Rapid testing in schools- any here in MA?

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Our district is set to begin the new rapid tests and I am wondering if anyone is doing these in their schools, especially if you are in MA.  We were just told that we are going to begin "sometime next week" but I imagine there is extensive training for administering the tests and of course no in in the district seems to know anything about that.  Would love to hear from anyone who is doing these in their districts.

I got a bit of an update today.  It is a saliva PCR test with results in 15 minutes.  Only staff will be tested, not students, and any + result will be then referred to their PMD for confirmation and follow-up.  They have assured us we are not responsible for any surveillance, etc.  I will believe that when I see it.

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Specializes in School Nurse. Having conversations with littles..
On 10/16/2020 at 9:31 AM, EnoughWithTheIce said:

This is what I would fear! After 8 weeks in, I am finally getting parents to understand the need to keep ill kids home and follow up with their PCP. If they found out we are testing, the lines will be out the door every morning.

What are the implications for nurses doing these tests? It's diagnostic, is that even within our scope??? 

I hope that you will check with your State School Nurse Consultant. Our State School Nurse Consultant (she is a gem) here in Missouri checked with our Missouri State Board of Nursing. The wording is, that we are not "diagnosing", we are simply sharing the results of the Covid test with the parent(s).

 

In Missouri- we are only able to order enough tests for one for each student and staff member. My message to parents is going to be that we have 1 test per student, I hope that will keep parents from requesting them willy-nilly. I also am not going to test any student without a parent present. I feel like this will make the parents have a little ownership in the process. I will also have them sign the permission form.

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Specializes in pediatrics, school nursing.

Did any other MA nurses see the memo from the state that came out on Friday? 

Here's the first paragraph:

"The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Defense (DOD) recently announced an initiative to deliver 150 million Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card Point of Care (POC) SARS-CoV-2 rapid diagnostic tests to schools and other strategic environments. Over the course of the school year, Massachusetts will obtain approximately 2 million tests for use in priority settings including but not limited to public districts, charter schools, educational collaboratives, and approved special education schools. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in collaboration with the Department of Public Health (DPH) is seeking to introduce the first phase of these tests with an initial group of districts and schools. Participating districts and schools will receive the test kits at no cost, and in most cases, administer the test using existing staff resources."

How many districts are going to order tests and then just throw them at nursing staff and say "Here! Figure this out!"

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Specializes in School nursing.
10 minutes ago, k1p1ssk said:

Did any other MA nurses see the memo from the state that came out on Friday? 

Here's the first paragraph:

"The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Defense (DOD) recently announced an initiative to deliver 150 million Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card Point of Care (POC) SARS-CoV-2 rapid diagnostic tests to schools and other strategic environments. Over the course of the school year, Massachusetts will obtain approximately 2 million tests for use in priority settings including but not limited to public districts, charter schools, educational collaboratives, and approved special education schools. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in collaboration with the Department of Public Health (DPH) is seeking to introduce the first phase of these tests with an initial group of districts and schools. Participating districts and schools will receive the test kits at no cost, and in most cases, administer the test using existing staff resources."

How many districts are going to order tests and then just throw them at nursing staff and say "Here! Figure this out!"

Yep and yep.

Me and my school's big boss are going to the Webinar on Wednesday and then I'm meeting with my school physician on Thursday to discuss this. 

It is for symptomatic folks, though. So now basically any kid walking into my office with a runny nose I may have to give a rapid COVID test to (and also to staff)? That is a LOT to process. You need to apply for a lab waiver, your school doc has to write the order and than you have to call DPH and report the positive as well as then sending student/staff out for a confirmation PCR test (so they are a presumptive positive? I'm hoping I get more answers, because the nurse's office is starting to feel like a doctor's office here...)

This isn't surveillance testing, which my school is still pursuing, and thankfully in for hiring an awesome EMT team to manage the specimen collection and delivery to lab running the test piece. 

   

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Specializes in school nurse.
On 10/26/2020 at 10:00 AM, JenTheSchoolRN said:

Yep and yep.

Me and my school's big boss are going to the Webinar on Wednesday and then I'm meeting with my school physician on Thursday to discuss this. 

It is for symptomatic folks, though. So now basically any kid walking into my office with a runny nose I may have to give a rapid COVID test to (and also to staff)? That is a LOT to process. You need to apply for a lab waiver, your school doc has to write the order and than you have to call DPH and report the positive as well as then sending student/staff out for a confirmation PCR test (so they are a presumptive positive? I'm hoping I get more answers, because the nurse's office is starting to feel like a doctor's office here...)

This isn't surveillance testing, which my school is still pursuing, and thankfully in for hiring an awesome EMT team to manage the specimen collection and delivery to lab running the test piece. 

   

Yeah. The negative needing to be confirmed by a PCR test (and in the interim treating the symptomatic student as COVID positive anyway) does seem to take some of the usefulness out of it. The only true benefit I can see if that if someone tests positive you can immediately identify school contacts to begin quarantine.

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Specializes in kids.

And if it is negative, what about the possibility of Strep, the flu and mono??? We cannot do zip for those. So they say no Covid whohoo....and then get really sick when something else is missed or not treated, BECAUSE WE CANNOT!!!!!

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Specializes in School nursing.

Did anyone else go to the webinar on the BinaxNOW testing yesterday?

Let's just say it was...a lot. I will just say this: school nurse's offices are not doctor's offices.

Also, if you still need a PCR to confirm, is there a point? Quarantine a little sooner, okay, but based on when they say to give these tests, I'd just be spending my whole day giving a rapid COVID test to students and staff because they said it is a tool "to rule out COVID" with symptoms that aren't as consistent with COVID...

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Specializes in School Health, Community Health, Nursing ED.
  • I'm just wondering, is anyone talking about doing MOUs (Memorandum of Understanding added to our contracts) for rapid testing? Setting parameters, making sure you get a bathroom break in PPE all day? What are the concerns beyond parents sending sick kids to school ? I want an MOU before I do this.
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