tleigh7097

I thought anyone who performed the V/H screenings in Illinois schools HAD to be certified by Illinois Department of Public Health? That's what I was taught during certification.

Lets all remember nursing judgment and nursing assessment can not be delegated to unlicensed staff. These people do practice nursing "tasks" under our license, but they are NOT critically thinking professional nurses! I have refused certain people to perform some tasks if I did not feel they could do it safely and to my standards.

My experience has been that the case management and needs of kids of high school age are much easier and less time consuming. At the high school level you would be spending more time teaching students about managing their diabetes and other health conditions where as in the elementary schools the needs of the kids may be greater, especially if the economic status of that area is lower(higher rates of asthma, and other untreated health conditions). It is also important to know if you will be responsible for the vision and hearing screenings in your building. If so, there are fewer mandated grade levels in high school. Good Luck! And consider yourself lucky, where I am, we do not have a nurse in each building. There are 2 of us for 5000 kids in general ed, and a profoundly handicapped program.

I am very interested in how to get started as well. Your post was VERY helpful! I will continue to follow this thread in hopes that we can get more detailed information. thanks!!

Anyone have pointers for Illinois?

I would love to know how and where to start this process in illinois. Any Illinois individual medicare/medicaid providers out there??

Contact your local public health office. The epidemiologist could be helpful.:

I would be interested in a good website for lung sounds. Any suggestions?

If a patient has a "History" of MRSA in the sputum should the contact precautions always be followed? Does it colonize?

I'm also "rejoining" Rehab nursing. I would also be very interested in a cheat sheet. Thanks so much

I am in the state of Illinois. I have still not been able to come up with a clear answer. Martha Burgren, I would appreciate your input. Thank You

Is it acceptable for a Registered Nurse who does not hold a Type 73 certificate to write individual health care plans? Is it acceptable for the registered nurse to only provide nursing care plans? Please clarify.

a recent newspaper article brought to light the unclear laws related to caring for children in school who require invasive procedure or skills that require nursing judgement. teachers assistances have voiced their conceerns about weather or not these things should be done by non-medical personell, even though they are not "required" to do so, but may be asked. it is my understanding that the new nurse practice act states that registered nurses can not delegate any task to non-nurses that require nursing judgement. but...the illinois state board of education allows district employees to perform health related services to students with medical needs. how can this be allowed when an rn can not delegate such tasks to a cna or even an lpn in other circumstances or health care settings? what happens to the nurse if parents sue because a problem did arise while a non-medical staff member was performing these skills? also, can you shed any light on the pending bill, sb 2048 that is before lawmakers at this time? my understanding is that will require medication management plans for all students on meds, and if there is no school nurse employeed it would be the principals responsibility to appoint, supervise and train a "designated health care aid" to perform all tasks necessary??? please help me sort out the confusion as i am one of these nurses delegating tasks to teachers and ta's.

I found there to be plenty of work in LTC last summer(it may be different this summer). I worked through a relief staffing agency. The pay was good, but the hours long. I chose to work 12-16 hr days so I still had some free time. I love geriatrics but it's very difficult to walk into a strange facility and take charge for 30-40 residents. That's why I am exploring other options for this coming summer. Besides, i don't know if my feet and legs can hack it anymore!

i'm a school nurse for the past 5 years, and about this time each year i start thinking about where i will work in the summer. i have usually worked for an agency or long term care facility, but i'm a little burned out on that. what does everyone else do? suggestions are greatly appreciated

I'm knterested in learning how to do this as well. Help??

Thank You for your reply. Does this still hold true if the RN wrote the order, signed the APN name and her own name? Or legally should the order be signed by the APN themselves?

Here's my question- In Illinois can an APN or PA give orders to an Illinois RN? Specifically what has occured is that orders came from the clinic written and signed by the RN in the office who works along side the APN. These orders(including medication prescriptions) were given to another RN to carry out. Is this acceptable in Illinois?

Thank You all so very much! All of these great tips will save me alot of time!:flowersfo Your help is greatly appreciated:yeah:

I'm working long term care through an agency. I've been away from this type of work for many years. It took me 5 hours to pass morning meds to 25 patients! What can I do to get organized, be more efficient and not feel so far behind?? Is there a patient work sheet that might help me? Also, remembering who has meds again throughout the day was a problem. I found myself going through the med books over and over again! Oh, It makes me feel very slow and inefficient! Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated! I'm scheduled for 4 doubles in a row next week!

I returned to agency nursing in Long Term Care this weekend. It took me 5 hours to pass morning meds to 25 patients. I had forgotten the lay out of the med cart and everything. Searching through drawer after drawer for drops and sprays and fumbling through stock meds nearly made me go insane. I used to do this with ease....long ago. Is there a patient worksheet that might be helpful? Amf knowing what time each patient got meds again was a problem. What are the tricks of the trade? I'm signed up for 4 doubles in a row next week! PLEASE HELP:eek:

GO FOR IT!!! I have been a school nurse for the past 5 years. I took a huge cut in pay, at first, and started only working 6 hours a day. I am the nurse for our school district's profoundly handicapped children. Since then I also obtained an additional 2 hrs per day as a medication nurse for the high school. It was the smartest move I ever made! As for me, I receive the same yearly raise that the teachers vote in. Which is always good. There was no School Nurse certification required for my positions either. It would not make much of a difference as far as pay anyway. Most importantly it is a nursing job that allows you to work independantly, collaborate with other professionals, build a retirement, and NOT have to worry about short staffing, heavy patient loads, etc. Give it some thought! Good Luck! Tammie

I think as a nurse doing an assessment and being conscious of her pt's privacy, she should have simply pulled the curtain. If the wife wanted to see the incision that should have been between the two of them.

I am a Public School Nurse in charge of the severe/profound handicapped children's program for my district. I have always requested that my trach kids be sent to school with a same size trach as well as a step-down size trach in the event that the normal size could not be reinserted. In this particular school setting the teachers and teacher's aids are responsible to change the trach in an emergency(training provided by the nurse). It has been suggested to me that perhaps we should not try to insert a "step-down" size trach if problems arise but to omit that step and just call 911. If there is anyone with a similiar situation I would appreciate your input.

I am a school nurse in charge of a Severe profound handicap program for the district. Does anyone have any info/thoughts/experience to share on having a student in the classroom with a centrally inserted catheter? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!