School nurses, what is the worst emergency you've had?

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Just had the worst one I've had since I've been here. Kids got into a fight, hit cement, kept hitting him while on the ground... Pinpoint pupils, in and out of consciousness, bleeding... so a head injury.

Got flown to a different hospital.

I'm shook up to be honest. I always feel like I am not doing enough.

Do you guys have any extra training for emergencies like such?

Specializes in school nurse.

I had mine last month. Teacher collapsed in the hallway. As soon as I walked in the building, I'm told, we need you we have an emergency. I go down the hallway, water bottle and bag in my hand to see a teacher lying unresponsive faced down in the hallway (they never tell you extent of the emergency). Sent someone to get AED machine. There was another teacher present so I say to her, can you help me turn him over, her response was I don't want to hurt him because of the way his arm is positioned. We need a man to help. I'm thinking, he's unconscious, the least of his worries is us hurting his arm. I finally get him turned over, attach AED machine, then have to begin CPR. After awhile, I start getting tired, I'm asking does anyone know CPR, to switch out? No response. Luckily the counselor came around the corner (after being turned away by principal) and was able to take over. Teacher passed away, but I knew it didn't look good. Coworkers asking me, do I think he'll make it & why he's not waking up? (EMS had arrived and were working on him). I'm thinking, do you really need me to explain to you as an adult, that sometimes people die despite good care. And when I thought about it that same teacher who said we needed a man to roll the teacher over knew CPR because she was in the CPR class that I arranged last year. ?

7 Votes
Specializes in kids.
2 minutes ago, amsolomon said:

I had mine last month. Teacher collapsed in the hallway. As soon as I walked in the building, I'm told, we need you we have an emergency. I go down the hallway, water bottle and bag in my hand to see a teacher lying unresponsive faced down in the hallway (they never tell you extent of the emergency). Sent someone to get AED machine. There was another teacher present so I say to her, can you help me turn him over, her response was I don't want to hurt him because of the way his arm is positioned. We need a man to help. I'm thinking, he's unconscious, the least of his worries is us hurting his arm. I finally get him turned over, attach AED machine, then have to begin CPR. After awhile, I start getting tired, I'm asking does anyone know CPR, to switch out? No response. Luckily the counselor came around the corner (after being turned away by principal) and was able to take over. Teacher passed away, but I knew it didn't look good. Coworkers asking me, do I think he'll make it & why he's not waking up? (EMS had arrived and were working on him). I'm thinking, do you really need me to explain to you as an adult, that sometimes people die despite good care. And when I thought about it that same teacher who said we needed a man to roll the teacher over knew CPR because she was in the CPR class that I arranged last year. ?

Ugh I am so sorry you had to do that (every school nurses worst nightmare) and that you had no support in the building! Were you able to do any debriefing with anyone? EMS/Fire? I found that so helpful after an incident I was part of. PM me if you need to vent

5 Votes
Specializes in School Nurse.
On 10/28/2019 at 12:50 PM, k1p1ssk said:

This almost exact scenario happened in my high school when I was a senior. Football players, in the locker room. The sophomore did some muttering under his breath about something the senior did on the field. Senior lost it, put the kid in a chokehold, let go, kid hit the locker room bench, and then the concrete floor. Was in and out of consciousness for several days in the hospital, spent a total of 2 weeks in ICU.

The senior was eventually expelled. But not before purposefully flipping his truck (WITH OTHER KIDS IN IT) so daddy would buy him a new one (another kids was bigger than his).

This same guy was drag racing with a classmate and his girlfriend while high on coke and the two vehicles crashed and the girl ended up paraplegic.

Oh, and in 6th grade, this same boy kicked me as hard as he could in the ribs because I was being "disrespectful" by sitting down in the state house on a field trip.

Upstanding citizen, he is...

Afluenza maybe?

4 Votes
Specializes in School Nursing, Home Health.
2 hours ago, amsolomon said:

I had mine last month. Teacher collapsed in the hallway.

Oh my goodness! Are you okay?

And geesh, I understand that these things are scary but if somebody is asking you to just turn somebody over, do it!

Hey guys, did you guys see about the little boy in California who just passed away because he sustained a brain injury during a fight?

That could have been the kid here! But luckily it wasn't and it was just a concussion.

Still, kids don't realize death can seriously happen after a fight...

3 Votes
Specializes in Adult ICU/PICU/NICU.

We had a high school student who ran in front of a car outside the school on a dark rainy morning right before school started.

The school RN had just parked her car and noticed a crowd outside the school and she knew something had happened. She sent a teacher into the school to get the AED and began CPR. She knew he was already gone when she started compressions, but continued until EMS arrived. She followed the ambulance to the hospital with the principal and was with the family when the student was pronounced. She then came back to school and charted the incident, went home and changed her clothes, and came back to work.

