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[Jedrnurse]

It just...gets to me sometimes. I know it's common and it's everywhere, but it still does.

(5th grader)

"My belly really hurts."

"How long has it been bothering you for?"

"Like three minutes."

I usually let it slide off my back, but sometimes kids' increasing lack of any resilience and/or ability to deal with adversity of any sort just fills me with concern (or dread) for the future.

I honestly don't think I even knew where the nurse's office was when I was in school..

[Farawyn]

I been here for 3 years and It's a fun job, but it's demanding. I may not be a SN, but I work like a crazed one. 560 kids and just me.

You guys are awesome and I love you all!

You ask questions, and you've grown a lot. You're pretty awesome, yourself.

[pedi_nurse]

Oh I sincerely apologize that I wasnt here checking everyday for your reply in order to answer.

I am a BSN student and abuse survivor.

Oh yes thank you so much for correcting me on mistakenly advocating for abused children, so that you can rant about a child with a tummy ache.

Blow off all the steam you need, I simply posted my concern about the potential of an abused child being ignored because you are just sooo frustrated with little Timmy.

Again if a child and a fake tummyache are what you are "blowing off steam" over, then your life is pretty good all things considered.

I'm sorry for the abuse you had to endure. No child should have to go through that. Of course you were concerned reading this thread! Abuse or anxiety was my first thought reading the thread as well. Shoot, it's my first thought with most stomach aches or headaches coming in. Fortunately, that's not the most common cause of these complaints. Unfortunately, even if it is the cause, we can't just report stomach aches to child protective services. Nor is it appropriate to question the student about potential abuse without more to go off of. And I hear you, we don't want to risk alienating a kid who may be dealing with a ton more than we are aware of.

Please hear me, though. As others have said, you basically walked into a break room with a bunch of nurses who haven't had the chance to be around other nurses for awhile. Nurses, along with basically every other profession, will complain about things. This does not make them insensitive. Nor does the fact that they are "blowing off steam" over kids with tummy aches mean that our role is not significant. We might not be saving lives everyday (though we definitely do that on occasion), but our work is important. We are often the ONLY medical professional some of our kids see. What we do can have a lasting impact on the well being of the kids we care for. We ALL are acutely aware of this.

It's important you walk through nursing school and nursing with humility. Not the, "Oh I'm a lowly nursing student/nurse" sort of humility; rather, the "I realize I have a lot to learn" sort of humility. If you are going to be a good nurse, you are going to be CONSTANTLY learning. And the more you learn, the more you will realize what you don't know. This is the BEST and safest kind of nurse to be. One who knows enough to recognize what they don't know.

[Cattz, ADN]

Normally I'd agree with you but the amount of whining in this thread by professionals who are supposed to care for and protect the some of the most vulnerable of our population, calling children who are 5, 6 or 7 years old "entitled" or "snowflakes."

Sorry but that frankly boggles my mind.

Haha...this. is. killing. me.

[BunnyBunnyBSNRN, ASN, BSN]

Ya'll, let's drop this. broughden is a nursing student and, as such, is, if not young, at least idealistic about what nursing is and what it "should be". Remember, we were all nursing students at one time and heard horror stories about "nurses eating their young". For the longest, I didn't really know what this phrase meant however, I think this may be an example of at least nibbling.

This is our nurse's station, we know what is appropriate and what is not. When someone who "doesn't even go here" steps in with an opinion, we need to keep in mind that they have no clue what it's like on this "unit", in this specialty.

I with broughden nothing but luck and love in whatever path of nursing he/she chooses.

[Amethya]

You ask questions, and you've grown a lot. You're pretty awesome, yourself.

Aww... I love you too Farawyn!

[EnoughWithTheIce]

There is over a thousand years of experience in nursing here, this how many times your experience? We are unique in our environment. When you become a nurse, I would challenge you to never complain to your coworkers about a patient, ever. I have found no one can do this, you are human. We don't need your judgement or your validation. When you have walked a mile in our shoes, you can understand. I don't go on the student's site and tell them how it wasn't stressful, or the maternity site and give advice. Most times you will find that silence is golden.

Yes!!! I will never pretend to know the struggles of other specialties, don't even lurk on their sites unless I truly would like a question answered (you know, check with the experts).

I have noticed the high number of student nurses who have such strong opinions. Some day, those NCLEX world blinders they see through will become more clear when real nursing reality hits.

[Have Nurse, ADN, RN]

I'm hoping it's not really as many as it seems, comparatively speaking, considering the entire student body. But yes, I agree. I had a kid in here this morning, 3rd grader, pooped in his pants because a spider was on the restroom floor and he was afraid to go in.

Poor kid.

[Amethya]

Poor kid.

Happens quite a lot. I had one yesterday who wet himself because he was waiting for the restroom and seemed to forgot that there was 4 other restrooms there.

[Farawyn]

Poor kid.

Happens quite a lot. I had one yesterday who wet himself because he was waiting for the restroom and seemed to forgot that there was 4 other restrooms there.

My Kid will kill me for saying this, but he came off the bus in first grade a few times wet because he didn't want to ask to go to the bathroom. It happens.

[OldDude]

My Kid will kill me for saying this, but he came off the bus in first grade a few times wet because he didn't want to ask to go to the bathroom. It happens.

I bet he felt a disturbance in the Force when you clicked "Post Comment."

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

Most of us who are long in the tooth as school nurses, sadly, have come across the child you describe. That is not our run of the mill visitor. That is not the child that runs around until they are out of breath at recess and then decides at reading the NOW they have a stomach ache. Every single day. Yes, we are aware that the stomach ache that the kids come in with when we see then frequently during a certain class are most likely due to difficulty with that subject, or missing homework, or yes on occasion due to a misarable home life that spills over into school. Trust me when I tell you that I have dialed CPS so many times at this point in my career that I no longer need to look up the number. I no longer need to listen through the prompts and I already know the questions they're going to ask me so when a child comes in with a complaint that could generate a call, I already know what follow up questions to askor how to steer the conversation to answer the questions that I will eventually be asked. So don't think for a second that the idea of an abused child is never far off my radar.

So sad you live and work in a world where that always has to be on your radar. People sometimes suck.

[NutmeggeRN, BSN]

So sad you live and work in a world where that always has to be on your radar. People sometimes suck.

Yes...yes they do...sometimes