"I want to go home" Story Time

Published

I'm still just an awe of the interaction I just had. It's not too bad, just surprising.

A student comes in, says that he was diagnosed with pink eye and a throat infection 2 days ago, and started meds 2 days ago, "late in the evening." Afebrile, good coloring, couldn't tell which eye had pink eye to save my life. Says he just doesn't feel well and doesn't think he should be back in school. I ask him if he told his parents that, and what they said. He says yes, and that they sent him to school anyway.

I find (most) parents are a pretty good judge of character.

I ask him what he wants (because I know what he wants). And he says he wants to go home. So, I pull some more and get him to admit that he just wants me to call his parents and say he needs go home. Nope, full stop! No fever, meds for over 24 hours, you don't look "sick," nope, can't do it. (If I were to call it would have been their decision anyway since I don't need to send him home.)

Try to offer him pain meds (since his throat hurts really bad), and he just stands up, says "never mind" in that surly "I didn't get my way" teenage voice and slams my door on the way out!

The guidance counselor came over and asked if he really just did that! I have actually not had that happen so blatantly before. And I really just needed to tell people who would understand the just, "*****" of it.

But, the life of a school nurse, right?

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I love high school kids dearly but they can be little snots. I haven't had any slam my door. Have had them storm out mad though. I had one a freshman girl went called her dad on her cell phone that she was sick. He calls and asks me if his daughter is sick. I hadn't seen the child so no clue if she was sick or not. Office Staff told her that they don't get to go home sick unless they are seen by me. She comes to my office, says I am sick, you are going to call my dad and tell him to pick me up. Child was asymptomatic. No fever, no V/N/D. Nothing. I told her no she wasn't sick, no complaints of anything other than "I am sick." You are going back to class, I will not call your parent and request them to pick you up for, "Because I am sick." She stormed out of my office. I called the dad back told him my findings and he said, "Thank you, I am glad you sent her back to class."

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Specializes in School nursing.
I love high school kids dearly but they can be little snots. I haven't had any slam my door. Have had them storm out mad though. I had one a freshman girl went called her dad on her cell phone that she was sick. He calls and asks me if his daughter is sick. I hadn't seen the child so no clue if she was sick or not. Office Staff told her that they don't get to go home sick unless they are seen by me. She comes to my office, says I am sick, you are going to call my dad and tell him to pick me up. Child was asymptomatic. No fever, no V/N/D. Nothing. I told her no she wasn't sick, no complaints of anything other than "I am sick." You are going back to class, I will not call your parent and request them to pick you up for, "Because I am sick." She stormed out of my office. I called the dad back told him my findings and he said, "Thank you, I am glad you sent her back to class."

That Dad is awesome.

I've had kids text parents for pick-up, parent shows up, front office calls down to my office, finds out I have not seen the student all day.

Cell phone usage = detention at my school, which for the HS, means a kid comes in at 7 AM (an hour before classes start) to clean the school. I love it.

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For some reason the powers at be allowed students in high school to have cell phones. I find this one of the worst policies they have. *It may be to keep the ISS teacher in a job.* I have had to put up a sign on my wall that says if you have already called your parent from your cell phone please tell us. *I have had a parent get pissy because I was calling her and she was already on her way to get the kid. Unbeknownst to me the kid had called on the cell phone so mom was already aware." Most of the time I ask the kids have you already called mom, dad, guardian on the phone. If they say no, then I call. If they say yes that leads to a few more questions before I call. Only time I have found that the cell phone thing was a good thing was when I had a student, her mother wouldn't answer the phone for me, she was asthmatic and didn't have an inhaler here at school. Had an asthma attack *not severe enough to warrant a call to 911.* student was texting mom, about 10 mins in I asked student where mom was she said she didn't know. I told her to text her mom and tell her if she didn't get here with in the next 3 minutes I was calling 911 and she was going to the ER. Lo and behold mom showed up within that 3 minutes with an inhaler, and checked the child out. *

That Dad is awesome.

I've had kids text parents for pick-up, parent shows up, front office calls down to my office, finds out I have not seen the student all day.

Cell phone usage = detention at my school, which for the HS, means a kid comes in at 7 AM (an hour before classes start) to clean the school. I love it.

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I haven't had a kid be an outright snot that did not come back the next day and apologize. I did have one kid, an older boy, over 18, step up to me. I guess he was surprised when I didn't step back and kept talking to him in a calm voice. He apologized, too.

They are testing the waters.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

See what I mean? I'm sticking with the little ones.

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Specializes in School Nurse. Having conversations with littles..
I love high school kids dearly but they can be little snots. I haven't had any slam my door. Have had them storm out mad though. I had one a freshman girl went called her dad on her cell phone that she was sick. He calls and asks me if his daughter is sick. I hadn't seen the child so no clue if she was sick or not. Office Staff told her that they don't get to go home sick unless they are seen by me. She comes to my office, says I am sick, you are going to call my dad and tell him to pick me up. Child was asymptomatic. No fever, no V/N/D. Nothing. I told her no she wasn't sick, no complaints of anything other than "I am sick." You are going back to class, I will not call your parent and request them to pick you up for, "Because I am sick." She stormed out of my office. I called the dad back told him my findings and he said, "Thank you, I am glad you sent her back to class."

WooooHoooo!!! You win!! Good work!! :woot:

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Specializes in School Nurse. Having conversations with littles..
That Dad is awesome.

I've had kids text parents for pick-up, parent shows up, front office calls down to my office, finds out I have not seen the student all day.

Cell phone usage = detention at my school, which for the HS, means a kid comes in at 7 AM (an hour before classes start) to clean the school. I love it.

Sorry- Referring to cell phone use and teens at school... I just have to share this, hope it will give a little chuckle and a nod of understanding of the ingenuity of teenagers. (Or, at least for my motherly wisdom and ability to make a little funny) Earlier this week, at my hubs (the Principal for those who may have not caught this in other posts) school, where our son is a Senior. Before school starts, our 6'3" little darling, for some reason that don't really know. Came and got hubs phone. A little later, hubs asks me why said little darling took his phone. I didn't have a clue. Knowing him, it was probably not a big deal. I said, "well, he probably wanted to use your phone and I am guessing he needed to message/call his girlfriend (who goes to another school). And, if he gets caught and the teacher confiscates his phone, I guess the worst that will happen is that you will get your phone back. (The policy there is, it isn't until the 3rd strike that they get ISS. Strike 2 , which is what it would have been, requires a parent to come and pick up the phone) :eek:

Happy Thurs(almost Friday)day everyone.

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Our cell phone policy here is atrocious. I've brought it up multiple times and I'm told it's not a priority.

Ooookay.

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Cell phones aren't allowed, but that doesn't stop the kids from using them. I like having them because parents will pick up for the kids/answer a text more than they will for me sometimes. But they cause more issues than they solve, and if the choice was to ban them completely, I would.

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Specializes in School Nurse. Having conversations with littles..

Complete ban of cell phones...Now, that gets a quadruple like from me!!

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Specializes in School Nursing, Hospice,Med-Surg.
See what I mean? I'm sticking with the little ones.

Yep. Even when the littles get sassy (and they do sometimes) I am sometimes bigger than them and can attempt to scare them out of their sassiness.

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