out within 10 minutes. And it feels like someone slipped a sleeping pill in my drink kinda-tired. I try avoiding sitting at all when I get home because of that. I get to work at 7:00am, so I wake up around 5:45am. I try my best to go to sleep by 10:30pm. Some people tell me it's because I sit down all day. I don't sit ALL day. But yes I am at my desk alot, documenting, calling parents, ect. I went to a doctor had all my labs drawn and I am completely healthy. No anemia, no thyroid issues. Everyone always rags on me at home because I always full asleep so early. But I am just so exhausted. I can't help it. My school is pretty demanding of me, but I feel every school nurse jumps through hoops daily at their campuses. I'm just wondering if anyone else experienced this when they got into school nursing? side note** I am not in any way asking for medical advice, just if anyone else feels this way after work. Please do not delete my post, thanks!

In my case, the coach still wants to take them to "walk laps" outside when the heat index is over 100+, and there is no shade outside at our playground.

Good Morning, I wanted to hear how you all handle Recess and the heat index at your campuses. Here in San Antonio, we cancel recess when the heat index hits 100. My principal and teachers really want to go outside and hate for cancelling recess, but down here the temps have been up to 105 everyday by 12pm. My principal asked me if I cancel recess due to the heat index, can the coach still take the kids outside to "walk laps". And if I cancel recess, can the kids still go outside in the shade? How would you all handle these questions? I thought I was clear when I said "no recess". help!

In our district, we are not allowed to administer/apply any OTC meds/products, including handing out cough drops or sunscreen. Unless we have a doctor's order of course. Liability issue.

I made it until May 12th when a parent collasped in the principal's office and started having a seizure!

Hello LevitateMe, I am 25 years old and did not get hired in a hospital right away (my passion was OB) so I took the only place that called me back, which was my elementary school. Been here ever since bc no hospital will hire a nurse that's been a school nurse for 2 years and no clinical experience (trust me I've tried). But anyway, my day consists of getting here at 7am, wiping down the clinic, my desk and phone and keyboard, just really sanitizing everything. I read and reply to emails (bc I get 100+ day) and call parents back if any left voicemails. I make sure I have enough ice packs for the day (these go quick). Once 8am hits, I have a line of kids already at the door. I basically do triage with the students. Mostly minor first aid, but I've had to call EMS already 3 times since I started in 2012 (for students and parents on campus). I hand TONS of medications (mostly PO), but also neb tx, straight caths, ect. There were no diabetics on my campus this year. While giving meds and documenting my vistits and meds given, I am checking shot records, writing referrals to doctors, sitting in 504 meetings/ARDS, giving presentations/demonstrations over EPipens, monitoring the ozone for Ozone Action days, cancelling Recess as needed, presenting the maturation video for 5th graders, sitting in on registration day to check shots, ect. If I'm lucky I can go to the bathroom and eat lunch lol. With my school district, when you start, you start at the base pay. Even though you have nursing experience they don't count that here. You salary goes up as your number of years here increase. Hope this helps!

Hello fellow school nurses, I have asked this question before, but before I had posted it to the NP blogs and Student NP blogs, when maybe I should have posted it here. I am 25 years old, newly married, living with in-laws to save for my first home, and graduated nursing school in Dec. 2011. I was that nursing student who started applications during the first month of my last semester of school. I was that overly-prepared student - the one who studied 2 weeks in advance for a test, the student who you saw reading all the time. I was the one who got to school at 6:30am and left at 7pm because I studied before and after classes. I was that student who read EVERY single word in my book, not just skim. I was that student who tried so hard and didn't really go out on the weekends bc I rather be studying, even though my other nursing friends invited me to go with them. Needless to say, I worked my butt off during nursing school. My weak points were I was a nervous wreck during clinicals... I was a master with the books, but slower to learn the hands on skills. It took me a few attempts to really get the skills learned in skills lab. I was that student who the instructor used as "A what not to do on your patient" in skills lab bc even though I tried to get it right, somehow I would always mess something up and embarrass myself in front of the class. I graduated Magna Cum Laude. I applied to every new grad program in my area. (My specific passion was Women's Health or Mother Baby. My long term plan was to work at a hospital for 2 years and then apply to a NP program. Becoming an NP was my future dream!) I applied months in advance before graduation (as recommended by our instructors). Graduation day came and went .... no calls for interviews. NCLEX day came - I passed in 75 questions, took an hour and 15 minutes. ... days came and went, no call backs. I called the HR departments, left messages....nothing..... I would sit at home and stare at the stack of bills I had thinking, I really need to find a job to pay these..... Well, while applying to hospitals and clinics, I had also took a chance and sent in an application for a school nurse in a low-income area in my city. It was them who actually called me back for an interview. It was the only call back I got. It wasn't what I had in mind, but at the time I was desperate for a job. I interviewed the next morning; there were nurses before me and after, all veteran nurses with peds experience. And then there was me. One week after, (the day i passed my NCLEX) I got a call back from HR that they liked me and wanted me to work for them, STARTING THE NEXT DAY! I started working at the elementary school the next day and I have been there since. I have been a school nurse for 2 years. I have applied to hospitals/clinics since then, and i've been told "you are no longer a new grad and you have no clinical experience". So, I do not look marketable to employers. I've watched all my nursing friends who did get hospital jobs recently get into their NP programs. My question to you is, is it even worth it to still pursue my dream as an NP? I have no clinical experience, and I've been out of school for 2 years. Would it be worth my while? Worth applying? Is it stupid to think an RN with a BSN apply for an NP program when I've lost pretty much all my skills I worked so hard for in nursing school? I don't want to look back on my life when I'm 80 and have regrets that I didn't pursue my dreams. But, I also want to be smart about this. What do yall think I should do? Sincerely, Lost and Confused RN