After school, the principal called an emergency staff meeting and the school RN debriefed the staff not only about the incident, but also spoke about grief, trauma, and guilt after such incidents. She was model of professionalism.

I was working in the MH unit at that school which is self contained and located in its own wing. I didn't know what happened until the meeting. I had recently retired from a long career in critical care nursing and I don't think that any of my experiences could have prepared me if I had been the first one on the scene.

8 Votes
Specializes in IMC, school nursing.
10 hours ago, HazelLPN said:

I had recently retired from a long career in critical care nursing and I don't think that any of my experiences could have prepared me if I had been the first one on the scene.

I often give kudos to first responders and ED nurses. I always say I prefer them cleaned up and on a monitor.

1 Votes

Those high school fights always shake me when I think of what can happen.

I think my biggest (in terms of impact, but not immediate "drama") was a primary schooler who had a CVA. I was NOT expecting that and was thinking maybe migraine. He had a predisposing condition that wasn't disclosed to us.

1 Votes
Specializes in kids.

As I look back over 25+ years...several OD's. One last year is the first time I got really scared hast I would need to use the AED. He became increasingly lethargic in front of me as we were awaiting 911. (No we do not have Narcan,that is a story for another day).

2 Votes
Specializes in pediatrics, school nursing.
On 10/28/2019 at 2:17 PM, ohiobobcat said:

My goodness!! Is he in jail yet? If not, shall we place bets on when that will happen?

He WAS in Jail. Has since been released and is "toe-ing the line".

If you look up Toxic Masculinity in the dictionary, his picture is right there... What gets me is how he is not vilified in our community, but is seen as a "misunderstood" kid who has daddy issues and who was treated unfairly by administration, all because his family is well known in the community.

This same kid, at the age of 6, repeatedly punched the son of our mutual babysitter (who has autism) in the stomach because he was "being a crybaby". And sure, he probably has emotional trauma, but not a reason to pull so many other kids into your mess.

1 Votes
Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.
23 hours ago, amsolomon said:

I had mine last month. Teacher collapsed in the hallway. As soon as I walked in the building, I'm told, we need you we have an emergency. I go down the hallway, water bottle and bag in my hand to see a teacher lying unresponsive faced down in the hallway (they never tell you extent of the emergency). Sent someone to get AED machine. There was another teacher present so I say to her, can you help me turn him over, her response was I don't want to hurt him because of the way his arm is positioned. We need a man to help. I'm thinking, he's unconscious, the least of his worries is us hurting his arm. I finally get him turned over, attach AED machine, then have to begin CPR. After awhile, I start getting tired, I'm asking does anyone know CPR, to switch out? No response. Luckily the counselor came around the corner (after being turned away by principal) and was able to take over. Teacher passed away, but I knew it didn't look good. Coworkers asking me, do I think he'll make it & why he's not waking up? (EMS had arrived and were working on him). I'm thinking, do you really need me to explain to you as an adult, that sometimes people die despite good care. And when I thought about it that same teacher who said we needed a man to roll the teacher over knew CPR because she was in the CPR class that I arranged last year. ?

Wow - I'm so sorry for the loss of your co worker.

I have taught CPR for many moons. I have often wondered if some of the people taking the class were going to be very helpful when it came to the real deal. Kudos to you for keeping a cool head and relying on your training and schooling.

3 Votes

Two football players ran toward a corned hallway, full blast headfirst, when the last tardy bell rang. They both were knocked out unconscious. When I got called there, both laying out flat. One had blood coming out of his nose while the other one urinated on himself and was having a seizure. I had to call 2 ambulances. The worst one had to have brain surgery for a bleed. Both returned to school within 2 weeks and the school applauded over the announcement. The next month, 3 girls overdosed in the girl's restroom and I had to call 3 ambulances. They all lived and one was suspended for possession. Enough. I could write a book. These were 9th graders.

2 Votes
On 10/30/2019 at 12:29 PM, amsolomon said:

"There was another teacher present so I say to her, can you help me turn him over, her response was I don't want to hurt him because of the way his arm is positioned. After awhile, I start getting tired, I'm asking does anyone know CPR, to switch out? No response. And when I thought about it that same teacher who said we needed a man to roll the teacher over knew CPR because she was in the CPR class that I arranged last year. ?"

I think also while seeing teachers sign up for CPR every year, that this will be 50% of the response in an actual CPR situation. They don't want to get involved? Want no part of it? Frightened to not help? I think a debriefing should be in order within a week of this happening and is still not too late. No one person can do it all alone. I am sorry you found out how the staff really will act. Just think, it could have been them or you, receiving no assistance.

2 Votes
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