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Discussion

any 1:1 school nurses in here

Hi

I am interviewing for a 1:1 school nurse position for a second grader with epilepsy. Does anyone here work privately with children during their school day? If so, what are your duties and do you have any pros and cons about the job?

Thanks for your time..

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    When I did shift work with a child in school, my duties consisted of following the care plan within the school setting and the added activities of monitoring the child on the playground for safety (personal safety was an issue with this child). I also interacted in the classroom to a certain extent, otherwise it would have been very boring. The teacher and teacher's aides appreciated my assistance. I was very careful to tend to my patient exclusively as long as they needed some type of attention, but also to integrate their activity with the activity of the other children. Some children have involved medical care during the school day, others have minimal. As in care in the home setting, it depends on their condition and the plan of care.

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    • Author

    Thanks for your reply. I am just afraid of sitting all day while she interacts in the classroom and i will not have much to do.. i was told there is no interaction allowed between myself and the teacher and other children, i am to just sit and watch her. I am wondering if this is not a good job choice for a new nurse...

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    • Experts

    Ehh, I don't know who told you not to interact, but I asked the teacher about her expectations of me, and she was ok with what I did. She provided me with guidance. I just made sure I sat behind the students (they did mostly "circle"), and when I sensed that they were paying too much attention to me, I moved further back in the classroom. You just need to be mindful of self in the classroom. The only stipulation we had in our classroom was watching out for the principal, because everyone thought it best that she not catch me interacting at all in the classroom.

    Now, my patient was prone to periods of dizziness, seizures, that sort of thing and could possibly fall out of their chair. As part of my duty, that made it necessary for me to sit right behind, beside her so that I could catch her if she fell. This type of situation may or may not be the same for you depending on what is going on with your child, whether or not they are wheelchair bound, etc. You will adjust to the situation. On day one, when you introduce yourself to the teacher, best to ask her/him outright what they expect of you and what they will allow, encourage, discourage, etc.

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    • Author

    Caliotter3 thanks for the info. It was the principal who said no interaction between myself and others in classroom. I have until Tuesday to decide. I will definitely ask the teacher what expectations she has of me if i do take the position. This child i know has a dog with her that is supposed to sense her seizure activity. She had another nurse that started with her in September and now they are looking for a new one so it makes me wonder what happened. ...

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    There are quite a few threads on this. I know somewhere on the PDN area, I posted a long description. Maybe that will help.

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    I think it is a good idea to ask the teacher(s) what is expected of you. Also, what do the parents expect of you? Sometimes they are not the same. When I attend preschool with my clt., the teacher wants less involvement from me, the nurse; however, the nurse (me) is the only person who can take clt. on/off the vent, suction, transport to tumble forms, etc., so I had to be involved a lot- the nature of the clt.'s disease requires it. Between myself and the other nurses who attend school with her, we are all still trying to find a happy balance. My clt. is the most medically intensive child in the class (others are running around, or have trachs but can sit up by themselves) and that makes transitions from activity to activity challenging. Actually, that has been one of the biggest challenges- how to involve my clt. in activities because, by the time I get her stable and ready for circle time or whatever, it's on to the next thing :(

    Can you ask the former nurse how she went about her day with the clt. at school? Can you observe a day in the classroom with other children/nurses prior to starting?

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    • Author

    The former nurse is not there i believe. I do not know what happened with her actually. I am meeting the mom tomorrow so i will ask everything i need to. This child is pretty normal throughout the day, runs ,plays.. i was not given much info so i find out more in the am. I am just concerned that i wont be using my skills too much and be bored most of the time..

    Thanks for your post though.

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    I was a 1:1 nurse for a student with a brain injury and profound disabilities. I did everything: brief changes, trach care, medications, and feeding. We spent most of our time with other students with profound disabilities. He had his own program, but attended band and speech therapy. He also attended a regional program for students with disabilities, so we got out quite a bit.

    My advice would be to get to know the school nurse and your student's special educator. They were invaluable in my case. Also, find out if you will be expected to provide instruction.

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    Hello,

    I know its been awhile since the last reply on this post. Im wondering if OP ended up taking the job as a new nurse.

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    • Author
    Hello,

    I know its been awhile since the last reply on this post. Im wondering if OP ended up taking the job as a new nurse.

    Hello,

    I did not get offered the job. They ended up hiring another nurse with better experience. I am glad in the end because I did not have good experience with children and epilepsy. Also it would of been a bit boring sitting in a class all day long just watching the student.

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