Couldn't have said it better myself! :)

I second that - nurses are treated like lower social beings in my school district. We are the necessary evil - they love when they need us, but ignore us when they don't need us.

I agree with this, I do not deal with this issue either and do not like to. But I get asked to.

Wow I would LOVE if I was lucky enough to have an aide to do most of the hands on stuff. Here, you are only allowed an aide if you have more than 800 students. I work at an elemtary school with around 750 kids. So I do hands on, med administration, documentation, ARD paperwork, 504 meetings, lectures/presentations on such things like EpiPens, HIV, lice, ect. I can't even go to the bathroom without someone calling me on the intercom searching for me.

Wow, and this entire year all of the nurses were following the policy that if a student is indentified with live lice they need to go home asap and cannot return until the hair is treated. Turns out tx state health depart changed that before this year even started. I'm going to bring that to the attention of our nurse manager.

Hello felllow nurses, So it appears more and more school districts are taking up the new policies on lice. Our district is going to live out the remainder of the school year still sending home kids with live lice. But I hear CDC changed some policies and starting next year we are no longer allowed to send students home with live lice. How do ya'll feel about this? I live at a low-income school in a poverty stricken area. Every classroom has atleast 2-3 students with active lice, despite my best erfforts of speaking with parents, sending the student home multiple times, getting the social worker involved, ect. I can't imagine how badly infested my school will become next year. One of our preK classes had 7 students with active lice out of 16 kids. I just don't know how I feel about this....

The head nurse supervisor at my school district is CPR instructor trained and he provides us with a renewal class. Your district should as well.

As a 22 yr old, 2011 BSN RN graduate, I was not hired at any of the (6) hospitals I applied for. An elementary school was the only place that called me back, and I had to take it bc there bills that needed paying! I've been here ever since - no hospital experience. I wish I did have hospital experience though. For my first year here I was still putting out applications to hospitals, clinics, ect. No luck. They no longer saw me as a "new grad" but as an RN with 1 year exp. in school nursing so I was unappealing to hospitals. They all want either a 1) brand spanking new grad or 2)exp. nurse with CLINICAL experience. No one wants me now! I also had high dreams of getting my first 2 years exp at a hospital (mother-baby being my passion) and then applying for FNP school. Now that I think about it, my 2 year mark was up in Dec.2013. By now, I would have already sent in my NP school application and been on my way to becoming an FNP, soon to get my certification in Women's Health. As I watch my nursing friends post facebook statuses about how excited they are that they got in to their NP school of choice, I can only feel sadness in my heart because I see all of my friends reaching their goals and living their dreams. I had those same dreams once... I still do. But as a school nurse with no clinical experience or background, many will tell you it is not wise to jump into NP school lacking so much training and knowledge. I would be chasing failure. So it can be done, starting off in a school....but If I were you I would get the hospital experience first. Don't get yourself stuck in a rut like I did. You'll have regrets for the rest of your life

Honestly to my knowledge, that subject matter is something that needs the attention of the school counselor and administration, not the school nurse. I only attend meetings that are medical related. Sexual harrassment in the school setting is a topic for the counselor to discuss.